BLOG: 'Visual acuity checkers'

I’m writing this blog on my way back from a lecture at a great meeting (College of Syntonic Optometry), which was held in St. Petersburg, Fla. It was nice to see some old friends and colleagues, and my talk was well-received.

I brought along some professional reading material (like I usually do) to catch up on my optometric education as I travel. I really enjoy the “down time” when “up in the air” (how’s that for confusing?). This time, I happened to be reading about corneal diseases and some tricky retinal findings. I like this kind of in-depth reading to stimulate my thinking, and I feel like I’m still learning new stuff, which is a challenge after 40+ years in the profession.

Anyway, I’m in line waiting to board my connecting flight and happened to be standing in front of a pilot (not ours, but someone hitching a ride). His phone rings, and he starts a conversation with a friend. Considering that I was 2 feet away from him, I couldn’t help but overhear what he was discussing. Apparently, his friend had just had an eye exam or made an appointment for one, and he was giving them advice about who to see for their exam. He was emphatic that it was “OK to see the optometrist this time, but next time make sure you see the retinal doctor. He’s the one who has all the magnifying equipment to dilate your eyes and really get a good look at the retina. That optometrist is OK, but they just check your visual acuity. I get the real in-depth exam from the retinal doctor, not the optometrist. Next time, ask to see the retinal guy.”

This went on for about 5 minutes!

Of course, I debated with myself about approaching him after the call and mentioning that I was an optometrist and that we do much more than visual acuity checking. However, the line started moving, and there was no option to present my case. So, there’s another case of someone blowing us off as “eyeglass checkers” and having no clue as to the depth of our knowledge or services.

I guess I should have expected that when one of my own patients came in last week and mentioned that they had gone to an ophthalmologist for a red eye problem. “Why didn’t you come in here?” I asked. “Never thought of it,” was the reply. OK, guess I’m really not getting the message across to my own patients, which is a hard one to swallow.

We finished up her contact lens evaluation and she now knows that I do more than just fit contacts and check acuity.

At least it was rewarding to get a good response from my colleagues at the meeting I lectured at. But from now on, I won’t be holding back when someone blows us off as visual acuity checkers!

Published by:

Sources/Disclosures

Collapse

Source: Blog from Jeffrey Anshel, OD, FAAO