Eye glasses and appt.

[Grandpa Shooter]

 

My new eyeglasses came in today, only 8 days after they were ordered.  Wow what a difference!  I feel like the robot  in the movie who went around shouting, "I'm alive."  In my case it's "I can see, I can see!" Everything is bright and clear.  No haze, no auras, no blur of colors.

And I called my front desk Wunderkind and found out he had gotten me an appointment with the VA eye clinic for Jan. 29.  Not super speedy, but still soon enough I am greatly relieved.  Sometimes being in the top category of care pays off I guess.  Don't much care for how I got there, but I guess there is a dark lining in every silver cloud, or whatever that saying is.

[TMM]

sure is great being able to see huh? i never knew i was able to count leaves on trees until i got my glasses...

TMM

[Devonai]

The VA: Top quality care in only three times the wait!

Seriously, I consider the level of care at the VA hospital in my area to be top-notch, unfortunately the wait times are ridiculous.

[Hawkmoon]

Seriously, I consider the level of care at the VA hospital in my area to be top-notch, unfortunately the wait times are ridiculous.

I guess I should move to your area. The level of care at my VA hospital is abysmal. So is everything else -- I filed a formal complaint with the hospital's "patient advocate" office last April, and they haven't yet even acknowledged that they received it. I stopped by in September and a woman looked it up on her computer and confirmed it was "in the system," but I have received NOTHING in writing. Meanwhile, I have a chronic condition that remains untreated because I don't dare be seen again by the intern they assigned to my case.

[BobR]

the hospital's "patient advocate" office

If you don't like your provider, which would be a ARNP, a PA or an MD instead of an intern, you need to go back to that same patient advocate and request a change in providers.

Leaving a  chronic condition untreated because of your feelings towards your provider is not really the fault of the VA, is it?

bob

[CNYCacher]

Leaving a  chronic condition untreated because of your feelings towards your provider is not really the fault of the VA, is it?

If the attention of the provider doesn't qualify as "treatment", it kinda is.

[Hawkmoon]

If you don't like your provider, which would be a ARNP, a PA or an MD instead of an intern, you need to go back to that same patient advocate and request a change in providers.

Leaving a  chronic condition untreated because of your feelings towards your provider is not really the fault of the VA, is it?

bob

It's the request to change the "provider" that remains unanswered. The circumstances, including prescribing a medication he KNEW I was allergic to, were all spelled out in the complaint, along with a request to be assigned another doctor in the same specialty.

[Chirp]

Yes, it very much IS the fault of the VA.

[AJ Dual]

My prescription isn't very strong, but it's a slightly odd one that nobody seems to be able to fully correct for.

The biggest irritant to me is that point sources of light bloom with halos even with glasses. Makes driving at night an adventure. The freeway is okay, the red tail lights I need to pay attention to don't bloom very badly, but crowded city traffic with lots of oncoming traffic, left turns etc. is well.. adventurous.

An even bigger disappointment is the bloom around red-dot or reflex gun optics...  and looking up at the stars. 

Every eye appointment I just want to bring in my C-More red dot from my AR-15 and tell the Optometrist to keep on cranking the lenses until the bloom goes away. Although I suspect due to the physics of optics, it does not work that way.  I assume it's an artifact from the larger pupil size in the dark.

[Standing Wolf]

In my case it's "I can see, I can see!" Everything is bright and clear.  No haze, no auras, no blur of colors.

Yep. I can remember the joy of new glasses clear back to the ripe old age of three. I broke a temple of that first pair by wearing them to bed so I could see my dreams better. Glasses weren't very sturdy in those days.

[coppertales]

If you are having problems seeing while driving at night, you may have cataracts developing.  I went through three eye doctors before the cataracts were spotted because they weren't the opaque kind, they were clear and just screwed up what I could see.  I had them removed and a new lens inserted in both eyes and now I have 20-20 vision where before it was 20-1000.  I could not read the road signs while driving.  I can see better than any point in my life.

On VA care.  I have had good care from the VA.  Texas has a program for disabled vets that assign them to a civilian clinic for primary care.  The clinic makes my appointments with the VA hospital and I get right in when I show up.  The doc at my clinic is pretty sharp.....chris3

[Grandpa Shooter]

If you are having problems seeing while driving at night, you may have cataracts developing.  I went through three eye doctors before the cataracts were spotted because they weren't the opaque kind, they were clear and just screwed up what I could see.  I had them removed and a new lens inserted in both eyes and now I have 20-20 vision where before it was 20-1000.  I could not read the road signs while driving.  I can see better than any point in my life.

On VA care.  I have had good care from the VA.  Texas has a program for disabled vets that assign them to a civilian clinic for primary care.  The clinic makes my appointments with the VA hospital and I get right in when I show up.  The doc at my clinic is pretty sharp.....chris3

There may be more of me (disabled Vet) on here than what you guys are letting on.  Hawk has a point on who his primary is.  They are not equal in their dedication or skill levels.  I had one NP who was terrific and the one I have now is only slightly competent in my opinion.  I get seen at a rural outreach clinic, and if there is anything significant, I have to drive 160 miles one way to see a real doctor. If I have any issues I have to call the triage nurse in Texas (I believe) who then intervenes to get me an appt. at the local clinic.

I know the side effects of cataracts, and have one in each eye, hence the haze and bloom.  I agree that AJ needs to get some serious attention for his eyes.  Being able to see clearly now is a blessing. While we were traveling this past summer it was iffy at best traveling at night.

[AJ Dual]

Damn.

I've got an eye appointment coming up soon. I guess I'll have to ask about that.

I'm kind of doubtful, I think it's just an artifact of my astigmatism and when the pupils are wider at night, I can actually watch the halos shrink and grow if I get flashed with light and my pupils re-adjust.

However I'll be sure to rule that out.

[brimic]

I just got my new glasses in next week. I don't want to wear them though- they are a tiny bit stronger than my old prescription, but I'm not used to it yet and they make me feel sortof dizzy.

[41magsnub]

Thanks for the reminder, I haven't been to the eye doctor in about 5 years.  I just made an appointment!

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i just scored new glasses on line  2 pair with progressive lens for 150 including shipping  i usuallt\y pay 300 plus a pair

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I remember my first pair of glasses, too.  The trees really stood out.  It was winter at the time, no leave, but I'll never forget being able to see each and every branch in sharp contrast.  It was weird.  And cool.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

my first pair my kid was about 3  i put em on and looked at her  could clearly see details was extra cool for a dad

[sanglant]

AJ, astigmatism? if so avoid the optical places in walmart or sams. try to find a place that makes there own lenses, if that's not possible. you might want to try a AR coat(get the slick one [they really last longer and are easier to clean{keep your old glasses for grilling and maybe baking, the temperature change kills the coating}]) and try cr39(or trivex, but i still haven't found anyone selling it ), there not shatter resistant but poly drives me nuts. then try tilting the lenses down(it's called pantoscopic tilt). or you could just talk about it with your optician