What to Expect
When you arrive at our office for your appointment, you will be greeted by our receptionist who will help check you in and make sure we have all of your current contact, health and insurance information.
Request an Appointment
Our friendly appointment staff is here to help ensure you receive the care you need when you need it. Simply call Dr. Gosslee’s office or submit an online appointment request. In addition, we can also be reached at (318) 841-8844.
Patient Forms
For your convenience, if you are a new patient, you can download our new patient forms prior to your visit, complete them and just bring them with you when you come.
- Patient information form
- Patient history questionnaire
- Patient satisfaction survey
Evaluation and Diagnosis
Our medical team can often evaluate, test, diagnose and treat you all on the same day. As a result, an initial comprehensive evaluation, with or without treatment, could last anywhere from two to four hours.
A physician’s assistant will ask all first-time patients to provide a thorough medical history, including all medications. On each visit, we will perform a vision test and a measurement of the intraocular pressure, followed by dilation of the eyes. After a wait to allow your pupils to dilate adequately, Dr. Gosslee will examine you.
Sometimes we may request additional testing, and it is often possible to perform and interpret these tests during the same visit.
We always suggest that you bring someone to drive you home since your eyes will remain dilated for several hours. Sunglasses may help reduce glare; if you need some, please ask at the front desk before you leave. In addition, our receptionist can help you arrange for transportation.
Full Range of Testing
We provide a full range of testing at all of our Retina Specialists offices, using the latest technology and equipment, including:
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) – a non-invasive, non-contact device that obtains an extremely high-resolution, cross-sectional image of the affected area, and enhances diagnosis and treatment of patients with macular degeneration, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, diabetic macular edema and other macular diseases.
- Diagnostic Ultrasound – uses sound waves to form an image of the eye and is used to examine the inside of the eye.
- Fluorescein Angiography – involves the injection of a small amount of vegetable-based dye through a patient’s peripheral vein — usually the arm or hand. Shortly after, a certified ophthalmic angiographer takes a series of time-dependent retinal photographs. The injected dye lights up the retina’s intricate vascular network and helps pinpoint problem areas.
- Fundus Photography – a non-invasive diagnostic procedure that provides photographs of the back of the eye to help determine the health of the optic nerve, vitreous, macula, retina and its blood vessels.
- Visual Field Testing – a non-invasive, computerized, diagnostic procedure that monitors your peripheral vision and provides information about the neurological function of the retina, optic nerve and brain.
Treatment
If treatment of your eye problem is indicated, you and your Retina Specialists physician will decide the most appropriate course of action. Your doctor may also consult with one or more of our other physicians to be sure you get the best possible treatment. This is one of the many advantages of a practice with the size and experience of Retina Specialists.
Some types of treatment can be performed in our offices at the time of your visit while others are performed at a surgery center or hospital. Common procedures performed include:
- Vitrectomy – A small cutting instrument is used to enter the eye through a 1 mm incision, and the vitreous gel is removed and replaced with a gas bubble. The advantage of this method is that all the debris, scar tissue and membranes on the retina can be removed, and the retina flattened at the time of surgery. A laser is used to seal off the tears. This is not an office procedure.
- Intravitreal injections – Various medications can be injected directly into the eye’s vitreous cavity to treat some eye diseases.
- Laser treatment – Laser therapy is used to treat a number of vitreoretinal conditions.