If you’re following my semi-secret Instagram, you probably figured out that we’ve been on a family beach weekend. Out of town trips make the girl happy.
Not the easiest of undertakings, with a wee small one.
There are also friends visiting, business is being discussed, and yours truly is a little exhausted from all the mandatory social interactions. I’m not the best at dealing with heaps of people for more than a few hours, and right now I’d happily hide in a small, quiet corner.
Which I am, and from it, today’s blog post. A quick copy-paste from the forum thread that was the topic or the recent blog post, the Dark Side.
Blake comments:
My most recent optometrist visit was an interesting one. I walked in feeling as if I had to be on the verge of defense at every question. I looked around at all the fancy posters, companies, glasses, etc. This time around was much much different, I was conscious of everything happening in that present moment. The old man being prescribed his first pair of glasses, the young teenaged boy staring at his phone while the doctor informs the parent that his prescription went up a quarter diopter and that when he receives his new glasses he must wear them as much as he can. All of it a lie, deceitfulness, trickery, ugh.. the disgust I had. (I wanted to tell everyone there about endmyopia.) The receptionist took me back, used all of the ‘fancy’ expensive equipment on me, set up the optical chair, failed a couple times, and then finally left and returned with the doctor, who sat in the chair as the receptionist literally does my whole entire eye exam, the doctor was just there to oversee. I denied the drops to test for glaucoma, as I should, and with my new prescription and 30$ less in my pocket, I left. On the brighter side of things, my RX decreased, not bad, not bad..
Unfortunately he doesn’t mention the exact reduction, so I can pat neither his back, nor sneakily, my own.
Steve, who started the thread, adds some worthwhile thoughts:
The first official reduction from an optometrist is always the sweetest, no matter how small (even a quarter diopter). It pretty much validates the entire premise of myopia rehabilitation. I found that it is best to be consistent with this over time. I still go to the same office and Optometrist that I have seen since I was a teenager (31 now). Always less than 3-5 patients in the waiting room at any given time. Still using the same equipment and an actual printed chart on the wall vs an expensive and overall less accurate digital or projection chart. The optometrist knows my history and while he doesn’t really comment on how my vision is improving, he has just told me to keep it up the last few times I was there. I’m due again next month for the annual check-up. Looking forward to the next “don’t know what you’re doing, but it seems to be working” comment.
I visited one of the investor owned practices and the experience is totally different. First off is the autorefractor, which spits out a ‘seemingly’ random number with sph and cyl on there somewhere. Then the actual refraction is on an overhead projector with lights off (ARRRGGG). At least a dozen people sitting in one or both waiting rooms at all times. Signs and pamphlets for LASIK and other refractive surgeries galore with a nice big optics shop just off the main waiting room.
It’s like cattle waiting to be milked…except with people and their hard-earned cash.
I got myopia…and the only prescription…is more minus lens use!!
Curiously not uncommon, optometrists being first hand witnesses to improving eyesight, but being not the least bit curious what may be happening. Makes sense though, if we consider the raison d’être of these establishments.
Housekippin’: Part II of the logging tool is underway. While Part I was all about the ‘input’ side, Part II is focused on output. Getting starting and current lenses into your forum signature, as well as some centimeter graphs, hopefully this will further help educate and enlighten our participants (all opt-in, of course).
Thanks to all who’ve been using it already, and reporting various bugs and things.
Cheers,
-Jake
