Drs. Oscar Paling

I want to understand why someone wants to be treated

Drs. Oscar Paling started his ophthalmology training with a detour. He initially chose dentistry. Oscar: “That training was not broad enough for me and I decided that medicine suited me better. I did another year of medical biology before I was selected. During my medical studies, I completely fell in love with ophthalmology. During my internship, I saw that as an ophthalmologist you immediately have a solution for a patient. You look into someone’s eye, see the problem and can immediately say what you can do. Or that you can’t do anything. But fortunately, you can almost always help someone.”

Cross-pollination

After his training, Oscar worked at various hospitals and at an eye laser clinic where he did a fellowship in refractive surgery. His second fellowship was oculoplastic surgery, or plastic and reconstructive surgery of the eyelids, tear ducts and eye sockets. FYEO took over the eye laser clinic where Oscar worked at the beginning of 2023. Oscar: “The beginning was hectic, also because FYEO took over another clinic shortly afterwards, but we came out strong. Within FYEO there is real cross-pollination of knowledge. It is great fun to work in such a professional team. In case of doubt or difficult cases, you can always discuss it together.”

Feeling the need

Oscar: “I think the most important thing is to sense what the clients need. That I understand why clients want to be treated and what their expectations are. I explain what side effects or complications there may be. I want to be sure that they really support the treatment. Then I inform and advise them as best as possible so that they are not faced with surprises after the operation. I have also had laser treatment myself, so I am an expert by experience.”

Listen well

According to Oscar, what distinguishes an excellent ophthalmologist from just a good ophthalmologist is listening very well during the introductory meeting. Oscar: “You base your treatment on what you hear during the introductory meeting. It is also important to be very calm on the day of the operation itself. So that you can patiently and carefully guide the client through the operation. I always put myself in the client’s shoes. How would I want it to go if I were lying there?”