3745 Corporate Woods Drive
Vestavia Hills, AL 35242
205.933.1077
205.930.0829 (f)
You can refer a patient to us in several ways:
- Sending an e-mail to info@parkercornea.com
- Faxing patient forms to 205-930-0829
- Calling our medical team for a peer consultation at 205-933-1077
We are committed to keeping patients’ wait times short. You can expect:
- Less than one week for an initial consultation
- 1-2 weeks for a corneal transplantation
It is often possible to combine a patient’s initial consultation with his or her surgery, so your patient only has to travel to the clinic once. In that case, please send us the patient’s ocular records so our medical team can assess the case and create a treatment plan. Our doctors may contact you for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Endothelial dystrophy – When should I refer a patient?
In patients with an endothelial dystrophy, both objective measurements and the subjective experience of visual loss are important. If the patient has complaints of functional visual loss (glare, trouble night driving, etc) or corneal edema (regardless of the measured visual acuity) then DMEK is usually indicated A majority of patients achieve relatively rapid and complete visual recovery. Timely treatment avoids further deterioration of the patient’s activities of daily living.
Cataract extraction first, or DMEK first?
You can refer patients with an endothelial dystrophy and cataracts to us for an assessment of the cornea. During an initial consultation, we will draft a treatment plan. If the cataract is advanced, we can perform combined cataract extraction and DMEK in a single operation.
Keratoconus – When should I refer a patient?
The criteria for referring a keratoconus patient are a progression of the disease, contact lens intolerance, and/or a decline in visual acuity. If surgical treatment is not (yet) indicated, we will follow the patient’s progression through regular corneal screenings.
How will you keep me informed, and what about postoperative care?
After our initial consultation with your patient, we will send you a medical letter with our findings and proposed treatment plan. After the corneal procedure, our medical team will inform you of the outcome.
One week after surgery, your patient will return home. As the referring doctor, you can perform the subsequent postoperative checkups. We would greatly appreciate it if you keep us informed of the clinical outcomes such as visual acuity, endothelial cell count and graft status. Your patient is also welcome to visit our clinic for his or her further checkups.
Postoperative checkups take place one, three, six, nine and twelve months after the operation and every six months thereafter.