Dr. Rached Saved Me From Having a Stroke

"He started chuckling until Dr. Rached told him it was no laughing matter."

Meet Baldo Venstreca, a loyal Bay Eye Center patient for many years.

Baldo Venstreca is a guitar-playing, motorcycle-riding free spirit. And pre-pandemic, the great-grandfather played the guitar inside churches in Plymouth & Middleboro. He’s also part of a Christian motorcycle club.

During a routine eye exam, Baldo took advantage of Optos - a revolutionary piece of technology that helps our eye doctors see more of a person’s eyes than ever before. When Dr. Rached was examining the images, she spotted something very serious that needed immediate medical attention.

It was plaque building up in his left eye.

“When she told me that, I kind of chuckled,” Baldo said. “But then she got serious and told me I needed to see my doctor as soon as possible.”

Baldo didn’t waste any time. His doctor quickly referred him to a specialist, and soon after, Baldo was scheduled for surgery.

“My doctor told me if that plaque had traveled up to my brain, that would’ve been it. I would’ve had a stroke,” he said. Baldo’s doctor told him it was the first time in his very long career that an eye doctor had ever diagnosed that hidden danger. 

“She is just excellent and I’m so grateful. I don’t think anyone else would’ve spotted it,” Baldo said about Dr. Rached.

“I walked in feeling totally healthy before my eye exam. I had zero symptoms. I had no idea. That’s why everyone needs to get an eye exam. She saved me from having a stroke,” he said.

The surgeon told him by the time he experienced any symptoms, it would’ve been too late.

That’s the power of Optos and that’s the expertise of Dr. Rached.

And because of that combination, Baldo, a 66-year-old with 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, can continue doing the things he loves - and seeing the people he loves.

“I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so I can see my grandchildren and great-grandchildren again,” he said.

We can’t either, Baldo. We’d like to thank Baldo for sharing his story.

If you haven’t had an eye exam in a while, give us a call right now and schedule an appointment.

Your health is our top priority.