Pacific Northwest Eye Associates: Dr. Joseph T. Pham, MD
3602 S 19th St,
Tacoma, WA

Ophthalmologist VICTOR CHIU: It seems the cataract surgery was very successful. However, people ask me if I suffered a trauma because I am having cataract surgery in my 40s, but I did not have any trauma from childhood. I do not understand why this is being emphasized. I have been receiving treatment for idiopathic hypoparathyroidism since I was 10 years old from Professor Yang Se-won of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Seoul National University Hospital Children's Hospital. As an adult, I began receiving treatment from Professor Shin Chan-soo of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Seoul National University Hospital. From 2017, I started receiving treatment from Specialist Ko Eun-kyung of Multicare Endocrinology in the U.S., but from 2019 until now, a nephrologist has been treating my chronic condition, idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, a rare disease, as there is no endocrinologist available. What I want to say here is that I frequently experienced symptoms of hypocalcemia. That is why the cataract symptoms appeared. Perhaps because I have been sick since childhood and have been going to tertiary hospitals, it seems most doctors here are not familiar with my internal condition, idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. However, the combination eye drops used before surgery are not covered by medical insurance, and it cost me as much as $57.

Dr. Pham is one of the best eye doctors I could have ever asked to have. He is very caring, takes his time to listen to your questions and explains answers. He sees your concerns if needing to undergo eye surgery.

Doctor Pham has been treating me for glaucoma and is doing a very good job. He is a right-to-the-point doctor, and this is what I like!

Dr. Chiu has left a bad taste in my mouth after back to back visits. My last time here, he told me he was “in a rush” to do my stye removal because “he had a plane for vacation” to catch. Fast forward 6 months I come back for another stye removal and he goes “this one is really big, but, I’m not going to remove it” after I told him it’s been bothering me for weeks :) He then told me I could just call over to another office that he’d refer me to and they could “easily schedule a removal based off my referral” and that was a lie :) :) I have to pay more money to other office to get my eye examined, AGAIN, before I can get the stye removed :) :) Would highly recommend STAYING AWAY from here.