The Eye Doctor Who Treats Patients Stress-Free
– Dr. Wansa Roongpuvapaht –
Those close to Dr. Wansa Roongpuvapaht, an ophthalmologist specialising in glaucoma at BNH Hospital’s Eye Department, describe her as easy-going. Her patients say that treatment with her is stress-free. At the hospital, she is the doctor who makes patients comfortable enough to open up. Outside the hospital, she is a mother who loves her children without overprotecting them. This is her story.
The Girl from Phatthalung
“Back then, we didn’t have many toys. We’d play shop using vegetables and plants from nature. There were many relatives, lots of children. Whenever we went anywhere, we’d all pile into the back of a pickup truck, cheering along.”
D.Y. Wansa’s childhood in Phatthalung Province was never lonely, as everywhere she looked, she saw members of her large Chinese family surrounding her. The doctor hails from the provincial capital, and whilst it had a fair degree of development, she was still close to nature and lived a slower pace of life than in the big city. No one in her family, who were involved in various trading businesses on both her mother’s and father’s sides, was a doctor.
In Year 10 (Mathayom 4), she moved to Bangkok to study at Triam Udom Suksa School. This was a major life change. From someone with many relatives to rely on for help, she had to learn to be self-reliant, which made the doctor mature by leaps and bounds.
Since childhood, if anyone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer was always a doctor. But her first university entrance equivalency exam results in Year 11 (Mathayom 5) didn’t go as hoped. So, she waited to take the exam again in Year 12 (Mathayom 6) and was finally accepted to study medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital.
Life studying medicine required many adjustments, but it wasn’t a problem for medical student Wansa, who had already adapted many times and was accustomed to rural life, which might not have had everything readily available like in the city. Sometimes, groups of medical students had to go on medical missions to rural provinces, sleeping in wall-less shelters in areas without electricity or running water.
“But it made us understand patients more. It gave us empathy for them.”
After graduating from medical school, the doctor moved again to a hospital in Roi Et Province. It was a time filled with fun and closeness with friends, challenging work experiences, and learning to speak Khmer, which was used by the local people. Most importantly, she discovered her own interests.
“I liked surgery. There were major surgeries like obstetrics, general surgery, orthopaedics, and minor surgeries like eye and ENT. As a woman, I chose something less complex, not major surgery. I wanted to focus on smaller procedures, so I decided to become an eye doctor after completing my rural service.”
The doctor pursued her specialisation at Rajavithi Hospital, renowned for its ophthalmology department, and further sub-specialised in glaucoma because she wanted to provide long-term care for patients, and this chronic disease is common in the elderly.
BNH Hospital was her first workplace after completing her specialisation. To this day, the doctor has been there for 15 years and has never considered moving elsewhere.
“This place is like a family. All the doctors have similar personalities; we’re the same kind of people. So, we’re comfortable together, like siblings. We can consult each other on both work and personal matters. That’s why I’m happy with the working environment.”
Opening Eyes and Hearts
“The eyes are small, complex structures with many intricate details. Even when talking to a doctor who isn’t an ophthalmologist, I have to use simple language. So, with general patients, sometimes I have to draw pictures, or use models to point out which part is which, and provide descriptive explanations to ensure they understand first.”
“If they don’t understand, don’t cooperate, lack discipline, or sometimes administer eye drops and sometimes don’t, the treatment won’t succeed. For patients whom we assess might not remember all the advice, we have to invite their relatives to listen, which is very important because some people don’t even know how to administer eye drops themselves and might rely on those around them. So, the family must understand too.”
Dr. Wansa’s approach to patient care begins by ensuring the patient understands their condition, to maximise their cooperation. Especially during the first consultation, the doctor allocates extra time. Once the patient understands and knows the treatment options, they will follow the doctor’s advice and attend follow-up appointments. Throughout this process, she constantly listens to any problems the patient might experience during treatment, communicates facts throughout, explains what stage of treatment they’re at, how severe their condition is, and if treatment reaches its limit, she must inform the patient honestly. However, most of these patients have chronic conditions and have been aware of their symptoms all along, so they aren’t overly shocked when they receive bad news.
Patients describe her care as “stress-free”.
There was an elderly female patient who didn’t pay much attention to eye examinations. Her existing degeneration accumulated until her vision gradually declined. By the time she finally agreed to see a doctor, cataracts had severely blurred her vision. At that moment, her only wish was to see her children’s faces one last time. Dr. Wansa did everything in her power to help. The moment the doctor removed the eye patch and the patient clearly saw her daughter’s face in front of her again, tears of joy flowed freely.
“The most impressive aspect of eye treatment is helping those who cannot see, regain their sight.”
Cataracts can be treated with surgery, and most patients regain clear vision if their retina remains in good condition. This differs from glaucoma, which generally cannot be cured, except for acute glaucoma. For common types of glaucoma, ophthalmologists can only manage the symptoms to slow down the progression of deterioration. This group of patients requires long-term follow-up and thus develops a particularly close relationship with the doctor.
Furthermore, cataracts often occur with age, but glaucoma, unless it’s the acute type, slowly progresses without the patient realising it. By the time they notice an abnormality, their eyes are already significantly affected. However, glaucoma can be prevented by regular eye examinations, especially for those with a family history of the disease, as it has a chance of being hereditary.
“Some people have never had an eye exam but one day want to get LASIK, go for a check-up, and then discover they have glaucoma. They can’t get LASIK then because they need treatment first.”
For this reason, Dr. Wansa provides Complete Care, a holistic and comprehensive approach that doesn’t solely focus on symptom treatment, based on the principle that prevention is better than cure. For example, during a vision check, eye pressure is also monitored, or other diseases linked to eye symptoms like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. If the doctor finds an abnormality in the eyes, she will coordinate with the relevant specialist promptly to care for the patient before it’s too late.
The Doctor's Family
Dissections of cadavers in medical school typically begin in the second year, a period when medical students must overcome their fear of flesh, internal organs, skeletons, and the unpleasant biological and chemical odours. It was at the gross anatomy lab table that Dr. Wansa’s understanding of the science of anatomy began, and her family life also started there.
Her husband was a fellow student whom she first met whilst dissecting a cadaver together. They endured the rigours of medical school together, braved the cold during their rural service in Roi Et, returned to Bangkok to pursue their respective specialisations, and built a family together. The doctor is an ophthalmologist, whilst her husband is an ENT professor at a medical faculty in a hospital. They have two pre-teen daughters.
“We both understand our respective professions, which makes family life easier. My husband doesn’t have much time; he works a lot, so I let him work at his own pace. Whatever I can do to help him, I do everything. For example, taking his car for repairs or going to the bank for his errands. I allocate my time to look after our children, so he doesn’t have to worry about me or them. It’s quite relaxed.”
The doctor’s role at the hospital is to treat patients, but in her family, she remains a diligent mother and wife. Luckily, her children are growing up and starting to think like adults, which makes the doctor more at ease.
“My eldest daughter went to a summer camp for fashion design and made me two bags without me even asking. I was touched; I’m happy she thought of that.”
“The other day, my youngest daughter was about to change classrooms, so I asked her who she wanted to be with next year. Her answer was that she could be with anyone because she’d just make new friends. I realised this meant she would get to learn with new people, without demanding to be with specific friends. Whereas some children would want to be with people they’re close to. Her answer made me feel good that she could think for herself that she could make new friends.”
The doctor’s parenting style is not to overprotect her children, allowing them to learn and make mistakes on their own, especially regarding peer relationship issues common at this age. Although sometimes she gets complaints from her children that she doesn’t intervene, the doctor prefers to be an outsider who listens and advises, without contacting teachers to interfere in the children’s problems, and letting them manage their own issues.
“Children quarrel, and the next day they play normally again. But parents tend to overthink it because they worry about their child, imagining this and that. In reality, there’s nothing to worry about.”
One of the ways to raise disciplined children is to give them responsibilities. Initially, Dr. Wansa, wanting to dedicate time to her children, chose not to have pets. But as her children grew older, ‘Nong Mew Mew’, a Pomeranian dog, came into their lives, filling the responsibility void for both daughters. They learned to feed him breakfast and dinner, bathe him, clean up after him, and spend time with him. As the dog grew, so did the two daughters, and the home atmosphere became even warmer with a pet at its centre.
“I don’t know if they’ll grow up to be easy-going people, but we try to raise our children to be simple, to learn from the real world, to engage in activities, to adapt, and to learn what real life is like.”
“Are you happy with the results? If you’re happy, I’m happy too.” A patient once told the doctor this after seeing the results of her treatment. It’s the same for me. We come to work wanting to help patients recover. If the patients are happy, we are happy too.”
Everyday life for the doctor, balancing her roles as a physician, wife, and mother, can never be constantly easy. But by maintaining a relaxed attitude and a comfortable outlook on the world, even amidst the heavy demands of her duties, there’s always a hidden ease that Dr. Wansa perceives, allowing her treatment to help patients achieve both physical and mental comfort.
Articles & Published Content
ทำนัดหมายแพทย์ออนไลน์ | Appointment
WANSA ROONGPUVAPAHT, M.D.
พญ. วรรษา รุ่งภูวภัทร
Speciality
Ophthalmology
Glaucoma
Clinical Interest
Glaucoma
Education
Medical Degree, Doctor of Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand
Fellowship
Glaucoma, Rajavithi Hospital, Thailand
Board and Sub board Certification
Thai Medical Council, Ophthalmology, Rajavithi Hospital
Certificate
BDMS Bylaws, BDMS, Thailand
Code of behavior (ENG), BDMS, Thailand
Language
English
Thai
Gender
Female
Schedule
Eye Department
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | 08:00 - 12:30 |
| Tuesday | 08:00 - 16:30 |
| Wednesday | - |
| Thursday | 08:00 - 16:30 |
| Friday | 08:00 - 16:30 |
| Saturday | 08:00 - 16:00 |
| Sunday | - |
This is the doctor's regular weekly schedule. Actual availability may vary — please confirm the available date and time when you make an appointment.