There are moments in life when you immediately reap the benefits of helping others..
Today is Wednesday and for the past 3 days Ive had at least one HUGE experience each day that was so meaningful that I had to share...so this is that!.
Monday.
Just a usual day at work when a "new patient" come through the door. She was a middle aged woman seeking a comprehensive eye exam who wanted to make sure that her changes in vision were evaluated as she has had difficulty seeing up close (presbyopia) and difficulty seeing in the distance as well as problems driving at night( cataracts). As the visit proceeded and we continued to talk. She mentioned the frequent headaches that she has been experiencing and wondered if there could be a correlation between eyes and headaches. I made detailed notes of her concerns and encouraged her to speak with the doctor when he visits with her. I checked her intraocular pressure which was slightly elevated at 22 in the right eye and 20 in the left eye. After further examination I noticed that the anterior chamber in both eyes appeared rather shallow ( narrow angles) as cataract formation has taken place over time, her eye have become "crowded" putting her at risk for a potential sudden attack of glaucoma. The doctor confirmed my diagnosis and she was NOT dilated but scheduled for a simple laser procedure that makes it safe for her to be dilated in the future as well as significantly decreasing her risk for such an attack. On the way out she thanked me for detecting her condition and NOT dilating her eyes as dilation drops can induce such an attack. She then scheduled her follow appointments and I encouraged her to have a nice day!
Tuesday
A chart was in the bin for a technician to call back a patient who had questions about his diagnosis of glaucoma. The young African American male in his early 20s had been evaluated the previous week at a lasik center and was told that he was not currently a candidate for laser vision correction surgery as he showed signs of having glaucoma. I called the patient who did not answer the phone and his voicemail box was full preventing me from leaving a message, however he did return my call about an hour later. I told him who I was and asked what questions he had about his visit. He said that his mother told him that he is too young to have glaucoma and with his contacts and glasses he has good vision. He was wondering if someone at the office can "sign off" of his surgery so he can get lasik without being treated for glaucoma. At that moment, I was taken back by the patients will to ignore the gravity of his diagnosis and prioritize lasik rather than glaucoma treatment. I asked the patient if he knew what glaucoma was and how it can potentially effect ones vision. He said the Doctor explained everything to him the day before however he was not paying attention because he was distracted by the fact that he had gotten a speeding ticket on the way to the office! Basically starting from scratch... I shared with the patient that Glaucoma is the result of increased (sometimes decreased) intraocular pressure in the eye that can cause the optic nerve in the back of the eye to become damaged. This damage is irreversible and potentially devastating to a patients peripheral vision if gone untreated. He then ask what the cause of glaucoma is and is there a correlation between contact lens use and glaucoma. I explained a person can have glaucoma even if they do not wear glasses or contacts and this disease is usually inherited from someone in your family who already has glaucoma. Having a family history of glaucoma myself I shared with the patient that my grandmother lost her vision to glaucoma as the availability of health care and the advancements in medicine today where not available to her. She was blind in both eyes probably never really knew what I looked like... I explained that my father (her son) in addition to all of her children were diagnosed with glaucoma and are all being treated for the disease. After the conversation was over, I noticed that the the patients tone had shifted significantly as he understood that ignoring glaucoma to get lasik would have been an unwise decision as a potential loss in vision from glaucoma would mean that laser vision correction surgery would not be able to improve his vision at all. Before hanging up, he said that he will return for further treatment and make ocular health priority in his life. Then he said... "Thank you for taking the time to explain things to me, I really appreciate it!"
Wednesday
Today I had the pleasure of spending time with a patient who was confined to a wheelchair as a result of cerebral palsy. She was 30 years old. She very articulate and very much aware of the nature of her visit. She came in with a pair of glasses that were about 4 years old. She had a lazy eye and an overall vision of about 20/200. Due to her condition, she was unable to get automatic measurements and the level of difficulty for a technician preparing a patient with such special needs is significantly more challenging than others.... I decided to wheel her out into the hallway.. Grab some trial frames with a handful of lenses and kneel down testing her vision one lens at a time. With the uncontrollable movement of her head, this made for a rather difficult task... BUT after several minutes and trial lenses everywhere.... She was able to see letters on the 20/60 line which is about about twice as better as she was seeing before.. She was then dilated and seen by the doctor who commended me of my efforts to help this woman.. I was appreciative of his comments but the feeling that I got when she was able to read those letters and show signs of improved vision was indescribable.
Everyday in life we are presented with opportunities to go above and beyond what is required to ensure a quality a experience for others. Despite the jaded views and opinions that exist in the world Ghandi encouraged us to "BE" that change we wish to see in the world." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr explained that "you cannot expect change to roll in on the wheels of inevitability." Small detailed changes make up larger drastic changes over time. Be watchful and stay aware of ways that you can help others!
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