Referring a Patient to Dr MacIntyre

This page is for optometrists and GPs referring patients to me. I accept referrals for all of the services below at both Bundoora and Wonthaggi. Referrals for Bundoora go through Northern Eye Consultants. Referrals for Wonthaggi come directly to me at Bass Coast Eye Centre.

Private surgery is performed at Northpark Private Hospital in Bundoora. Public cataract surgery and pterygium surgery are performed at Wonthaggi Hospital.

For patients, Eye Care in Bundoora and Wonthaggi: How It Works explains how the two locations fit together.

How to Refer

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.

A referral from a GP or optometrist is needed for the patient to claim Medicare rebates. I write to the referring optometrist or GP after the first assessment, and again when treatment is complete.

Cataract Surgery

Refer patients whose cataract is affecting their vision or daily activities, including driving. I assess the cataract, take biometry and discuss lens options, including monofocal, toric, extended depth of focus and multifocal lenses.

What to include

• ✓ Visual acuity and refraction
• ✓ Relevant eye history, including any previous refractive surgery
• ✓ Current medications

For patients, How I Plan Cataract Surgery Around Each Patient explains the tests and planning before surgery.

Complex Cataract Surgery

Refer patients whose cataract surgery may be more complex, including dense cataracts, eyes that have had LASIK or PRK, pseudoexfoliation and posterior polar cataracts.

What to include

• ✓ Details of any previous eye surgery, including refractive surgery records and pre-operative measurements where available
• ✓ Relevant examination findings

Cataract Surgery and Coexisting Eye Disease

Many patients referred for cataract assessment also have retinal disease, glaucoma or corneal disease. For these patients I assess the cataract and the coexisting condition at the same consultation, and plan the timing of cataract surgery around any other treatment they need, so that both conditions are managed together rather than separately. Where a patient has cataract and corneal disease, cataract surgery can be combined with a corneal transplant where appropriate.

For patients who would like more detail, corneaeyedoctor.com has guides on cataract surgery with macular degeneration, cataract surgery with diabetes and cataract surgery with glaucoma, and there is more on combined cataract and corneal transplant surgery here.

More information: cataract surgery, cataract assessments in Wonthaggi, complex cataract surgery and cataract surgery after refractive surgery.

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.

Corneal Disease and Transplantation

Refer patients with corneal disease, including Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, corneal scarring, bullous keratopathy and corneal infections, and patients who may need a corneal transplant. I perform DSAEK, DMEK, penetrating keratoplasty and DALK. I also treat ocular surface lesions that need excision or cryotherapy, and pterygium.

What to include

• ✓ Visual acuity
• ✓ Symptoms and how long they have been present
• ✓ Previous corneal surgery or transplants
• ✓ Topography or pachymetry, where available

More information: cornea surgery and DMEK corneal transplant surgery.

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.

Keratoconus and Cross-Linking

Refer patients with suspected or confirmed keratoconus, particularly where there is evidence of progression, for assessment for corneal cross-linking. I also see patients with more advanced keratoconus who may need a corneal transplant.

What to include

• ✓ Serial topography or tomography, where available
• ✓ Refraction history
• ✓ Contact lens history

More information: cornea surgery and keratoconus treatment options.

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.

Refractive Surgery

Laser Vision Correction

Refer patients interested in LASIK or PRK. I carry out a full assessment before surgery, including corneal topography and tomography, corneal thickness, tear function and prescription stability, to confirm suitability.

What to include

• ✓ Current glasses or contact lens prescription, and how long it has been stable
• ✓ Contact lens wear

Refractive Lens Exchange

Refer patients, usually over 45, who want to reduce their dependence on glasses and may be better suited to lens replacement than to laser vision correction.

What to include

• ✓ Prescription history
• ✓ Any previous refractive surgery

More information: laser vision correction and refractive lens exchange.

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.

Medical Retina

I treat age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic eye disease, including diabetic macular oedema and diabetic retinopathy, and choroidal neovascularisation from other causes. Treatment includes intravitreal injections and retinal laser, including focal laser and retinopexy. For diabetic eye disease I treat with both intravitreal injections and laser.

New referrals are usually seen within one to two weeks. Urgent patients can be seen on the same day; please phone the rooms first.

What to include

• ✓ Visual acuity
• ✓ OCT scans, where available
• ✓ Retinal findings
• ✓ Previous treatment
• ✓ Current medications
• ✓ The reason for referral

For patients who would like more detail, corneaeyedoctor.com has a guide to macular degeneration.

Glaucoma

Refer patients with glaucoma, ocular hypertension or narrow angles. This includes patients who need laser treatment, including selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and YAG laser peripheral iridotomy. I am also trained in iStent insertion and perform it selectively.

What to include

• ✓ Intraocular pressure readings
• ✓ Visual fields and OCT, where available
• ✓ Gonioscopy findings, where available
• ✓ Current glaucoma medications

For patients who would like more detail, corneaeyedoctor.com has a guide to SLT and iStent for glaucoma.

For urgent referrals, please phone the rooms first.