– Let’s say I’m going to see a doctor. Do I need to wear a mask?

– Depending on what country you are in. In Asia, it is considered impolite to go without a mask. Not so much to protect yourself, but others from yourself. If a person is infected and wears a mask, then they are less dangerous. The problem is that the masks do not fit tightly on the face. If you are wearing a mask and communicate with an infected person who is not wearing a mask, then there is a risk.

– For example, I have dry eyes, and I also caught a cold. I watched a lot of TV, and now I’m worried: what if I have this? I’m sitting at home, rubbing my eyes, and I don’t know whether to go to the doctor. What is the incubation period?

– It is believed that in 14 days the virus will manifest itself clinically. If there is nothing during this time, then you can go. Much is still unknown, but there are already companies that will soon begin testing the vaccine. It will take another year or two. Now tobacco companies have been revived, because it turns out that tobacco plants can be used to grow vaccines. So in the future tobacco companies will become partly pharmaceutical.

– Has your practice changed in light of events?

– There are no careless people in our office. We have up to forty patients a day; someone may come with mild symptoms of a cold. By the way, when you see someone coughing or sneezing on the street, this is most likely a common cold or flu. Vaccination prepares the body for the battle with all sorts of viruses. Please take the flu vaccine every year, which continues to kill more people than the coronavirus. Every half an hour we wipe the entire office: waiting rooms, door handles, iPads, and of course – equipment, i.e. everything that people touch. We always do this – epidemic or not, winter or summer, we wipe the apparatus, let alone wash our hands. But now all this is being done even more intensively. The office is constantly being disinfected.

– What other influence did the virus have on everyday medicine?

– Many doctors find it more difficult to fulfill their mission, since there is a shortage of necessities. Doctors sterilize their hands with a special solution, and now even this solution is becoming difficult to buy. Due to the quarantine in China, many parts of the Chinese industry have stopped operating, and this has affected medical equipment in the USA. We have enough operational stocks, sanitizers, etc. in our office. But at our Surgical Center we are asked not to waste masks, gloves, etc. Deficiency can also affect the lenses. Last Thursday I had an operation that few ophthalmologists perform, and I needed a rarely used lens. When they gave me this lens, they said: “Doctor, congratulations, this is the last one!” I was lucky, because there are simply no more lenses of this type and diopter.

– It was an emergency operation: phacolytic glaucoma. The patient had sudden pain in the eye, and a sharp deterioration in vision. As fate would have it, this often happens on Friday, but Monday morning she was already in our office. The cataract began to decompose and leak, intraocular pressure jumped to 70 (normal pressure being 10-20), I almost could not see the eye. In such a situation, the doctor must lower the pressure with drops or tablets, relieve inflammation in the eye and immediately operate. This is the only way to save the eye. And when we started this operation, we didn’t even have time to debate, this lens or that lens. If there weren’t a lens that was ideal for her situation, I would have done it with another – with some fine-tuning, but this would greatly complicate the procedure. Instead of an hour and a half, it would have lasted four hours.

– And it is precisely such options that you are likely to face now?

– In a few weeks I have another operation planned with a patient who had cataracts 15 years ago, but now has pseudoexfoliation syndrome. The lens is loose, and it will need to be replaced with a new one. And again we may need a certain lens, but it may not be available. The fact is that the source material, packaging – all this often has Chinese origins. Say the lens is made in the Netherlands, but the raw materials or packaging is Chinese. Up to 90% of everything that is produced in the world, in one way or another, has a relationship to China.

– Is this new virus portable on such surfaces?

– We have to remember that the virus enters the body only through mucous membranes. If there are no cuts, then the virus cannot get through the skin. Viruses are not living things, but some kind of structure between living and nonliving. It is DNA or RNA in a protein envelope that is introduced into the cell to produce its copies. The cell then breaks, and all the viruses that were copied in it spill out and invade new cells. The virus itself cannot be active outside this cell factory.

– But can it survive outside the mucous membrane?

– The infectious ability of the virus, i.e. virulence, is how long it can “survive” on the surfaces: buttons in the elevator, door handles, or telephones. How does it happen? Someone sneezes, out of habit puts a finger to their nose, and with the same finger presses the elevator button. Half an hour later, some poor fellow presses the same button, after which he rubs his eye.

– Because he, for example, has dry eye syndrome, and is afraid to go to the ophthalmologist.

– So the virus moves from an inanimate surface to the mucous membrane, where it immediately penetrates the cell. This is not a “lone wolf”, there are millions of them. While everyone is so passionate about the coronavirus, they forget about the rest. Adenovirus, which causes the common cold, is highly contagious and can affect different organs. A man with conjunctivitis comes to us, I ask: “Have you had to fly lately?” “Oh, how did you guess?” But guessing was easy. The plane is hermetically sealed, the same air circulates, and the surfaces are not cleaned. As soon as someone leaves a seat, another person is already sitting in it. From the point of view of infection, the aircraft is an ideal place. In people with conjunctivitis, so to speak, air travel is usually present in the medical history. Other effects of adenovirus – someone loses their voice, someone starts having bronchitis, another has gastritis, a third has colitis, and someone has pneumonia. The virus is transmitted from one system to another: two weeks ago you had bronchitis, and now conjunctivitis.

– Sometimes you hear: “I got mine last year, and still got sick! ” Yes, you got the flu shot, but you caught a cold. You sneezed, coughed, and in three days you felt better. If you didn’t get the vaccine, you would get the same adenovirus, but the disease would be more serious since your immune system was not activated by the vaccine. And if you had also contracted the flu, then there would have been severe chills, an overwhelming temperature, pneumonia or pneumonitis, from which 2% of people die. Therefore, “vaccinations do not work” is the argument of ignorant people.

– How to avoid the coronavirus without ignoring eye diseases?

– To reduce the chances you need to wash your hands often with hot water and soap, for at least 20 seconds. If this is not possible, then at least try not to touch your (or someone else’s) face, and not rub your eyes. Plus some basic care. My family and I are soon flying to Africa. I take wipes with me that kill 99.99% of all viruses and bacteria that we use to disinfect seats on the plane, door handles, tables, all kinds of buttons, etc.

– And where can ordinary people buy such magic wipes?

– Ordinary people have already bought the wipes in such quantities that now you can’t find them anywhere, and are 10 times more expensive. Amazon has a shortage of masks, gloves, and wipes. I could not even order an extra hand sanitizer

– Doesn’t it seem to you that in the wake of the panic, many people won’t be leaving their home at all, exacerbating cataracts, glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, or even being afraid to order necessary glasses for a long time?

– Glasses, by the way, also protect against airborne infection. Life does not stop, and you need to go to the doctors. Firstly, the scale of this panic is unfounded. Secondly, we take all measures in our office: the air is filtered, and we constantly wipe everything, so it’s safer than at home. 

Should I see a doctor during an epidemic? Coronavirus and ophthalmology. Can I get the Coronavirus from an ophthalmologist? Coronavirus and glasses.

Should We Treat Our Eyes During a Panic?

Maybe the best eye center ever. They care about the patient, service is personalized and awesome. Cannot possibly recommend more! Will never consider another doctor.

Staff was very personable and accommodated my needs.  Dr Benjamin was very professional and great bedside manner.  I would highly recommend the office to friend and family

Dr Benjamin and his staff are World Class and second to none! I been bringing my mother to see Dr Benjamin and just recently became a patient myself. If you want to extend the quality of your vision and therefore the quality of your life, go see Dr Benjamin!

Class One from A to Z. Each and everyone from the doctor, optometrists, front office and back office, are professional, super knowledgeable, detailed, and very kind. The office is most elegant with beautiful lighting , equipment and furniture. The glass frames are  the most beautiful you will ever see.

An awesome experience as is the norm for our visits to Dr Benjamin. We have trusted him and his office with our multiple surgeries and care for many years, and plan to continue forward. Thank you Dr Benjamin, and your staff.

I’ve been going to Dr. Benjamin for years. He is straight-up honest, very patient in explaining, thorough, extremely experienced and is a Top Pro in his biz. I went to him for my eyeglass prescriptions for years, and then eventually had multifocal lens surgery in both of my eyes. All went great and to plan! His staff are extremely courteous, friendly, and very helpful. I’ve never done this at a doctors office, but I actually complement his staff in person often. I highly recommend this office. 100%

Great front desk and tech staff. The doctor was super nice and I’m so pleased I found this eye institute! Everyone was great and happy to finally have taken care of an appointment I had been putting off for a while. Great check-in process also for first time patients.

⭐️ My review of LASIK after one year ⭐️I told Dr. Benjamin I would do this a while ago, but I kind of feel like it says a lot I have kept this on my checklist for a year. I feel like a year is a good amount of time to review a procedure like this and give my honest thoughts and recommendation.So, let me tell you about my journey to getting LASIK and how I ended up in the amazing care of Dr. Benjamin. After going to an optometrist for years and him advising against LASIK because of my genetically dry eyes, I finally got a second opinion from an ophthalmologist (Dr. Benjamin). I didn’t know the difference between an optometrist vs. opthalmologist, but once I learned it kind of made sense why my optometrist didn’t want me getting LASIK lol. Because he couldn’t sell me on contact lenses or glasses for the foreseeable future if I got my vision corrected :) I mean, who knows, but I am glad I got a second opinion.I figured being in Los Angeles with some of the best doctors in the world… if anyone is going to touch my big, blue eyeballs, might as well get it done while I’m here. I found this business due to the reviews and they seemed to really know what they were doing and how to talk to clients.Upon meeting Dr. Benjamin he told me that I wasn’t a candidate for LASIK with my dry eyes, but he could put me through treatments for dry eyes and reevaluate after; and that these treatments had a good success rate for most.So, I started doing two treatments every other week for about 2.5 months - IPL laser treatment and Lipiflow. Lipiflow, especially, was a weird painless experience but highly recommend anyone with dry eyes to ask about it regardless of LASIK. I could tell my eyes felt way less dry a couple days after each treatment. There are videos on YouTube that talk about this treatment… Who knew this stuff existed. I’m not gonna lie, it’s an investment to do all these treatments on top of LASIK, but my eyes rarely feel dry anymore so if you’re going to get it done - do it right.Finally, I was approved for LASIK. I ended up waiting until the end of year to make sure I saved up the funds to do it and had some time to heal. I also took advantage of an end of year deal they were offering. $1000 off was a pretty nice forcing function to get me to finally do it after prepping my eyes with the treatments. The procedure itself I couldn’t feel anything even though I was awake the entire time (medicated). Even the scary part when bubbles form on your eyes Dr. Benjamin let me know about in advance so when it happened I just went with the flow. I think the worst part was the recovery the few days after and coming home drugged up lol. I remember day 1 thinking omg what did I do to my eyes. My eyes just hurt and felt weird, but omg I could see 20/15 immediately. And then, day by day it gradually got better. It took a few weeks for my eyes to heal, but after 1 month you couldn’t even tell I had surgery. One eye was a bit more bloodshot than the other.I can see 20/15. It’s been life changing for the past year not having to worry about contacts or glasses. I just got married and was able to walk down the aisle with clear vision. I only wish I had the means to have done this earlier in life. If you’re considering it - do it! And definitely consider Dr. Benjamin to do it right.Lastly, to continue treating my dry eyes, Dr. Benjamin gave me an extra LipiFlow treatment, and also recommended I try punctal plugs (painless plugs inserted into your lids that help your tears last longer). He placed the plugs in my eyes under 5 mins. Wild.I heard from people during the LASIK process they have been nervous to get the procedure so I wrote this to help and because I think highly of this business for changing my life. And, some of the dry eye treatments I would’ve never known about had it not been for them. Again, I wish I would have had been able to do this years ago. It is so, so worth it!Thank you, Dr. Benjamin (and staff!)

Concerned about a reoccurring virus, I text Dr Benjamin’s office first thing in the morning seeking immediate advice and an appointment. In quick time I received both sage advice and a same day appointment. Dr B takes a personal interest in his patients well being and has diligent, competent and attentive staff to support the care and support needed. Can’t speak highly enough.

Hi all! 06/06/2024 I came to the office of Dr. with a problem in my right eye. Benjamin, I'm sorry...as a very nice girl from the office, Masha, told me, he was undergoing surgery.  She advised me to come urgently in the morning. I suffered from pain for 4 days, my eye was very swollen, red and itchy. 07/06/2024 after examining me Dr. Benjamin made an emergency decision to remove the pus in his right eye. The small operation lasted 10 minutes, Dr. Benjamin and Dr. Svetlana masterfully removed the pus. My torment is finally over! Thank you to the entire team at Benjamin Eye Institute. You are the best, true professionals in your field. I wish you further success and good luck in your very necessary and difficult work! You give people a new stage of life! Thank you for that!

Been going to Dr B for nearly a decade after trying many other eye doctors in LA.  Beyond solving my chronic dry eye and being the most knowledgeable, he is an all-around great guy and spends time educating. The staff is wonderful as well.

The ophthalmologist that performed my surgery, Dr. Benjamin, was extremely skilled and knowledgeable. He took the time to thoroughly explain the procedure and answer all of my questions. I felt confident in his abilities and knew that I was in good hands.

Dr Benjamin and his team are extremely professional. I had Lasik surgery performed by him and his team and everything to date has gone exactly as described to me. Front office is very friendly and scheduling appointments is easy.

Great staff, great doctors, excellent ophthalmologists and assistants. The optical department for where you get glasses is very good. You may pay a little more, but you get excellent service, both at the optical boutique, and of course with your exam.They have the most advanced equipment in the industry. And the optician knows what she's doing. Overall, I really like this place and will continue to have them examine my eyes and purchase Glasses there. Dr. Yakubin, along with Dr. Benjamin are great and caring. Kathy and Rina also take good care of your needs. Finally the front desk staff is extremely helpful and also caring. It is a great experience to make sure your eyes and vision are taken care of.

The office staff were kind and considerate. The technician that assisted me explained everything she was doing. The Doctor was very nice and explained everything. He was definitely knowledgeable about my condition.

Dr Benjamin has been the “go to” eye specialist for 3 generations of my family, starting with my father and now grown children. Simply put, he’s an exceptionally capable, trustworthy, and cutting edge doctor with a courteous and professional staff.Without any reservations, I recommend him to anyone seeking an exceptional eye doctor.

The surgeons at Benjamin Eye Institute are true experts in their field - they were able to explain the procedure in detail and answer all of my questions and concerns. The surgery itself was quick and painless, and the recovery was much faster than I had anticipated.

I just completed my first visit and can say that this office deserves every high ranking it gets. The staff are efficient, friendly but highly professional.  The office is modern and sparkling clean. The examination was smooth and thorough. The doctor saw me on time.  He listened closely to the background of my problem, and he clearly communicated his treatment plan and the rationale for it. I absolutely trust him and highly recommend him.

I had my first visit with Dr. Benjamin today and it was amazing from start to finish. The office itself is immaculate and everyone I interfaced with was super friendly and professional. This includes Dr. Benjamin. He was extremely thorough and spent a lot of time with me as a new patient. I look forward to being under his care for years to come. I highly recommend this practice to anyone in need of an ophthalmologist in the LA area.

Dr. Benjamin is always personable and thoughtful and very much an expert.  He has been my eye doctor for many years.  Now that I am older I am very grateful that he is still my ophthalmologist. Everyone in the office is very helpful. I, of course, highly recommend Dr. Benjamin.

One of the things that sets the Benjamin Eye Institute apart from other ophthalmology practices is their team of experienced and highly trained surgeons. The surgeons at the Benjamin Eye Institute have performed thousands of cataract and LASIK surgeries, and have a wealth of experience in these procedures. They are committed to providing the best possible care for their patients and strive to achieve excellent outcomes.

Dr. Benjamin and his staff were amazing. Everyone was friendly and professional! I didn’t feel rushed during my appointment and Dr. Benjamin  took the time to explain everything and answer questions. His assistant who helped in doing all of the eye tests was great, too! Happy to have found a great eye doctor!

No exaggeration, this was the best visit with any doctor I've ever had. The facility is very nice, the staff is exceptionally thorough, professional, and efficient and Dr Arthur had by far the best bed side manner I've ever encountered. I 100% recommend him and his team

My experience at Benjamin Eye Institute was exceptional.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever encountered such an efficient and professional staff in a doctor’s office.  The front desk was communicative and everyone up to the doctor was beyond detailed in their care.  I would recommend this place to anyone who has eye problems because they have the most advanced equipment and Dr. Benjamin is caring, thorough and knowledgeable.

Dr Benjamin and his staff are excellent! 3/5 members of my family are patients from senior to adult to teen. Great care and professionalism. Highly recommend!

The entire experience at Benjamin Eye Institute is excellent.  Dr. Benjamin genuinely cares about his patients.  He and his staff have gone above and beyond to provide the highest quality care for my eye condition.  They respond quickly, even when Dr. Benjamin is out of the office. The entire team takes the time to discuss and explain treatment options.  Highly recommended!

Immediately after  cataract surgery, I can see my husband’s face accross the room for the first time in 40 years! No more glasses since childhood, both distance and close up. If you are thinking, should you spend the big bucks to see everything both near and far?  I can tell you it’s so worth it! Thank you Dr. Benjamin and all the wonderful people in your office! I appreciate your efficiency, attentiveness, professionalism and welcoming space! Please feel free to use me as a reference any time!

With expert staff, modern surroundings and equipment, this is the doctor of choice in Los Angeles. After over 15 years i can attest to Dr. Benjamin's superior expertise in cataract removal and implants. I love the new treatments. State of the art.

I can’t ever express my deep gratitude for Dr . Benjamin and his entire extraordinary team at the Benjamin Eye Institute.I was nervous as eyes are so sensitive,  but his incredibly kind receptionists and nurses make you feel at ease and diminish all fears right away . He offers impeccable medical knowledge and state of the art technology to heal . My son and I have both experienced his phenomenal treatment and have had all our eye issues resolved . I am so thankful and can’t recommend him and the Benjamin Eye Institute highly enough 🙏

Dr.Benjamin is the best of the best.Very personable, knowledgeable and kind.I had a stye and in a bad shape.He  took me right in.His staff polite , kind and very professional.Highly recommended.

My 18-year-old son has been under Dr. Benjamin's care, and we were truly impressed by the level of service we received at Benjamin Eye Institute. From the moment we stepped into the clinic, the staff was incredibly helpful and accommodating.Dr. Benjamin conducted a comprehensive eye exam for my son, and his expertise and professionalism were evident throughout the entire process. He took the time to explain everything clearly, making sure my son understood his eye health and any potential concerns. His patience and attentiveness were truly appreciated.We highly recommend Dr. Benjamin to anyone seeking exceptional eye care. He and his team exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful for the outstanding service we received. Thank you, Dr. Benjamin!

Dr Benjamin and Alba were great. He is very professional, kind and with clear explanations. I had an eyelid quick surgery and I’m just missing the glasses prescription, I left the office and forgot to ask for it. But he and his team were amazing!

I was referred to Dr. Benjamin from both my eye doctor and a very close friend of mine who also had her LASIK performed there. My experience was exceptional. Every single person that you meet in the office is a joy to work with. Whether it was the constant and clear communication, or the fact that they were always listening to feedback and answering my questions and concerns, they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable trusting my vision to them. They were very kind and never once pressured me into anything (including when I had to push my surgery back after I broke my leg).I would recommend this place to anyone who has eye problems because they have the most advanced equipment and Dr. Benjamin is caring, thorough and knowledgeable.

Top notch service and staff! By far the best experience I’ve had at a doctors office in 20 years. I wish every office was as well trained, friendly, and professional as Benjamin Eye Institute. Seriously if you have eye problems you won’t find a better doctor.

More than everything I value professional people. Dr. Arthur Benjamin is one of them. He is taking care of me and my husband for pretty long time. All I can say we are very thankful to the doctor and people who work as a team to make us healthy and happy !

LASIK Eye Surgery- The short is go see Dr. Benjamin!I visited Dr. Benjamin Eye Institute after deciding I wanted to learn more about Lasik eye surgery and what the process would look like. I stare at computer screens for very long periods of time so I was nervous to make this life change but ready to ditch my glasses for good! The entire team from day 1 of my consultation made me feel very comfortable. The office is clean the staff are extremely welcoming, friendly and all took the time to answer any questions I had about the procedure - which was very quick and painless the day of. They also have awesome social content for educational purposes and just to make you laugh!I am about a month post procedure and it has been life changing and a freedom restored. Your eyes are important so make sure you consult with the best.Thank you Dr. Benjamin and team!!!

I am so happy and grateful that I have Dr. Benjamin to help me and show me how to take care of my eyes.Dr. Benjamin preformed life changing procedures a few years ago that gave me an amazing view of the world each and every day I awake and open my eyes.Thank you, Doctor.

Dr. Benjamin is an exceptional doctor and eye surgeon. He is innovative, and anticipates a patient’s needs. Above all Dr. Benjamin is kind and caring. My results are outstanding. I can thank him for changing my life. Thank you.

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