Letter: Role of the general ophthalmologist.

Abstract

To the Editor. —As a I consider Dr Samuel Adams' EDITORIAL, Retinal Detachment: The Role of the General Ophthalmologist, published in the AprilArchives(94:569-570, 1976), demeaning and self-serving. I reject as too limited the role that he, as a retina surgeon, presumptuously assigns to the general ophthalmologist. Dr Adams writes, Can he [the general ophthalmologist] make a diagnosis of a beginning retinal detachment? The contemporary general ophthalmologist who finishes a properly supervised and approved residency can indeed make the diagnosis. He has in his armamentarium a proficiency with not only the binocular and indirect ophthalmoscope and scleral indentor but also the other advanced instrumentation of our specialty (gonioscopy, operating microscope, etc), and he uses these instruments daily in his practice. What about the symptoms of black spots and flashes? The importance and urgency of certain ocular symptoms, including those of impending retinal detachment, were emphasized to