What to expect on your first visit
Dr. Rylan Hayes – The Vision Surgeon – welcomes you! It is our privilege to support your vision and the lifestyle you desire and deserve to live. Here are some insights into what to expect on your first visit to our offices in Maroochydore.
Referrals
Bring a current referral from your optometrist or GP with you. A valid referral is required for Medicare and private health rebates. Under Medicare rules, the referral does not need to specifically name Dr. Hayes but must be valid prior to rebatable visits and procedures.
What to bring
In addition to your referral, be sure to bring all Medicare and private health insurance cards and documentation to your appointment. You should also bring any eye drops you currently use and all your current pairs of glasses. And, if possible, wear glasses instead of contact lenses.
Transportation
In most cases, it is advisable to arrange for a reliable person to drive you to and from our office. This is because comprehensive assessments often include the use of special drops that dilate the pupils of your eyes. Since these drops are associated with lingering blurry vision and light sensitivity, it’s not safe to drive afterwards.
Health history
Be prepared to discuss your general health, family history, medications, and allergies. It can be helpful to create a list of medications and allergies prior to your visit. We will of course discuss changes with your eyes and vision concerns, such as new or worsening blurry vision, but all aspects of general health have a major impact on eye health as well.
Tests
As a specialty centre, we have a wide range of diagnostic testing tools to assess things like visual acuity (vision at specific distances) and eye pressure. A thorough examination of the front and back of your eyes may be performed using a special microscope. Additional scans may be ordered to get very detailed images of the retina, cornea, optic nerve or other structures. Although these tests may incur additional costs when required, they are potentially crucial to your eye health journey.
Recommendations
Your ophthalmologist, Dr. Rylan Hayes, uses the information derived from your medical review and tests to identify the most appropriate treatment options for you. He discusses these findings and your options with you. He strives to empower all patients to make the most well-informed decisions about their health. We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions about your diagnosis, surgery, medications, and more.
AI Scribe
Dr. Hayes utilises an AI scribe program (i-scribe) which makes a temporary transcript of the appointment without recording any audio. This allows more detailed notes, summaries, and letters of your visit to be produced, while also allowing Dr. Hayes to spend more time and engagement with you directly – instead of typing into the computer. Additionally, it generates a personalised treatment summary for you on the spot, so you don’t need to worry about mis-recalling any information, plans, or treatments that were discussed.