Happened to my wife ... her insurance doubled ... fortunately she was 1 year from
Medicare. She hasn't had a problem since and no hospital for 30 some years.

coldbeer

where she's in Canada. Pre-existing conditions are not an issue under single-payer health care.

Cheers.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

...but I'm glad things worked out okay.

Floaters and flashers. This was before i had internet at home, or access at work.
At 9am I was at the grocery store, they were selling Mayo Clinic books, I looked up my symptoms and thought O crap.
Went to the Cigna HMO office, told the nice glasses lady what I thought the problem was, she said she really did not have the expertise to make a diagnosis. So - a referral to an eye clinic.
By three in the afternoon I was in the waiting room, by 4 I was sitting in front of a laser thingy with a nurse pushing my face firmly into the headrest or whatever, they just tacked that lining right back up. Little twinges when they hit a nerve, but I was SUPER aware of how bad it would be to move my eye even a little bit. Doc said he would see me in 20 or 30 years if I got cataracts, sooner if I had the same symptoms, but he was pretty sure i was fixed up just fine.

He said if I left it untreated, some day the last thing I would see out of that eye was a soft reddish brown curtain falling in it, the nothing.

That eye clinic waiting room was jammed with elderly couples, mostly cataract stuff, and I told my boyfriend I was surprised to get in so quickly. As we watched the couples get called, get called again, and slowly get up and make their way to the nurse, he said they had given me the hang time. Funny then, but soon I might be using hang time myself, take a while to get up and go!

I'm so glad you were able to be treated successfully - and at just the right time!

of any kind was due to "old age" I'd find a different doctor.

I'm 65 and I'm not willing to concede anything to "old age".

But in a related eye story, connected to the idea that I'm certainly not getting any younger is this: It's probably almost 20 years ago that my eye doctor noted I was showing the beginnings of cataracts. The news was a bit scary, as I wasn't even 50 yet. But the cataracts didn't progress for a number of years, until two years ago. At that visit the doctor said, "It's time for you to consider cataract surgery." So I did.

What's most interesting is these two things: at 63, my age then, I was invariably the youngest person at the several doctor visits connected to the surgery. And I was the youngest by a minimum of 10 years, and generally closer to 20. The older folks had often delayed the surgery for years.
The second thing was that every single person that either looked at my chart or at my eyes said, "Whoa! Your eyes are really bad!" I finally asked someone to tell me just how bad they were. Cataracts, I was told, are scored on a scale of 1 to 4. 1 is a cataract that is just barely there. 4 is as bad as it gets. My eyes? One was a 3, the other a 3+. And of the four different kinds of cataracts, I had three of them.

It strikes me as unconscionable that given your symptoms you weren't diagnosed sooner. But perhaps your condition is very difficult to diagnose. I have no idea. The good news is that you're being taken care of, and that's wonderful.

People at that age shouldn't resign themselves to living with serious problems like that. If you are seeing things and you know you aren't hallucinating, it's time to find someone who can figure out why it's happening. It's always up to you to decide whether you're going to treat a certain problem or decide to live with it, but you should always at least find out why it's happening.

And it is very easy to be thinking that certain symptoms or declines are an inevitable and irreversible aspect of getting older.

Even though I'd been aware of the incipient cataracts for a good fifteen years, the change that led to the surgery was fairly swift, and I hadn't really noticed those changes. I can easily see how at some point in the past, before cataract surgery, I'd have just resigned myself to the loss of vision because it would have happened to so many older people.

Which of course is why we need to be pro-active about our own needs and make full use of the wonders of modern medicine.

and though nothing was broken my knee kept popping. I went to the only nearby doctor there in Los Angeles that was on my employer's medical plan and he said, "That happens when you get old." I said, "Um. I'm 30. (which you do know, JERK)." Funnily enough a few years later I became a medical transcriptionist and my fellow transcriptionists used to joke about a doctor we transcribed for and say he was a real idiot and just a joke as a doctor. I checked and it was that same jerk! LOL!

Really, we should never let doctors just us as "old." They need to take care of us, not just tell us it's our inevitable decline.

Retinal detachment is serious stuff, glad you sought help quickly.

1 out of ever 20 people with myopia will experience tears in their retina or retinal detachment. 2 years ago I went to an optometrist to get new glasses, did a full eye scan, and mentioned seeing light flashes. Before long, I went through 3 rounds of laser welding of small tears in my retinas, and now I'm booked for yearly check ups. I'm not yet 40, but I am quite myopic, which means I have thinner retinas than usual. I'm at -6.5 and -8.5 diopters.

Tl;dr: High-degree myopics should get their retinas checked regularly.

I understand it was pretty horrible. I'm sorry that happened to you.

I have floaties too so I'm aware of what to look for...I'm a bit younger though. I always heard that one of the warning signs was dark floaties, like the mosquitos/spider you described...I've heard it also described as a flock of crows or ravens. I also have a tendency to see stars when I cough too hard (asthma), but my optometrist does not seem worried about any of it, even though *I* am worried.

BTW, our health care system rocks. Although $20 for parking is a LOT, wow. The real question for us Canadians is - how long did you have to wait to be seen by that first doctor?

to an ophthalmologist. With a sudden worsening of these symptoms, as the poster had, a detachment may be already ongoing. It is a terrible risk to wait for days to see an ophthalmologist.

My husband had a partial detachment and that is when we learned the drill. A partially detached retina can turn into a completely detached retina in the space of a few hours. No one should ever wait for days before seeing an ophthalmologist. Optometrists aren't MD's and aren't equipped to diagnose or take care of this.

They are all private practice/private insurance so not a part of the Canadian health care system in most provinces. I'm not sure what province the OP is from. I was referring to the Emerg care.

"my optometrist does not seem worried about any of it, even though *I* am worried."

My reaction is if you have any sudden worsening or you're just plain worried, you should see an opthamalogist about this. An optometrist won't have the equipment to diagnose a partially detached retina.

I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. Sorry, I should've made it more clear, that I'm always worried about that stuff and I've discussed it with more than one optometrist over the years - it's an ongoing problem with me and there has never been a sudden worsening. I've had floaties and stars since I was a little kid. If it ever gets any worse, I don't think I'd need any urging to go see someone. Sorry, I thought you were referring to the OP, not me, about the whole referral thing. And again, it has nothing to do with the system if a particular optometrist doesn't refer...it has to do with the incompetence of that specific doctor. I still think our system is great. Could be better...would be if eye care, dental and drugs were covered.

I'm in Alberta too.

I was there at 9-sh AM on a Saturday. Probably 30 people in the waiting room.

Talk to triage nurse - 5 minues
Talk to reception nurse - 5 minutes
Waiting room - 15 minutes
Sit in eye exam room waiting for doctor - 10 min
See eye doctor - 20-30 min
Paperwork - 10 min
Waiting at fancier eye clinic - 20 min
three ophthalmologists - 60-90 minutes
fanciest eye clinic - immediate - we had the place to ourselves
eye surgery - 20 min

If I'd paid for all-day parking it would have been $15. I wasn't expecting to get surgery right away so I had my boyfriend top up the meter twice.

the $20 makes sense now...at first I thought it was just you were in a more expensive province or something, LOL. I know the last time I was there I just paid the all-day rate, as the hourly was ridiculous and I had no idea how long I was going to be (I knew I may need tests).

That's pretty quick to get in initially. Glad it all worked out for you. Sight is nothing to take for granted, that's for sure!

I think it was a foregone conclusion I was going upstairs but they needed a referring doctor. It was at the Alex. They're pretty good about sorting the wheat from the chaff.

I never go there - it's always the longest wait on my AHS app (although I heard that can be misleading) and it's pretty far for me. Grey Nuns is way closer for me. They're pretty good too - I've only had a long wait once. I guess hearing 'detached retina' jolts them because time really is of the essence then.

The optometrist said go there because they have the eye clinic on site.

Craftygal needs a lot of blood work done and she's got crappy veins. The addicts tend to go there so the nurses are used to dealing with them.

I'm used to the place so I don't mind the longer wait times. I find at the Grey Nuns the acoustics are so bad I can't hear when my name is called.

a bubble in her lower right sight. She's 53 and quite nearsighted. Long story short, she went to an optometrist because it was two days after Christmas and fast, and he said nothing was wrong. She ended up a week later with detached retina surgery which was the worst anyone had ever seen and tried to fix. She had to lay face down for several weeks. It will be a few more months before she knows if she will retain any but peripheral sight in that eye. Optometrist should have sent her to ER.

not waited, because that new "cloud of mosquitoes" means your retina likely was already detaching. You are very, very lucky that the days you delayed before seeing an MD didn't cause you to lose the sight in that eye, permanently.

Anyone else reading this, know that you might only have a 4 hour window to get emergency surgery. If you have a sudden worsening of floaters, spiders, or similar symptoms, get to an M.D. ophthalmologist immediately. An optometrist is not an MD and doesn't have all the right equipment to diagnose this.

if I woke up seeing a giant hairy spider that wasn't really there I'd bet at Dr. Patel's office pronto; yes INDEED.

And how long would it have taken?

Ophthalmologists know that time is of the essence in these cases, so they squeeze these cases in as emergencies.

It cost us our usual co-pay. I don't remember where we were in terms of our annual deductible.

for describing in such detail the history that led up to it. I have an appointment with a Retinal Specialist on April 18th.. the first app I could get. They only come over once a month from Oahu.

I'll check that she got the "no boxing" warning.

At 29, I started getting floaters and have been concerned about what are abnormal vs. normal floaters. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I will make sure I am more aware of what is happening with my eyes from now on.

and thanks for the warning - I had not heard of that before.

And good to hear the eye is fixed in spite of the substandard care, waiting lists, and death panels.

didn't click because i'm under the 50 cut-off and possibly in denial about how close I am. I'm glad I did. Thanks for the info.

or weeks. Anyone with a sudden worsening of floaters, or spiders, or a dark shadow across their field of vision should see an ophthalmologist or go to an ER IMMEDIATELY. Don't let an optometrist talk you into waiting.

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/retinaldetach/retinaldetach.asp

Symptoms include a sudden or gradual increase in either the number of floaters, which are little "cobwebs" or specks that float about in your field of vision, and/or light flashes in the eye. Another symptom is the appearance of a curtain over the field of vision. A retinal detachment is a medical emergency. Anyone experiencing the symptoms of a retinal detachment should see an eye care professional immediately.

goes to an opthlamologist (NOT optometrist) on a regular basis. Since I got my first pair of glasses
about 20 years ago now (I'm 58), I have ALWAYS seen an opthalmologist every three years, minimum.
My regular GP told me that since my blood pressure is running a bit too high, I should go once a year...
but when I told the opthalmologist that, he smiled and said no need. But since my insurance pays
most of it, I likely will go again in a year to 18 months or so.

My mother told me decades ago that only an opthalmologist can really find out anything that is going
wrong with your eyesight, that an optometrist isn't going to do much more for you than prescribe glasses.
We don't have any family history of anyone having anything wrong with their eyes other than near-sightedness
or cataracts (which didn't happen until a very few years ago for Mom and Dad, well after her warning).

I just took it for granted that my Mom's warning was the kind of standard info every one should have and know.

I guess not?

I was just told at this last visit that I have the tiniest bit of cataracts forming but that it would be many years
down the road before treatment was necessary....and as far as people 'waiting', I've also been told that cataracts
have to mature or ripen before removal...don't know if that's true.

I just went last week to get a checkup in a week full of checkups as a part of transitioning from one set of insurances to another this month. Even though times are busy and sometimes we put off things when we don't have coverage or time to do so, it pays to do them when we can. For me, having a visit to the dermatologist this week helped me spot quickly some skin cancer I had and get it removed a couple of days ago. Glad I got it taken care of now instead of waiting until later.

Back in 1987 I was sent to an ophthalmologist because I was seeing floaters. The ophthalmologist discovered that I have a genetic condition known as a "retinal tag" in my right eye and she recommended laser surgery. This scared me to death of course and laser surgery was a relatively new procedure so I got two more opinions and was advised that the surgery wasn't necessary.

I have been seeing ophthalmologists since then for my regular exams since they need to dilate my eyes to check on that condition. Any blow to the head could cause detachment of the retina. I'm 48 and diabetic so I'm not going to be surprised if something similar happens to me in the future.

For anyone reading this thread it is important to note the differences between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist. If you are relying on vision care from an insurance company, then they will try to persuade you to see the optometrist since it is less expensive. Your vision is valuable, so be insistent and if the insurance company refuses to pay, then be prepared to cover the expense yourself. Spending $100-$200 for an eye exam is a worthwhile investment.

I'm glad that you were able to get the damage repaired before any permanent damage occurred. However, you really need to get back in touch with the optometrist to let him/her know what has happened.

I have since had two more "tune ups". I'm 50.

It was so bad I had to go to the emergency room. Doctors and nurses would come in to look at it because they had not seen a case that severe. They said if I had not come in that day, I might lose my eye.

The treatment sucked but no lingering problems. Two days of putting in eye drops every half hour and one injection right under my eye

And yes not sleeping for more than 30 minutes at a time for 2 days is as bad as it sounds.

Apparently those of us with severe myopia (the technical term being "blind as a fucking bat without the glasses or contacts&quot are at greater risk for this as we get older, because of our horribly misshapen eyeballs or whatever.

When you described the symptoms, i knew immediately from these warnings what it was.

And yeah, its something that warrants immediate medical attn.

KTHXBYE.

======================

I had 8 eye surgeries (10 if you count laser) in the space of a couple of years

Cataracts L & R. Retinal tears L & R Retina detached in both eyes twice (2 times each eye)

had scleral buckle to reset retina in L and after that healed, it detached again in a different spot which required a vitreectomy ( which is two surgeries) When I was almost recovered from that it becam apparent that I had lost vision in that eye due to loss of blood flow (stroke) to the optic nerve, leavin me legally blind in left eye.

Then the retina detached in my R eye 2x like the other. I'm not blind in that eye, I just can't see worth shit.

I was getting ready for bed around midnight when I had sudden loss of vision in my right eye. Made it to the ER in 45 minutes and within an hour had half of my vision back, the bottom half. The top half was solid grey, the color of wet cement. A few hours later I re-gained full vision.

They told me I had a minute piece of debris that temporarily cut off blood flow to my retina, and that my vision returned when the debris dissolved. They told me to take an aspirin every day for the rest of my life and sent me home with references for follow-up appointments.

I'm glad to read that you got help right away.

the doctor how they did it before the laser. He said they'd pop your eyeball out and work on it. Laser good.

Almost 20 years ago, i noticed a visual thing too. I thought maybe in had some sort of build up in the my left eye so i went to a mirror and closed my right eye and observed i could not see my own face from 6 inches from the mirror.

Did not ignore that symptom and went to the MDO. Nothing wrong but thought nerves. Sent me to a neuro and after MRI and CT i had MS.

I got on the meds soon and the disease never progressed beyond the onset symptoms.

Noticing and reacting to weird things in the vision helped both of us head off something more serious.

Thank you for sharing and the heads-up.

As someone else said upthread: DU at its best!

Even more awesome is this line: (By the way, under Canadian Health Care, my cost $20 parking + lunch for my boyfriend)

That is what we need here!

I hope your eye continues to heal and there are no further complications. ((hugs))

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2014, 12:37 PM - Edit history (1)

don't go lying about your Canadian communist medicine system, you hoser you.

My optometrist does it to everyone over forty.

The ACA is a good first step but the profit motive must be erased from the system.

I had gone to an eyeglass center for an examination so I could get glasses. I totally flunked the examination. The doctor than asked me if I had heard of cataracts. Yup, sure had. Well, that was my problem.

I then went to an eye clinic for another examination and that confirmed I had cataracts.

So March 4, I had surgery on my left eye and the right eye was done 2 weeks later. And what is amazing is that the surgery was completely painless and I was partially awake during the procedure. The only pain I felt was when the nurse stuck the needle for the IV into my hand.

It is like a miracle. To borrow the words from a song: "I can see clearly now. The rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way."

The only problem is that I used to be nearsighted, but now I am farsighted. My eye surgeon said that is very common. He wrote me a prescription for eyeglasses to correct the problem.

Fortunately, I have Medicare, so that covered 80% of the cost, but unfortunately, I don't have supplemental insurance, so I had to pay about $600 out of pocket. That wasn't bad because if I hadn't had Medicare, I could never have paid for the surgery.

I have what is called mono-vision.. my right eye sees better distance and my left sees better close. So I had a choice to make the new lenses that way. I said, sure, why not.. I was awake for the whole thing, both times.. didn't feel a thing.. When the Dr came in and started working he said, turn your head a little left... even though my head was strapped down I could move it.. then I saw this swirling kaleidoscope thingy..then he was done..
He does about 20 of them every Monday.. They call him Speedy Huang. He's good..very,very good..

So I then got glasses that improve my left eye for distance .

And I have reading glasses but barely use them..

Oh, the day after my right eye surgery, I got Bell's Palsey....very minor but..... couple weeks of predisone and it was gone...
no connection to the eye thing.. just pure coincidence..

this would have set you back a year's rent (or two)

In America with our A#1 health care system, we never have had to put up with that long of a wait.

But sadly we read about these long waits in Canada all the time.



Happy for your quick care and hope you have an uneventful recovery.

... all of a sudden got big floaters in one eye. I went immediately to my ophthalmologist and he said I had a vitreous detachment, which is fairly common in very near-sighted folks as we get older. It happened to my other eye about a month later. At age 58 I had cataract surgery in both eyes. Since I had weak retinal attachments, glaucoma, and a few other complications I went out and spent 4 days with a very high end, internationally known specialist that practices in Beverly Hills. (He works on the eyes of many movie stars, Brad Pitt was there the first day I was there.) Luckily for me, the doc was an old internet friend from another hobby and he took VERY good care of me. ( I paid almost nothing for the medical procedures, though the 4 nights at the Beverly Hilton and two days of travel both ways made up for it.)

That was in 2007. Since then I have had laser surgery in both eyes for posterior capsule opacity. I'm one of the unlucky 10% that gets such things.

The (probably) good thing is that due to my glaucoma I see the ophthalmologist every 90 days for a checkup and get a full retinal exam every year, so if anything is going on he will catch it. He also mentioned the no boxing thing. And since we are both shooters he told me not to shoot any rifles bigger than a .308 Win. due to my weak retinal attachments. At least I feel pretty good that the doc is keeping a pretty close eye on my eyes, and that Medicare and my supplemental insurance covers every bit of it. Not everyone is so lucky.

But I am truly surprised you didn't have to make the decision between waiting 8-12 months or being one of the 40 bazillion Canadians who have to come to the US for care.

I used to work for ophthalmologists. I'm surprised your optometrist didn't send you to an ophthalmologist right away. You had the classic symptoms that even I was trained to recognize.

I'm happy it turned out all right for you. Yes, you could have gone blind. And it isn't just people over fifty. Anyone at any age can get a retinal detachment, especially if you have been accidentally hit in the head.

It was the weekend so I went to the ER after having Googled 'floaters' and possible causes. I was scared to death. (ER cost: $250)

Within an hour or less I was seen by an ophthamologist who did a slit-lamp exam as well as a complete retinal exam - I think called "indirect ophthalmoscopy" - miserable and very uncomfortable for me but allegedly one of the best retinal exams because they put a light on their head, put in drops to dilate the pupil and then manipulate your eye so they can see all surfaces of the retina inside your eye.

They diagnosed it as a PVD and advised me to return immediately if I saw a 'shower' of floaters or big black or brown spots or if the floaters increased in number or got bigger - particularly if they did so quickly.

Allegedly, PVD is common in those over 50 - especially if you're near-sighted like me. I understand that a retinal detachment is most common within 6 weeks after a PVD but can occur within 3 months of the initial event.

The lesson is to get to an OPTHAMOLOGIST IMMEDIATELY if you start to see any 'floaters' - at all. Optometrists and MDs are not equipped to examine, diagnose, or treat this problem. If you have PVD, be on the lookout for worsening - especially sudden worsening - of the condition and do not waste ANY time getting to the ER or an opthamologist. You need IMMEDIATE professional help and treatment to try to save your vision!

EDIT: another thing they said to look out for is something that seems like a 'curtain' of black that comes down over the eye - that's another SERIOUS symptom.

As someone downthread said, this is DU at its best - learning from others.

I've had floaters in both eyes since my 40's. I'm extremely nearsighted. At 58 I went for a regular eye exam and the optometrist said, "I am having trouble finding a lens that would correct the sight in your left eye so that you have 20/20 vision with your glasses. Can you stick around today because our specialists are here today and I'd like to have one of the check out that left eye." I of course got a bit worried, but said yes, I would stick around. They shot a dye in my vein in my arm and proceeded to take pictures of the back of my left eye and then showed them to me on the laptop. The specialist told me I had the beginnings of macular degeneration in my left eye and that statistically I was rather young to have that.

The upshot is that there is nothing you can do about macular degeneration and it can either progress and get worse or stay the same. But at least I know I have it and I see an opthamologist whenever I need an exam.

My sister just had both of her cataracts removed at 68. My father had his done at 60.

My symptom was different: the bottom of my vision was flat grey when I woke up one morning, and I could actually see the grey area expanding and rising slowly. My retina was peeling off from the top, but I saw it in reverse. Luckily I got to the ER in time for emergency surgery that saved my vision.

of floaters or specks in vision. That said I am sure glad you finally got in and got the problem fixed before major problems set in for good.

Ophthalmologists are doctors, MDs who specialize in eyes. Optometrists are trained to determine glasses prescriptions for basic conditions, and to identify (within limits) some non-basic eye conditions, but are not doctors and don't have that level of comprehensive training.

Anyone with any nonstandard vision concerns or complaints should definitely see an ophthalmologist, or at least contact their general practitioner / family doctor to explain their symptoms and get a recommendation or referral.

Eyesight is precious -- err on the side of caution and be persistent when you think something is wrong!

Glad you got it fixed in time, Trog!

and went straight to the optometrist. He looked carefully at my eye and told me that he didn't see anything of concern, but he did warn me that if I ever experienced a "flash of light" for no reason, to get back there immediately because that is what happens when you have your retina tear. So far, so good. I have not had any further floaters or other problems.....yet.

Thanks for the PSA, and I am glad that you caught this in time.

And that's the problem. Posterior Vitreous Detachment is very annoying (I have it in both eyes) - floaters and flashes that improve after the initial detachment, but never go away completely for many of us - but is harmless unless it causes retinal tears. So you have this very common, harmless, condition, that can, far less commonly, progress to retinal involvement, which is anything but harmless.

If, once you are initially diagnosed with PVD, there is a sudden worsening of the annoying floaters and flashes, get to an ophthalmologist, quickly. They are the only doctors that can let you know if this so common condition is causing retinal damage.

I've heard of detached retina, the danger of blindness, the need for immediate surgery, but I didn't know it couldn't be detected except with the fanciest equipment. I have floaters, not bad, I guess like most people, and higher than normal blood pressure. When I go for my yearly eye appointments with the optometrist they always seem so thorough and check my eyes for any problems not directly related to my myopia. I had assumed they could spot something like that. Thank you so much for sharing this!

I was about 6 months overdue last year for my 'yearly' exam. I am 58now, was 57 at the time. My optometrist noted lipid deposits around my macula. He sent me to a retina specialist who found a bleeding vessel, aka wet macular degeneration. This condition is also age-related although I am on the young side and have none of the usual contributing conditions. I had no symptoms but left untreated I would have lost my central vision.

I had a series of Lucentis injections in the eye, slightly unpleasant but not so bad considering the alternative. This 'dried' up the hemorrhage and seventeen months later my vision remains 20-20 with glasses and all I need to do is monitor my vision and get an exam every three months.

I was lucky as the bleed was off to the side, hence I didn't notice any problem. Moral of the story, get regular eye exams because losing your vision would really suck.

My friends mother went through this (retinal detachment laser surgery). Here in the US, it cost her around $9,000 out of pocket - or the risk left untreated was blindness. We had to take up a collection for her to help her pay for it, as she didn't have the means.

Just another example of the ridiculous state of American so-called "health care."

Glad to hear you caught it in time ad made a good recovery.

At least according to all the people that are vocal against socialised health care.

Glad they had the tools and knowledge to fix you up. I had LASIK 2 years ago. Best medical treatment I've ever had.

That not one goddamn one of them told you about retinal detachment floors me.

in New York always include a dilation and retina check when I go in for an exam. I'm getting it done twice a year now because of a medication I'm on. I also get a glaucoma screening and peripheral vision check.

Anyone who is untested enough to get this far in the thread should take a look at this link;

http://www.eyesight.org/Macular_Degeneration/Eye_Test/eye_test.html

It's an eye chart that provides an early warning of problems with the retina.

An annual opthamalogical exam should be covered in your insurance (it is in mine). And then, of course, if special care or surgery is needed, any medical procedures should be covered to the extent of your insurance. (I am lucky to have 100% coverage for in network.)

It's something I never did when I was younger ... an optometrist was just fine, even checked for glaucoma and got my prescription right. And honestly, most are quite good.

But since I've been going to an opthamologist, I've realized that the level of equipment alone, and the knowledge of surgical procedures is way up there. I do think a once-in-a-while appointment with an opthamologist is a good idea for everyone as they age.

I was away from home and noticed I could not see my nose with my left eye. I was seeing black. It was growing blacker. I returned home in a couple days. I called my optometrist office and told the receptionist what was happening. She said to immediately come in. I did and was walking out the door from the office being sent 200 km away to the eye surgeon . He saw me that afternoon and he did laser surgery 2 hours later. I was sent home to sleep sitting up for 10 days and not bend down during that time period. I had a prescription for eye drops. I live in northern ontario so my OHIP paid for my gasoline to go the 200 km each way in a travel grant. My boyfriend drove me to and from. The optometrist fee was taken care of by OHIP because it was a health medical emergency.

I went back fot 2 checkups. My eye has better eyesight than before. So you see, no waiting, no questioning an insurance company if can do. I do live a town of 1300. We have a health clinic with 4 doctors, 3 nurse practioners, 2 nurses. We have a 50 bed hospital too and a womens clinic. We have to go out of town where I had my eye surgery for a MRI. My hospital does ultrasounds.
My surgeon said this happens more often for older people like myself. I had no bills. I waited about a week for the gasoline cheque reimbursement. just send in the paper work showing my address and the hospital I went to, the doctor signing the travel grant.

Glad your eye was saved.