Ophthalmologist

I went to see my ophthalmologist today, after about 14 months after the last appointment. I’m supposed to see them every year to check for diabetes related eye damage. Since I’ve been keeping my blood sugar under control and lowered my A1C readings, my eyes have been pretty stable, and some of the prior bleeding in the retina has healed.

The office was very careful due to COVID-19. First you had to call them when you arrive so they can confirm your appointment and collect payment information. I kept saying I’ve reached my out-of-pocket maximum but they wanted to co-pay anyway. Supposedly they will reimburse me if when the insurance double-pays the co-pay. We’ll see…

After I went into the office, they took photos of my retina with a huge special camera made by Nikon. Next, they brought me into a room for medical interview and a preliminary check of my eyesight. Since last year, I have two pairs of glasses: one for reading and one for driving. However, it takes quite a while for my eyes to adapt so for a short period, everything is blurry. I couldn’t read any of the letters they threw up on the wall. Embarrassing. Next they dilated my eyes using some eyedrops. About two hours later, I still can’t see very clearly. Finally, the doctor came in to examine my eyes. My usual doctor is either not in or busy so I got another ophthalmologist, a Korean lady, and everything seemed to go well.

I got referred to a retina specialist again. They made the same referral for three years but kept telling me it wasn’t important. I have so many medical issues that if something isn’t important, it’s not getting looked at. I told her I would call and make an appointment this time.