Beth Sembler says that she has had the pleasure of taking
both her eleven-year-old daughter and her ninety-three-year-old
grandfather-in-law to her ophthalmologist for eye care: “And in all instances,
whether I was the patient or I was bringing in my apprehensive child or my
husband’s elderly grandfather, Dr. Schnell was absolutely the most thorough,
charming, gifted, and skilled physician a patient could ever ask for.”
J. Michael Schnell, MD, is board certified by the American
Board of Ophthalmology and takes a special interest in pediatric ophthalmology.
He joined the Center for Advanced Eye Care in 2004.
“I really enjoy working with young people,” says Dr.
Schnell, “and I think that a pediatric patient requires a special approach. In
my opinion, I have to make friends with my patients before I can even attempt
to examine them.”
The doctor says he will examine a child with a suspected
eye problem at as young as nine months old but typically begins giving
healthy-eye examinations when a child reaches three.
“During the exam, I may spend a minute or two speaking
with the parent,” acknowledges Dr. Schnell, “but I really try to give all of my
attention to the child. So we’ll talk. For little ones, I always keep some
little puppets in my pocket to use before and during the exam. If they are
older, we might talk about sports or ballet or whatever interests them.
“I believe it is very important when dealing with children
to let them know exactly what I’m going to do before I do it, whether it is
something as simple as shining a light in their eyes or something more
complicated. For younger children, I may shine the light in their parent’s eye
first to give them that added boost of confidence. When children see their mom
or dad doing it, it is much more likely they will be comfortable with it.
“It is important with children to avoid any surprises.”
Above and beyond
“My first experience with Dr. Schnell was under dire
circumstances,” remembers Beth. “My daughter’s vision was distorted and she was
suffering with incredibly painful headaches. Dr. Schnell diagnosed pseudotumor
cerebri [PTC], but in order to rule out a brain tumor, she had to have an MRI.”
Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition where symptoms mirror
those of a brain tumor. It is characterized by increased pressure around the
brain. If untreated, it may lead to vision loss due to associated swelling of
the optic disc in the eye.
“Taking my daughter for an MRI was very frightening,”
admits Beth, “but Dr. Schnell actually met us at the radiology center on his
day off. Following the MRI, he went in the back with the radiologist to get a
wet read of the films so that he could come out and reassure us that, in fact,
his diagnosis was correct. There was nothing else wrong with her.
“I was just so thankful to him because until we got the
actual confirmation, we were terrified.”
Beth says that the treatment for her daughter’s condition
was very simple: “She was put on Lasix, a medication which reduces the fluid
retention in your body, and over time, she got better. Dr. Schnell has
continued to do follow-up check-ups with her on a regular basis and she has had
no problems with it since.”
Contact lenses
Once Beth’s daughter turned twelve, she decided she wanted
contact lenses.
“Dr. Schnell was just great with her,” recalls Beth. “He
impressed upon her that this would be
her
personal responsibility. He told her he would not feel comfortable prescribing
them for her unless she committed to following specific guidelines and
directions.”
“Contact lenses are another major focus of my practice,”
notes Dr. Schnell. “A good contact lens examination and fitting often takes
well over an hour in the first visit and may necessitate several more visits of
thirty minutes or so because we are trying on different lenses and sizes, and
obviously the goal is for the patient to see very clearly and to be extremely
comfortable.”
Dr. Schnell says he takes the extra time with his patients
to make sure they are very happy with the result.
“Contact lenses today are superior to eyeglasses for
excellent vision,” assesses Dr. Schnell. “Patients get a slightly truer vision
with less distortion, and, of course, their peripheral vision is far better
with contact lenses. With glasses, if you look to the side without turning your
head, you lose the benefit of the lens, but contacts move with the eye.”
The doctor points out that many of his patients who ask
for contact lenses are in their fifties and sixties.
“Especially for active people, those who play a sport and
spend time outdoors, contact lenses are a much better choice,” says Dr.
Schnell, “and many patients feel they are a cosmetically superior option as
well.”
Typically, Dr. Schnell thinks disposable contact lenses
are a better choice than the non-disposable lenses.
“Non-disposable lenses are worn from two to four weeks,
and then discarded,” he explains. “They are taken out at night, cleaned, and
stored.
“With the disposables, patients put them in their eyes in
the morning and throw them out before they go to bed. They don’t have to worry
about solutions, cases, or any of the extra paraphernalia that the other
contact lenses require.
“Additionally, it used to be that disposable lenses were
much more expensive. However, recently prices have become fairly competitive,
so if it is at all possible, we are putting our patients into disposable
lenses. We think it is safer and healthier for the eye with less chance of
infection and less possibility of contamination while they are sitting in their
case overnight.”
“When my daughter first tried, she couldn’t get her
contacts in and she gave up,” confides Beth. “However, we went back six months
later when she felt she was ready and tried them again. This time she was
successful.
“Now, she loves them; she says she could not even imagine
wearing glasses again.
“I love the way Dr. Schnell worked with her. On the few
instances she became panicky, such as when her eyes were first dilated, he
would take her by the hand, look her in the eye, call her by name, and talk her
into a place of calmness. They really built up a trusting relationship.
“In my experience, most doctors don’t put that much energy
and effort into a twelve year old. He treated her with the utmost respect. It
was amazing.”
Compassionate care
Beth assures that Dr. Schnell treated her
ninety-three-year-old grandfather-in-law with unbelievable respect and
compassion, as well.
“Oftentimes, elderly people are treated as though they are
almost invisible,” observes Beth, “but Dr. Schnell was so respectful and kind.
He made him feel so special. He wouldn’t even let him call him
Dr. Schnell
. Instead, he said,
It is such an honor to meet you, sir. Please
call me Michael.
“It made my husband’s grandfather feel so special.
“Not only does Dr. Schnell have an amazing bedside manner,
but his skill set and diagnostic capabilities are excellent. And with him, time
never seems to be an issue. Patients never feel rushed. They feel incredibly
well taken care of.
“He really does have a gift.”