Dr. Luca Vigo

The personal history of each of us often writes the path to take. This is the case of Luca Vigo and Francesco Carones, who started working together after a past at San Raffale where the latter was the former's tutor in the ophthalmology department. A lot of time has passed since then, until today where the two doctors are united in the Advalia integrated multi-specialist clinic project, the “home of the Patient Experience” which means not only the clinical excellence achieved by Carones Vision in the ophthalmic sector but also the high offer in other specialist areas such as gynaecology, dentistry, orthopaedics, plastic and aesthetic surgery. The approach is close to the American philosophy of pampering the patient, from picking him up to taking him home, following him along his journey, a so-called 'Medicine Consierge', in America which puts the patient at the centre. In the new building in via Domodossola 19 in Milan this happens and a new medical language is used. It is no coincidence that we talk about 'person' and not 'patient'. Empathy, human contact, open and authentic dialogue. “The final goal of mine and of all the people I have gradually involved in this project – said Francesco Carones, the first ophthalmologist to have implanted for the first time in the world a toric multifocal lens capable of simultaneously correcting cataracts, presbyopia and astigmatism; among the very few ophthalmologists in Europe, in 2016 Dr. Carones obtained the title of 'Physician CEO' following the Master's degree in management training at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, Illinois (USA) – in fact he goes beyond the patient's health, to focus on the patient's quality of life in the round . For us medical specialists, the key question to ask our patient is not just “what's wrong”, but “what's important to you”. It is the proposal of a path to be followed not “for the patient” but “with the patient”, with a positive spirit. For this reason it was not easy to identify an official definition of Advalia. I spoke with all the staff and together we found a meeting point on “Integrated multi-specialist clinic”. But for us, in fact, it is 'the home of the Patient Experience'”. And we get into detail. “We specialize in refractive cataract surgery and in the treatment of some problems of vision or of the ocular surface, of lacrimation, we do pediatric ophthalmology – explains Luca Vigo, Ophthalmology representative for the Carones Centre, head of the Lacrimation Study Centre; performs refractive surgery (PRK and FEMTOLASIK) with the excimer laser and the femtosecond laser for the correction of visual defects, treatment of presbyopia and cataracts, corneal cross-linking for the treatment of keratoconus – in addition, our colleagues they deal more with surgery of the retina, cornea, glaucoma, medical retina”. Not only. “We represent a reality that operates at 360°, from corneal transplants to retinal detachments, intra-ocular interventions to correct vision, laser interventions”. Very often, we only realize the weight of the slavery of glasses and lenses when we free ourselves from them. “And help can certainly come from the true and heartfelt testimonies of those who have already brilliantly overcome the problem – continues Vigo – and wish to share not only the “before” but also and above all the “after”: the rediscovered freedom of life, diaphragms disappearing, impediments vanished, a rediscovered or unexpected quality of life and, why not, also safety from those small dangers to which we expose ourselves needlessly when we don't see well. So that your experience today is the “life without glasses” of others tomorrow.”