Maryland Archives - Dr. Azman Reviews

My Quest for Contact Lenses

In 1989, I began my quest for a comfortable pair of contact lenses, only to encounter a considerable amount of disappointment, discomfort, and frustration. Some of this was due to being very nearsighted and possessing slight astigmatism, but most of it was caused by eye doctors who claimed they were contact “specialists”. I discovered in 1994 that they weren’t specialists, but were really doctors who only knew the mechanics of fitting contacts. That year, I was able to be fitted with a pair of contacts that were comfortable and provided me with good vision after some relatively short examinations performed by Dr. Irwin Azman.

Right before meeting Dr. Irwin Azman, I went to see a prominent eye care specialty firm because it had been recommended as the best in Maryland in a magazine. Unfortunately, visits there were stressful and unpleasant. At this office, not only did I usually have to wait long periods of time in a crowded waiting room, but I usually had to wait just as long in the examination room for my assigned doctor. Doctors in training would first examine me and I would have to explain my situation during every visit to these novices who wouldn’t even read my history chart. The doctor would then come in, examine me, and perform dozens of calculations while I sat there and watched. With this kind of treatment, my visits became increasingly more stressful because I couldn’t even get fitted with a comfortable pair of contacts. The doctors there prescribed me soft toric lenses time after time. I found the soft toric lenses to be uncomfortably thick; it felt as though they rubbed harshly against my eyes. Vision was unsatisfactory too; it was blurry and seemed to change every time I would blink my eyes. People would say they could see the contacts moving around my eyes. The doctors started becoming frustrated themselves. One finally said he could do absolutely nothing about the rotation of the soft toric lenses and recommended I go back to semi-hard gas permeable lenses. That’s exactly what I didn’t want. That’s why I went to this office in the first place – to get fitted with soft contacts! I had worn gas perms at one time and my eyes were constantly red. That same doctor finally told me in a direct manner that he would rather I just went somewhere else. Since I had had enough, I later agreed and accepted the refund they gave me. At that time, I began looking for someone who really knew what he was doing in this area and found Dr. Irwin Azman in the telephone book. I called Dr. Irwin Azman and to my surprise, Dr. Irwin Azman listened very intently to my situation. He seemed to understand it quite well and seemed very confident that it could be fixed. I scheduled an , appointment, and from that point on, I began to have some luck in my quest for a decent pair of contacts.

My first exam at Dr. Irwin Azman’s turned out to be the easiest one I had ever experienced. A thorough eye exam was performed, and I was very much delighted when I didn’t have to have my eyes dilated. Dr. Irwin Azman’s high-tech equipment made dilation unnecessary: I wouldn’t have trouble driving home afterwards. Dr. Irwin Azman then assessed my situation and explained all the options. He prescribed a pair of contacts with what seemed minimal effort. I didn’t have to witness him performing an extensive number of calculations. Finally, it was a great feeling to get a pair of contacts which were fine-tuned with only two or three visits. Unlike the soft tone, these were a comfortable pair of lenses which gave me good vision. In addition, Dr. Irwin Azman gave me recommendations about cleaning and using solutions on my lenses; after this, there was no more stinging from lenses improperly cleaned the previous night. Dr. Irwin Azman seems to be the real eye care “specialist” because he knows the latest in contact lens technology. On my first visit alone, I learned more about contacts than I had the four years before meeting Dr. Irwin Azman. He had shown me the newest inventions in contact lenses. Nowadays, I’m doing just great with my contacts and continue to make my yearly visits to Dr. Irwin Azman. I have had such good luck with Dr. Irwin Azman that I’m afraid to go elsewhere for my contact lens care!

Lynn O.
Vienna, VA
Patient since 1994

Color blind career saved by Dr. Azman

Colour blindness plate (Photo credit: mag3737)

First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Azman and his staff for helping me with
my inability to see colors. From all the phone calls and emails we exchanged, to picking
me up at the train terminal, Dr. Azman and his staff went above and beyond any expectation.
You made me feel comfortable with the whole entire process and I want you to know
how much that means to me. It was not easy to go hours away from home and have an
unusual procedure done with a doctor you have never met in person. Added to that fact
was the uncertainly of this procedure actually helping me.
When I finally arrived in Maryland, I was still a bit skeptical, but before we even started the evaluation, Dr. Azman took the time to sit down and reassure me that he would be able to correct my problem, and explained how things would go step by step.

The actual evaluation was a full day, and at times frustrating due to the fact of uncertainty. Dr. Azman actually explained to me that I had one of the more severe cases that you have seen in dealing with being colorblind. Dr. Azman kept reassuring me that he would be able to fix this issue and sure enough he did. Not only did Dr. Azman fix my color vision problems, but also helped with finding me a new brand of contact lens that wasn’t so irritating to my eyes, and since I have changed lenses, I have noticed a difference.

The reason I started searching the web and trying to find assistance with my
problem is that I had just graduated college with a degree in criminal justice and most
careers in this field require that you be able to see color and differentiate colors. I am
from Massachusetts and the test that is required is a number test in a bubble and the
numbers to most people stick out and they can see them without a problem. Well that’s
for most people, because out of a series of 15 examples I was only able to get 2 of them
right before the lenses. Right after I got back to Massachusetts with the lenses, I took the
test again and got all 15 examples correct. This was the last step that I needed to get a job
that I applied for and got hired; the only reason why I didn’t get the job was due to the
fact of being colorblind. Within a month of the process I started my job in corrections in
the state of Massachusetts.

It has now been 15 months working at a correction facility, and I love my career.
The price of these lenses was only a small fee in comparison to not having a career at all.
Ever since I was a small boy I wanted to work in law enforcement, studied it in college
and to think without the help of you and your staff my ambitions might have been
nothing but dreams, but now I am making them a reality. I don’t think I could thank Dr. Azman enough. He really changed my life and helped me more than one can imagine. Having this procedure done was a very positive thing in my life and can never forgot what Dr. Azman has done for me. I would recommend Dr. Azman and Azman Eye Care to anyone who has a challenge with seeing colors. (color blind)

Thanks again, hope all is well!

Matt C.
Massachusetts

Contact Lens Eye Care: The way it should be

Contact Lens Eye Care: The way it should be

When it comes to contact lens eye care, there are a lot of different options out there. But when you want the highest quality, most meticulous contact lens eye care in Maryland, you have to see Drs. Thomas and Irwin Azman at Azman Eye Care Specialists.

Founded in 1975 by the two brothers as a specialty practice limited to contact lens care, Azman Eye Care Specialists has since been recognized both nationally and internationally for excellence not just in the contact lens field, but also in dry eye care.

Azman Eye Care has the expertise and specialized equipment to focus on contact lens eye care problems that other offices can’t address: helping dry-eye patients, treating patients who have trouble wearing contact lenses, need bifocal lenses or those who have been told they can’t wear contact lenses. The Azman Eye Care practice maintains all the latest diagnostic equipment available. They have the latest instruments that can be found in only a few places in the country, including a wavefront topographer, which can detect slight irregularities of the cornea. The practice is also continually involved in FDA studies involving contact lenses, contact lens solutions, dry eye diagnosis and treatment. All of their specialized testing offers the highest quality contact lens eye care to each and every patient.

Many contact lens wearers and eye doctors believe that dry eyes are a normal part of wearing contact lenses and that nothing can be done about the problem. Symptoms like eye fatigue, red eyes, and slightly blurred vision are all symptoms that can be addressed. The problem is that many offices do not have the knowledge and experience to manage and treat these critical symptoms. That’s why patients come from Texas, Florida, Oregon, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and other states for the expert contact lens care that they can’t find anywhere else.
The Azman Eye Care team of doctors, technicians and staff work together to offer the most meticulous and personalized contact lens eye care available.

Doctors listen carefully to patients and develop treatment plans for each person and situation. “The most common complaint we get from people about doctors they have seen in the past is about the quality of the examination,” says Dr. Thomas Azman. “A meticulous, comprehensive contact lens eye examination is essential,” he says. “Not an eye-glass exam, but one specifically for contact lenses.” Dr. Irwin Azman continues, “Most eye doctors see about 3,000 patients a year, and because of that they have less time to do a thorough review of a patient’s medical records and history. As a result, they don’t always have a complete picture of the patient’s contact lens and eye-care background.” In contrast, the doctors at Azman Eye Care limit their patient load to 1,200 patients per year, allowing them to gather all the facts pertinent to each patient’s visual and contact lens requirements.

The doctors at Azman Eye Care ask about symptoms that many people live with, thinking they are normal. They take the time to listen to their patients’ needs and symptoms, and then discuss and explain all the contact lens treatment options available. Many doctors also limit the type of lenses that they fit to patients. Azman Eye Care Specialists are different. They prescribe the best contact lens for the individual’s visual needs. As a result, their patients are comfortable and have crisp and clear vision all wearing hours.

The differences between Azman Eye Care team and other seemingly similar practices are clear. Azman Eye Care has the state-of-the-art diagnostic instruments necessary to help their patients, but use them with customized care, knowledge and compassion. The doctors at Azman Eye Care form a relationship with their patients, and that is a rarity today. They have received hundreds of testimonials from patients expressing their gratitude for resolving problems that other doctors could not. Dr. Thomas Azman says, “I am most proud that each and every patient leaves my office with the understanding that they know we care about their eyes and their well-being.” That’s a level of commitment and service you won’t often find in today’s other offices.

Dr. Azman Pirouettes through the contact lens exam

When choosing schools for one’s children one tends to be very picky. One never settles for anything less than the best, and one makes sure that all aspects of the education process—from the school’s cleanliness to the experience and talent of the teachers to the principal’s professionalism— fit perfectly with one’s parenting values, Similar should be one’s mindset when choosing a healthcare provider, especially for an aspect of one’s anatomy—the eyes-upon which depends so much of one’s life.

However, I only followed my own advice after this story:

I decided I wanted to try wearing contacts when I had had just about enough of the literal and figurative headaches that were involved with wearing glasses, I couldn’t enjoy rollercoasters to their fullest potential, couldn’t swim In the summer, couldn’t roughhouse with my brothers. So I went to the eye doctor who was covered under my pitiful health insurance and asked for contacts. He quickly went through the tests, the measuring, the dilating of my pupils, but I never felt he A) was the expert in his field or B) took enough time to get to know my eyes.

My gut wasn’t wrong—after wearing the contacts for a few hours, I felt as though they were dirty and needed so be cleaned, so I took them out rubbed them with solution , rinsed them with saline, put them hack in. And for a few more minutes, that was great. Until the blurriness came back. Now I know that I suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome, but then I Just thought I wasn’t cleaning my contacts well enough or that something was wrong with the actual hydrophilic lenses.

So, I gave up contacts, went back to the suffering of spectacles, resigned myself to the fact that there was an entire world out there that I’d never get to experience due to the limitations of my lorgnette.

However, that world kept tugging, kept calling, kept encouraging me to partake of it, and not long after we moved from New York to Maryland, it became too loud to ignore any longer.

I chose Dr Irwin Azman at Azman Eye Care because my In-laws went there and since then have not thought of any place else. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t come here, you’re doing your eyes, and the rest of your body, a great disservice.

If you look at a ballet dancer, one who is trained classically and does nothing but dance, you will see that she makes an arabesque look effortless; a pirouette and a pile, as simple as pie; a cabriole, with apparent casualness. You only understand that there are days and literally years of hard work, sweat and preparation that go into dancing if you study them.

Dr. Irwin Azman and Dr. Thomas Azman not only have years of education and experience under their belts, but they also seriously enjoy their profession. They have put in, and continue to do so, their 80+ hours per week. They have racked up countless sleepless nights preparing for med school exams. And they have experimented to discover the absolute best way to treat patients—as Individuals and with a personal touch.

So, like the ballerina, whose beauty and style are only a result of painstakingly precise practice, Dr Irwin Azman and Dr. Thomas Azman do what any other eye doctor would consider either unnecessary or even Impossible, with such grace and apparent ease, I suggest that anyone who values his eyes and the importance of good vision to a healthy lifestyle go see Dr Irwin Azman and Dr Thomas Azman!

-Josh G. Pikesville, Maryland

Specialty Contact Lens Services

Dr. Irwin Azman is one of the few contact lens specialists that has extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of the keratoconus patient. With over 30 years of experience, his team of technicians, new technologies in instrumentation, contact lens materials and designs, Dr. Azman is able to prescribe each keratoconus patient with the perfect fit.The one characteristic that sets Dr. Irwin Azman apart from other eye care practitioners is that he neither avoids nor declines the challenge of prescribing the most difficult keratoconus cases. Dr. Azman tends to have a perfectionist demeanor.

Dr. Irwin
Azman will take all factors into consideration to prescribe the
best lens system for his keratoconus patients: To Schedule appointment call(410) 561-8050

Corneal specialists agree that it is best to exhaust all non-surgical options for keratoconus before undergoing corneal transplant surgery, especially for younger patients. Optometrists and Ophthalmologists from all over Maryland and surrounding states refer their challenging keratoconus patients to Dr. Irwin Azman.

Diagnosing Keratoconus

We are now able to detect the presence of keratoconus well before subjective symptoms develop. Corneal Topography and Aberrametry measurements has become the standard of care in diagnosing and management of keratoconus. A computerized system images the shape of the cornea together with the entire optical system by taking tens of thousands of data points. The results are instantly analyzed and wave front topography maps are generated. These printouts will show Dr. Irwin Azman a map print (just like a finger print) of the patient’s location and severity of any corneal distortion and high order aberrations (HOA).

Dr. Irwin Azman maintains a practice devoted to patient care, with cutting edge technology, to the restoration of vision and comfort lost as a result of refractive eye surgery (including LASIK and Radial Keratotomy), keratoconus, corneal transplant surgery, pellucid marginal degeneration, extreme dry eye, corneal dystrophies, corneal trauma and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

Specialty Contact Lens Services

Dr. Irwin
Azman will take all factors into consideration to prescribe the
best lens system for his keratoconus patients: To Schedule appointment call(410) 561-8050

Contact lens drama

I would like to relate my experiences with attempting to wear contact lenses, both before becoming a patient of Dr. Irwin Azman, and after. To start, while living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas I decided to try wearing contacts as my glasses kept getting in the way. My first attempt was with a very young doctor, who had recommended mono-vision corrective lenses. After several iterations with different lenses, not only could I not see very well, but the contacts were very uncomfortable. I finally gave up with this doctor. The next doctor I tried was much more experienced, and even commented that it would take some time to get the prescription correct due to my far-sighted eye sight. Again the process of weekly visits, each time changing the prescription. While I was able to see better I never got results even close to using my glasses. Again I gave up with this doctor. The final doctor was again better than the previous two. This doctor was in a contact lens specialty, and this doctor even tried the toric lenses. Again my vision did get better, but nothing that I could live with for long periods of time. And as with the other two doctors the contact lenses were very uncomfortable. In each of the three cases mentioned above I became discouraged and finally gave up trying to wear contact lenses. They were uncomfortable and my vision was far less accurate than with my glasses. This process covered approximately 18 months. In the middle of last year, I became a Federal Employee and relocated to northern Maryland. I decided to try one last time. I searched through the phone book and the Internet searching for someone who specialized in tough cases like mine. I contacted the Azman Eye Care Clinic and Dr. Irwin Azman called me and we discussed my situation. After that conversation I made an appointment and the process started. Dr. Irwin Azman started by running a number of tests, while the overall health of my eyes was good, I did have a moderate case of dry eyes. Dr. Azman treated this condition first, and would not even entertain working with contact lenses until that condition was under control. Once the condition was under control, we began the process of narrowing in on the correct lenses, using what I consider a hybrid solution. Specifically working with a combination of bi-focal lenses with a mono-vision approach. While it did take several months, I was finally able to see almost as well with contacts as I can with glasses, and they are comfortable. In conclusion, had I not gone to a Doctor that was careful, persistent and knowledgeable in all areas of vision correction I would have given up again! As it stands now I can see well enough with contact lenses that I no longer have to deal with glasses and that is a very good feeling.

Life with contact lenses

I have been wearing contact lenses for approximately eleven years. My first contact lens experiences were with a Dr. in College Park, Maryland. The Dr provided excellent car. Additionally, he and his staff spent a great deal of time working with me as I initially had some difficulty putting lenses in my eye. After seeing the Dr in College Park for approximately two years, I was enticed by the advertisements of America’s Best Contact Lenses in Rockville, Maryland. Although I was certainly not dissatisfied with the Dr. at the time I did not see any reason not save several hundred dollars a year at America’s Best. For over seven years, I visited America’s Best for eye care. At each appointment, the waiting room was packed with more patients than you could imagine. The large number of patients meant that the optometrist was often running over an hour behind schedule. Once I finally was able to get in to see the doctor, the actual examination rarely lasted more than five minutes. However, for six years I wore extended wear lenses I received from America’s Best without any problems. In the Spring of 1992, my contact lenses began to irritate my eyes. I called America’s Best to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. I was then asked if I was a new patient or an existing patient. Once they realized I was an existing patient (that had already paid and was not going to bring in any new revenue), the earliest appointment available was several weeks away. At that appointment, the optometrist took a quick look at my eyes and told me I had GPC. He then instructed me to give my eyes three months rest from contact lenses and to then schedule another appointment. This appointment, where I was told I had a disease in my eyes may have lasted ten minutes, rather than the typical five minutes. After three months of not wearing contact lenses, I returned to America’s Best for a follow-up visit. At that appointment, I was told that my GPC condition had not improved and that I should forget about wearing contact lenses. At this point, a co-worker that had experienced similar problems recommended Dr Irwin Azman to me. After my initial visit, I followed Dr Azman’s recommendation of using eye drops and cold compresses for approximately two weeks. Since then, I have had very few problems wearing disposable lenses for the past three years. I am probably spending more for eye care each year with your practice than the total I spent over seven years at America’s Best. However, I believe Dr Irwin Azman took more time with me at each of my visits than the total time an optometrist spent with me during the seven years I went to America’s Best. In summary, two items distinguish Azman Eye Care and Dr Irwin Azman from America’s Best. First, you spend adequate time with each patient to accurately diagnose problems. I always feel like an individual at Azman Eye Care, rather than feeling like I am on an eye care assembly line. Second, Azman Eye Care appears to offer a wide variety of solutions to eye problems, rather than using a one size fits all approach to eye care. Dr Irwin Azman has taken a significant amount of time during each of my appointments, discussing various options I have and helping me determine what will work best for me. I appreciate the high quality eye care I have received for the past three years.

Bifocal Contact Lens Specialists

Azman Eye Care Specialists is the preeminent bifocal contact lens specialty practice in the greater Baltimore area. Patients are referred to Azman Eye Care Specialists from eye care professionals throughout Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, DC, Virginia and other states.

Our practice is specifically designed, equipped, and staffed to provide the contact lens patient with nothing but the finest in professional care. As contact lens specialists, we have successfully treated thousands of patients with contact lenses, including many who were previously told they could not wear contact lenses.

http://www.azmaneye.com/services/contactlensesbifocal/index.aspx