Vision Eye Institute Hurstville has a brand-new home in the East Quarter Development on Forest Road, where the clinic is now co-located with Forest Road Day Surgery.
According to Dr. Tess Huynh, a cataract, refractive and corneal surgeon at Vision Eye Institute Hurstville, the move to this purpose-built facility means her patients will continue receiving the highest standard of care.
“Since Vision Eye Institute Hurstville first opened its doors more than 30 years ago, our doctors have performed more than 45,000 eye surgery procedures. We pride ourselves on the range of eye care services we offer patients – from diagnosis and treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal and corneal conditions, to vision correction procedures such as laser eye surgery and refractive lens exchange.
We consulted a number of different groups to really understand the factors that contribute to an outstanding patient experience
“As one of the first eye surgeries in Australia, our clinic has always been at the forefront of ophthalmology. The relocation has allowed us to advance even further, by hand-picking the latest technology and equipment, and by designing a modern facility tailored to the needs of both our patients and our clinical team. Patients have access to a comprehensive ophthalmology consulting practice, a laser vision correction suite and a fully equipped day surgery – all in one location.”
Speaking about the facility design, Dr. Huynh said patients were a key consideration during the planning stages of the clinic and day surgery. “We consulted a number of different groups to really understand the factors that contribute to an outstanding patient experience – right down to the colour schemes and even the acoustics in the waiting room. These may sound like minor details, but knowing my patients will be comfortable allows me to focus on their medical and surgical care.”
Laser eye surgeon, Dr. Patrick Versace, who practises at Vision Eye Institute’s Hurstville and Bondi Junction clinics, agrees with this assessment. “I’ve recently joined the Hurstville clinic, and the fit-out and equipment were certainly drawcards. In addition to featuring the latest laser technology, the co-located Forest Road Day Surgery has a dedicated pre-operative area for patients and two-stage recovery bays. This helps to ensure surgical procedures run efficiently, which is great for doctors and patients alike.”
Community Focus
As a long-standing member of the community, Vision Eye Institute Hurstville is continually striving to ensure that the clinic’s world-class expertise, technology and facilities are accessible to local residents, said Dr. Huynh. “Many of our patients are from non-English speaking backgrounds, and we endeavour to provide consultations in different languages wherever possible. For example, I speak fluent Vietnamese and English, while Dr. Jason Cheng speaks English, Cantonese and basic Mandarin. One of our clinical optometrists, Tony Teng, also speaks Mandarin.”
According to glaucoma and cataract surgeon Dr. Cheng, consulting in more than one language provides a number of benefits. “Hurstville has a large Asian population. Even though many of my Chinese patients speak English, some are more comfortable communicating in their native language. There are also positives, in terms of continuity of care, if the whole patient experience can occur in the person’s mother tongue – from initial consultation right through to treatment or surgery if required.”
