Collaborative Retina Care | Dr. Punjabi & Melanie on Charlotte Today

CEENTA retina specialist Omar Punjabi, MD, and Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Melanie appeared on WCNC's Charlotte Today on September 5, 2024, to discuss the stages of retina care at CEENTA. Learn more about retinal conditions and treatments and schedule your next appointment with Dr. Punjabi at our SouthPark or Matthews offices today by calling 704-295-3000.

Transcript of the Interview

Mia Atkins: This morning in our Health Spotlight, we're focusing on the eyes. And joining us today from CEENTA we have retina specialist Omar Punjabi, and his certified ophthalmic assistant Melanie Santiago Negron.
Tell us about the CEENTA retina service and what it is you guys provide.
Dr. Omar Punjabi: So at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat, we have a group of retina doctors. Staff technicians, and administrators who help us take care of complex retinal diseases. And that compromises our retina service. We currently have seven retina specialists, which is approximately half the total number of retina doctors in Charlotte.
Mia: Wow!
Dr. Punjabi: And so with having such a large service allows us to span a large geographic region in Charlotte and allows easier access to patient care.
Mia: So when people come to CEENTA, how do they end up being referred to the retina department with you guys?
Melanie Santiago Negron: Well we have external referral and internal. Internal comes from the providers inside CEENTA and externa is the other eye doctors that are referring to see for any eye disease.
Mia: Okay, and let's talk about - what is it a COA - so what role does that play and explain to me what that is?
Melanie: That's a certified ophthalmic assistant. We are assisting the doctor in all the pre-testing, testing and during the treatment so he can do his job.
Mia: And so what happens after they see you?
Dr. Punjabi: I wanted to acknowledge the role that Melanie and our staff do because of their hard work and because of their care towards our patients, we actually do what we are supposed to do and so a lot of times, a retina specialist will see a lot of people a day and without help we are not able to do that. So once Melanie or our staff will work up a patient they'll dilate the pupil, they check the eye pressure and do the initial testing, patients will typically go for some testing which is either ophthalmic Imaging like OCT or an angiography. Sometimes they need tests like visual field and other tests to look at the back of the eye. Typically after that the patient will come in to see the doctor, and what we would do is we would go over the results of the testing with them. We would check their eyes, look at the front with a microscope called a slit lamp, and then using some lenses we check the back part of the eye. And then we'll sit down with the patient, go over the results of the test, and explain what we see. And then we'll come up with the custom management plan for that particular patient.
Mia: Tell us about the South Park and the Matthews offices that people can come out and visit.
Dr. Punjabi: They are centrally located in Charlotte and in Matthews, and the good thing about it is every specialty is represented, and a lot of times, patients with retinal diseases have other eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, corneal disease, uveitis. so having every specialty in-house allows for better care, better communication between doctors, and also less travel for patients.
Mia: And you can find more information at CEENTA.com. That's c-e-e-n-t-a.com. You guys, thanks so much for this great information.
Melanie: Thank you for for having us.