Please. Tell me, how does this happen.
For those who don't remember my story. Strong myopia, with presbyopia coming
along. RGP lenses. My eye doctor retired.
I went to a new guy. I had a slight version of monovision. I asked him on the
first visit if he could make the monovision a little bit "more so".
First pair he gives me, I can see nothing clearly--both near and far are
blurry. When I said so, he said this was a "fit pair." Whatever that means.
The second pair were one bifocal, one regular for distance. But he changed my
reading eye, and it was too hard for me to adjust. He told me to switch them,
so the bifocal was in my original reading eye, and the distance in my
original distance eye.
Within one day I was so nauseaus and dizzy I lost 2 pounds, slept with a
bucket by my bed, and returned them.
I was ready to just quit but he insisted "I want to help you." I said, then
just make the reader a weaker prescription.
So he did, but he gave me the same distance lens he had fit for the opposite
eye. So I could see okay enough, but the distance eye hurt.
So we agreed he would just make the distance eye a better fit. He was about
to make the prescription stronger--but WHY?--so I said, no don't change the
prescription. He said, okay, just make the fit more comfortable.
They call me to come in again, today to pick up the new distance lens. I get
there, he tells me they sent him a bifocal lens, why don't you try it on.
I refused. After SEVEN VISITS, we had finally gotten the right prescription
and were down to honing for comfort and he gets me a BIFOCAL LENS!!!
And so I ask, can't he just do what he said he was going to do--get me the
same lens only better fitted? So he says, let me try just polishing this one.
We try that. It still hurts a little, but less. I say, go ahead and order me
the lens that will fit better.
Then they say, okay, another week. I ask, can't we do this quicker? Have it
come sooner? (I mean, we started the first week of September already.)
He actually looked me in the face and said, it would have been done sooner,
but YOU keep switching lenses on me.
I am so livid I can't believe it.
And the support staff all treat me like I am a "problem" but it is he who
keeps ordering the wrong things.
Any ideas, now that I have sunk $500 into this guy? Should I just keep the
lens that hurts a little, and bail?
I am afraid the next one will be another big gamble, and maybe worse than
this one.
I can't believe he said this to me--that I keep switching lenses on HIM!!!!
Thoughts?
Jane - 11 Nov 2006 22:30 GMT
It seems to me that what's really important here is that your vision
needs are met (and not what the optometrist/support staff may or may
not think). Per your post, that would involve obtaining a distance
lens which fits a little better. Have the optometrist order the lens
for you.
I'm not an eye care professional, but I suspect that fitting a
myopic/presbyopic patient with contact lenses which actually work well
can sometimes be a challenging task involving a lot of fine tuning.