Eye doctor vent and vision question

[Jessnc]

I asked my local friends for an eye doctor recommendation because I wasn't happy with the one I was using. He wasn't personable and my glasses prescription hasn't felt right in 3 years (2 pairs of glasses). A friend highly recommended the doctor she sees, so I went ahead and made an appointment for a contact lens exam and eyeglass exam. (I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge regarding eye exam lingo).

1st complaint - the address on their website does not reflect their current, new address nor do any of the signs in their previous location even hint at the fact that they are no longer there. Puzzled, I walked into their designated suite, which appeared to house a pain care management team and found out that their new location is just a building down, but in a different lot (had to get back into car, get back on main road, then find parking again.)

I don't think I've ever encountered a colder receptionist in my life, and I've had to deal with some pretty bad ones before.

I was passed around to 4 different nurses/techs who each performed a different task before I even saw the doctor. I'm used to one person asking questions and performing tests, then doc comes in and does the "which one looks clearer, 1 or 2" test. Doc did not do the "1 or 2" test, unfriendly tech #2 did.

The staff was absolutely miserable. No one smiled, no one greeted me, no niceties. I had to explain myself to each one (how long I wear my lenses, that I'm having trouble seeing out of my right eye with my glasses but not my contacts, not happy with contact lens brand, etc.) They all made me feel like a child who had done something terribly wrong when I told them I wore my monthly contacts for 1 to 1 1/2 months. (I thought that because I wore my glasses so frequently I could extend the life of the contacts a bit...I learned today that that is NOT the case...)

When I asked tech #4 if I could change brands of contacts because I wasn't happy with the brand I had been using she said, "Well, I'm not going to give you 2 week lenses because you'll over wear them." I was so stunned, thinking maybe she didn't mean what she said that I didn't say anything, but I think there is only one way to interpret what she said...

When the eye doctor told me my glasses Rx was the same, I told her that was strange because I can't see clearly out of my right eye when I wear glasses. She told me that my right eye is probably just weaker than my left and that there isn't really anything they can do to correct that. Now, this is my question - have you ever heard of such a thing??? I do have an astigmatism, but in the 20 years that I've worn glasses, I haven't had a problem like this.

I did have to go to the dentist today as well, and what a world of difference! I was even a last minute due to pain, double-booked appointment. Everyone there was smiling, cheerful and friendly. They couldn't figure out why I'm having crazy pain with a tooth that I had a root canal done on almost a year ago, but they were at least nice about it!

One thing is for sure, I will not be going back to that eye doctor next year. I'm afraid to say anything to my friend about it but I'm curious as to why she so highly recommended them to me.

[RiverFarm]

Recommendations are so subjective; my DS was referred to a dermatologist by his doctor and hated the place. He felt that the office was unhygienic and the staff wasn't very competent. And yet several friends of mine go there and love them. I would say something to your friend about the reception you got just to see what her reaction is, but I definitely wouldn't be going back there.

I have never heard an optometrist or ophthalmologist say that one eye was just weaker and couldn't be corrected. Recently I was told that it would be hard to provide me with complete acuity because I had the beginnings of cataracts in my eyes; THAT made sense. But just to blow you off and tell you that it can't be helped? That's ridiculous. And btw, my grandfather and two uncles were optometrists, so I have a bit of experience with the profession!

[jmarie]

Excuse me? My son, due to an injury to one eye, has worse vision in the one eye and he was prescribed glasses with corrective vision for the one eye and a plain glass piece in the other. I'm thinking that the worse vision in one eye would cause such a headache problem.

Call your insurance company and see if they will pay for a second opinion.

....and GOOD LUCK!

[Shugness]

I've worn contacts for 16 years, and I too have always worn my contacts a tad longer than they suggest, and never had a problem with it. The first optometrist I went to when I moved here to NC asked me how long I wore them, I was honest with him, and he made a big to do over it. He went as far as to pull my eye lids down, sigh deeply, and put on this big production about how he could "tell" and how my eyes were "damaged". I never went back to him, found another optometrist who I love. I still wear my contacts longer, just keep that tidbit to myself, and he's always told me my eyes looked very healthy.

Having said that, his tech who does the contact fittings is a "solution snob" - she'll ask you what brand you use, and if you say the generic brand, she'll cringe and tell you how you could be putting swamp water in your eyes. So now when I go, I just tell her what she wants to hear.

And I don't get the comment that they can't do anything for your "weak eye". Aren't they in the "weak eye" business?

[funniegrrl]

I've worn glasses since the sixth grade, and my left eye has always been a little weaker than the right, and I've always had glasses with lenses appropriate to each eye. I don't have astigmatism or any other issues, but yeah ... they lenses in a pair of glasses do not have to match.

[JustD2Me]

My husband has amblyopia that went uncorrected as a child, so he has a "weaker" eye that can't be corrected to the acuity of his good eye.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case with you and you should be able to attain visual acuity in both eyes.

The bigger issue is the rudeness of the staff toward you. That alone should have you looking for another place. You should never be treated as a second-class citizen.

I certainly wouldn't buy a pair of glasses or contacts until you are happy with the vision you are going to have. They are just too expensive to waste money on vision you aren't happy with.

[patt]

Check out Angie's List and also read through YELP comments. I typed into Google- "I want a doctor who pays attention to me, not the age written on my chart-" and then read through bunches of comments and started to zero in on a clinic, then a specific doctor. Yes personal recommendations can be nice, but as RiverFarm commented, they can be so subjective.

Until I had Lasik, my left eye was far worse than my right eye. I always had glasses with different lens perscriptions. Keep looking. If you usedinsurance, do tell your insurance company that you got horrible service and untrustworthy advice.

Patt

[Jessnc]

I certainly wouldn't buy a pair of glasses or contacts until you are happy with the vision you are going to have. They are just too expensive to waste money on vision you aren't happy with.

I should add that the doctor told me to get glasses with the prescription and see how they are and if I can't see properly to come back. Um, glasses are expensive and I don't exactly have $300 to gamble with. At least with contact lenses they give a trial pair.

I am so glad that I'm not the only one who thinks this is all incredibly absurd. I just "tested" my vision by walking backward from my door and I notice a distinct difference with the vision in my right eye at a distance of just 5 feet. She said my vision was 20/20 in my right eye with my glasses, but I think that just because I can make out the forms of the letters does not mean that the letters are not all blurry. I should have fibbed a couple of the letters...

[JustD2Me]

I should add that the doctor told me to get glasses with the prescription and see how they are and if I can't see properly to come back. Um, glasses are expensive and I don't exactly have $300 to gamble with. At least with contact lenses they give a trial pair.

At my doctor you have 30-days to return lenses that aren't working for you. I haven't had to use it, so I don't know whether they retest you at no charge or how they determine what you need.

You may ask if they meant at "no extra charge" if the lenses needed to be remade.

[DanaSD]

I'm very picky about drs and it usually takes me several tries to find an office I'm happy with. I've learn what friends to go with their reccomendations and which ones to ignore (people have different things they find important to them).

It also took me awhile to find an eye dr who could correctly figure out my prescription. The dr who did it correctly had the same condition that I did - its something like my focus point is off so to help me see close, I need a prescription for distance. Even with that correct some people need prisms and others don't - for me with prisms I see worse than with glasses. So sometimes you need a dr who will work with you until you get the correct lenses (his office paid for the placements until they got it right). I've since had lasers and don't need to worry about it (best thing I've ever done!!)

[PurplePotato]

That is ridiculous! How frustrating.

I have one eye that is weaker than the other. My Rx for each eye has always been different. I thought that was fairly common?

I hope you can find someone else. I hate searching for new doctors.

[Joanie B]

Jess, what an awful-sounding experience, totally agree what you went through was ridiculous and uncalled for. Sounds like none of them know what they're doing. With those sour attitudes, sounds like they know it, too. That statement from the dr. about can't do anything about a weaker eye is just BS. If you're willing to make the trip to CH, I can tee-total guarantee you would love my eye dr. and staff and get a thorough, comprehensive exam/treatment. They are all friendly and conversational (course, they're all Tar Heel fans and like hummingbirds, so that's points there They save the light blue cleaning clothes for me!). I have often begged her to become a general practitioner! Just curious, was this a large practice/clinic? My folks are a very small group, 2 eye drs and prob. 5-6 staff and they've been around for a long time. One of the staff does the initial peripheral dot test and the eye measurement thing, then the dr. does the diluting/staining, health changes questioning, physical exam, glaucoma test, vision workups, the 1 or 2, 2 or 3 stuff. The staff work with me on glasses changes and are very helpful and detailed. I've been there 2 hours before w/all their testing.

I agree, check with your insurance about another exam. Sorry you had to put with with those clowns.

[Gecko]

If it was just one of the staff I would guess you caught them on a bad day, but when all of them have a miserable attitude and the doctor does not seem to care I would be out of there in a heartbeat. I have worn glasses/contacts for many years and I have a different script for left and right eyes. My insurance does not cover optometrists (well they cover me for one exam for glasses only, not contacts and no coverage for lenses), so I have searched for someone I liked because it is coming out of my pocket. I am a little embarrassed to admit the doctor I found that is so knowledgeable, listens to everything I say (but is not afraid to tell me when she doesn't think something would work for me), does the exams herself, and will give me a sample to try is actually located in my local Sam's Club.

Not sure what brand contacts you are wearing but I find it wrong that they wouldn't suggest a few brands that might work for you and let you try them out. I tried a few and ended up with Acuvue Oasys and have found them to be super comfortable. I ended up with this brand after my previous one stopped feeling comfortable to be, so your eyes can change over time.

[mcgee]

I too, have an astigmatism and they're unable to completely correct the vision in my right eye. I have been to numerous eye doctors over the course of several years and none can figure it out. I looked into lasik and was told I'm not a good candidate because if they can't correct the vision in my right eye with lenses, they wouldn't be able to do so with the surgery. So I've learned to live with though I'm not happy at all. I have a very difficult time reading freeway signs so am very uncomfortable driving in areas that aren't familiar to me. I can see cars fine, it's just difficult reading the exit signs until I'm just about under the one I need to take. I'm due for an eye exam and while I really, really liked my last eye doctor I'm still contemplating searching another one out.

[Jessnc]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies.

Joanie B- I would totally be willing to go to CH for a good eye doctor! Please PM me with their info. The doctor I went to is in GSO and it's a small practice with just the one doctor, but oddly enough, the office itself was rather large. I was going to a large practice with many doctors in Burlington and I wasn't happy with that at all.

Shugness Swamp water? Did you ask her if that was a medical term? I don't think it's a doctor's or nurse's place to make a person feel bad about him/herself, but it is their place to make recommendations, albeit, not in a condescending manner. It sounds like we've run into some pretty unprofessional people. I like that you tell them what they want to hear. Ha! At first, tech #2 said to me after a deliberate, heavy sigh, "Let me get this straight. You wear your monthly contact lenses anywhere from 1 to 5 months?" *shooting a crazy look at me* Me, "No, 1 to 1 /2 months." *shooting her an "are you kidding me?" look* I feel like I should have brought a hidden camera with me to the appointment...

I did look at the few reviews that I could find and they were all poor ratings. Mostly 1 star out of 5, and two reviewers said basically what I did about the staff, that they were not friendly.

mcgee Maybe that is my problem too, but I hope not. I'd rather exhaust all of my possibilities than just accept it. And with the way my doctor was just so blasé about it, I feel like I need another opinion.

ETA: I have had people in the medical field say such ridiculous things to me lately, I feel like I need to start compiling it and then publish a "Sh!t medical professionals have said" book.

I am trying to get all of these appointment in before I leave (less than 2 months!) and it's just a lot. I was picking up my epi-pens from the pharmacy at school the other day and the tech that gave them to me asked me what medications I was allergic to and I told her "none." She said, "Well then, what are the epi-pens for?" Seriously? So I told her about everything that I am allergic/sensitive to. Why would a doctor prescribe me medication that I am allergic to and epi-pens to go with it...? You really have to wonder what kind of training people receive to make them think the things they do. (like the swamp water thing).

[Joanie B]

Jess, I sent you a PM w/their info. If you were coming to Burlington before, CH is only another 30-40 min down 40 (or 54), for a comprehensive, friendly experience. Give them a call 1st thing on Monday, since you're working on a short schedule. Will be happy to meet you there for bakery treats nearby, or lunch, or meet you in Mebane just off interstate and drive so your eyes can recover (even w/sunglasses or the reverse-dilation drops, it's still a pain post-dilation to drive w/wonky vision).

[swedish cook]

Jess, I'm so sorry you had a horrible experience. There is no excuse for that clinic. Keeping my fingers crossed for you

I don't wear contact lenses but have a lifetime of eye doctor experience - good and bad:
* No matter how accurate the prescription, a lousy lab can still produce the wrong glasses. A responsible optical shop will help you a bad will not.
* I've never had the same prescription for both eyes.
* At some point "general" prisms were added to my glasses, which turned night driving into a kaleidoscopic experience.
* Was diagnosed with astigmatism for years. Turned out (after I was 50) that my real problem was "crossed eyes" - one eye looking up, the other eye down AND sideways.
* Referred to a specialist for adult strabismus I got very carefully measured prisms (and bottle bottom lenses) in my glasses.
* Eventually a small surgical procedure fixed my eye muscles.
I still wear glasses but can now easily thread a needle