Yes I Can Blog
#80 Eye Appointments
Friday, July 25, 2025 by Deb Vellines
Are you comfortable with your doctor? If not, it’s time to change doctors. How do you find another specialist? Talk to friends who have a similar problem. Talk to your primary doctor and ask for another referral. And at the first appointment, no need to badmouth the previous doctor. No need to explain why you have changed doctors.
Do you need to bring someone to go with you? YES!! Bring them into the examining room with you. Having an extra pair of ears can be super helpful. I suggest asking that person to take notes for you.
What are your questions? Are they being answered with words you understand? If not, just say, “I don’t know what ____ means.” Doctors sometimes forget and slip into medical terminology. When this happens, they might as well be speaking in a different language. This is true for all doctors, not just eye doctors.
At the eye doctor, have a baseline for what you can see. If at the same time every day you read your daily devotional and one day you can’t see the words, that’s a specific change and one that requires an immediate call to the doctor. It’s an example of a specific problem (change) and gives a lot of information to the doctor.
Just saying, “I can’t read my daily devotion,” doesn’t tell the doctor a lot. But if you explain it was your baseline – something you did every day at the same time in the same lighting – and last Thursday, you couldn’t do it. That says a lot to the doctor.
If you have a change in your baseline over the weekend, do you know how to get in touch with the doctor? Waiting until Monday can be too late for an emergency.
Are you having visual hallucinations and can’t talk to your doctor about them for fear he or she will think you are going crazy? Are you afraid he will send you to a psychiatrist? Then it’s time to find a doctor you feel comfortable with, which means talking about anything. No, you are not going crazy with visual hallucinations. It’s called the Charles Bonnet syndrome. Check out blog #76 to learn more about these hallucinations.
By the way, if your doctor hasn’t heard of these hallucinations, RUN. Find another doctor.
Readers: Do you have other hints to help at the doctor appoointments?
Comments
Dawn From Missouri At 7/26/2025 10:06:28 AM
Thank you for the reference to blog number 76 about Charles bonnet syndrome. I was not aware of this syndrome. As always, thanks for the information.Previous Posts
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