I just got back home from seeing a retina specialist. For the past few years, I have seen this doctor each year. With my diabetes history, my ophthalmologist wanted a retina specialist to keep an eye(!) out for any retina damage.
This time, the appointment lasted less than half-an-hour. About ten minutes of that was some paperwork and waiting, and fifteen minutes of for some retina photos and a quick eye exam. I only saw the actual doctor for five minutes; he looked into my eyes using the contraption above. Even for that brief encounter, he brought a guy to take notes on the computer for him. I wonder how much his office charges for the appointment. I will probably look it up later using insurance claim records from last year.
After looking in my eyes, he said that not much has changed. There is still a thin membrane over my retinas but currently not an issue. There is also come retina damage in my left eye, but also not urgent. It was basically the same results from last year, and that is good news.
Life with chronic diseases 