What It Was Like Going To the Eye Doctor After Lockdown

Photo credit: Ashkan Forouzani

First, I have to take a moment to say -Thank you to all of the healthcare professionals for their service during this time. You have sacrificed and given so much of yourselves as you stay true to your commitment to healing patients and saving lives. I've had my ups and downs with medical professionals over the years but I have to give credit where credit is due.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! ♥
 

Concerning doctor appointments, I expected things would be very different with doctor-patient interaction during this whole Covid-19 situation. I had a lot of questions such as:

• Would doctor/patient relationships change?
• Will exams would be rushed?
• Would patient questions/concerns still be met? 
• How social distancing would work? 
• Would I be examined from inside a plexiglass box? (kidding)

The Cornea Clinic

Last month (June 9th 2020) I saw the Cornea specialist. This appointment had been scheduled a year earlier, due to the pandemic I thought it was going to be cancelled but the clinic started seeing patients again in June. This appointment was my one year follow-up exam since cataract surgery.

Honestly I have to say that I didn't notice that much of a change in the service I received. There were of course changes due to safety such as everyone having to wear a mask and the waiting time. My appointment was at 9:00 a.m. so the process started at exactly 9:00 a.m. as I did not have to wait in the waiting area. In fact there really weren't but a couple of patients in the waiting area. 

The only other change I noticed in the exam room was that the slit lamp had a plexiglass shield, which was expected. The technician, the doctor's assistant and the doctor were all still very courteous and I didn't feel like the examination was rushed. 

The doctor's exam didn't seem faster than usual, but all he needed to do was check my cornea which never takes long at all. He told me that my eye had improved greatly and then the exam was over. My time at Cornea clinic is usually about an hour, but at this visit it was about 40 minutes.

The Retina Clinic

Earlier this week (July 8th 2020) I saw my ophthalmologist. I originally had an appointment with the retina clinic in March but due to the pandemic it was cancelled, so before my June appointment I hadn't seen an eye doctor since October 2019. 

It had been a total of 9 months since seeing a retina doctor which is a long time for me because my appointments with the retina clinic are usually every 4 to 6 months.

In the retina clinic there were absolutely no patients in the waiting room and I was taken to an exam room as soon as I arrived. The ophthalmic technician took her time with her part of the exam then I was sent to photos/scan. The technician was pretty decent and they really can't rush their job anyway. Later I saw the ophthalmologist who's always courteous as well as thorough. 

I did notice a difference in this visit. My visits to the retina clinic usually takes about 1.5 hours to 2 hours according what needs to be done, including waiting time. This time the entire process took an hour.

For both appointments I didn't have a feeling of being rushed, and a shorter process was expected, but during one of the appointments I didn't address any of my concerns about my vision due to not wanting to take up any extra time even after the doctor asked if I had any questions. It just didn't seem like the right time to bring up a concern that might require a lot of time to discuss. It wasn't a question that needed immediate attention though I've been trying to get better at addressing my concerns with my doctors especially since I always encourage family, friends and clients to ask their doctors questions. But I'll be better prepared next time.

All together I was satisfied with the service I received and glad I was to finally see my doctors again. I hope other doctors visits, the dentist for example, go as smoothly.