Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions does Dr. Gupta treat?

Dr. Gupta is a fellowship-trained surgical retina specialist. This means that after doing 4 years of medical school and 5 years of residency training to become an ophthalmologist, he did an extra 2 years of training to specialize in problems that affect the retina. There are only 5 other surgical retina doctors in the Maritime Provinces! As such, our office is asked to see patients from all over Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and sometimes even Newfoundland.

As a retina specialist, Dr. Gupta only treats conditions affecting the retina and lens of the eye. He does not treat glaucoma, droopy eyelids, dry eyes, itchy eyes, watery eyes, or tearing.

How do I book an appointment with Dr. Gupta?
MSI requires your general ophthalmologist, optometrist, or family doctor to send a referral for consultation to our office.

Please note that Dr. Gupta specializes only in diseases that affect the retina and lens of the eye. Referrals for other eye conditions should be sent to a general ophthalmologist or other subspecialist.

Who will I see at my visit?
Our friendly professional team is here to make your appointment run as smoothly as possible! If you have any questions during your appointment, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of our team.

You will be seen by our front desk staff, a nurse, and, of course, Dr. Gupta. In cases where pictures of your retina are needed, you will also meet our ophthalmic photographers. As this is a teaching hospital, you may also be seen by one of our trainees. These trainees are fully qualified medical doctors who are training to become ophthalmologists or retina specialists. Sometimes we also have medical students who are observing in our clinic.

What can I expect at my visit?
After you register for your appointment, our nurse who will check your vision and eye pressure, then carefully review your medical and eye history.

Our nurse will then put drops in your eyes to dilate (open) your pupil. It usually takes at least 30 minutes for your pupils to get big enough and be fully dilated. The drops will sting for a few seconds and can make your vision blurry for the rest of the day. It is important to always bring someone with you to your appointment who can drive you home.

In many cases, we will take pictures of your retinas. These very specialized exams take time to perform and interpret.

Once all this information has been recorded by our team, Dr. Gupta will put it all together to determine the cause of your eye trouble and what the most reasonable next steps should be. He will explain your condition, possible management options and answer your questions.

Do I need to bring anything with me?
Please bring the following:

  • Your provincial health card
  • Your private insurance information (if applicable)
  • A printed list of all your medications
  • Your current glasses
  • All your eye drops
  • A list of your questions
  • Completed forms (see Patient Forms information on this page).

You are also welcome to bring a family member or friend to your appointment. Please bring them into the room with you when you meet with Dr. Gupta. Two sets of ears are always better than one!

Your eyes may remain blurry after your appointment. It is important to always bring someone with you to your appointment who can drive you home.

How long will my visit take?
You should expect your visit to last at least 2 hours.

Please note that the appointment time that you were given is not the time that you should expect to see Dr. Gupta. Your appointment time marks the start of your visit with the team. Your actual time with Dr. Gupta will make up only a small portion of your entire visit.

Please be sure to leave enough time to find the hospital, a parking spot, and our clinic.

We know that your time is valuable. Please accept our sincere apologies if you have to wait. Dr. Gupta is regularly on call for retinal emergencies, and unexpected delays do happen.

After this appointment, will I continue to see Dr. Gupta?
In most cases, once your eye condition is stable and you are not receiving active treatments from Dr. Gupta, we will ask you to follow up with your regular eye doctor. You should make sure that you have a general ophthalmologist or optometrist following you regularly. This allows us to offer appointments to patients with retina problems who are still waiting to be seen.

Dr. Gupta wishes he could keep everyone in his practice, but with the limited resources available, this is unfortunately not possible.

I have heard that some retina surgeries require face-down positioning. Is there any equipment that I can rent to help with this?

For more information, please contact the Breath Factory:  (902) 404-6545

 

Where can I stay overnight in Halifax for my visit or for my surgery?
The Point Pleasant Lodge is a not-for-profit hotel exclusively for people staying in the Halifax area for medical-related travel.

Please visit their website for more information:
https://pointpleasantlodge.com/Content/Home

What do I need to know about eye injections?

Please read the following important information.

Patient Forms

All patients:

Please print and fill out this Patient Intake form and bring it with you to your appointment.

Please click here for Patient Intake Form

Patients referred for surgery:

Please fill out this Patient Intake form and this Patient Health History Questionnaire (required by the hospital for anyone having surgery) and bring both completed forms with you to your appointment.

Please click here for Surgical Patient Forms

Dr. R. Rishi Gupta

Phone:

902-473-3412

Fax:

902-473-2839

Clinic Location

Victoria General Hospital
Centennial Building, 2nd Floor
Ophthalmology Department
“Green Clinic”
1276 South Park Street
Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9

Click here for directions and parking information