I finally got around to going to the eye doctor yesterday. When they asked the date of my last appointment, I couldn't remember exactly when it was. I knew it was between 2020 and 2023, but that's it. So I went back and looked at my old blog posts to see if I'd mentioned it...yep! My last appointment was in April 2023. That's when I got my current pair of glasses.
I think I mentioned before that the eye doctor I'd been seeing retired. He's the only part of that office that I really liked. Their optical department just felt really chaotic. They didn't seem to understand what my insurance does and doesn't cover...to the point that I wondered if I even paid the correct amount. First they said everything about my lenses was covered, then something wasn't, then they had to check, then they weren't sure if my copay applied and how much it was...it was just a mess. And it could have just been the particular people I dealt with that day...who knows.
And that was actually the second place I was going to in town. The first place I went to after I moved in with Johnny was basically right down the street from our house. But that guy just up and left. Like...we couldn't even get our records or anything. It was just open one day and he was gone the next with no way for patients to contact anyone. I was trying to get my warranty replacement for my frames that they'd ordered (or said they did) but the voicemail was full and never became un-full again. I do remember at some point his office was seized for not paying taxes...then it opened back up briefly and was gone again a short time later.
But since I was going to have to switch doctors again anyway, I decided to try somewhere else in town. I think there are 6 eye doctor's offices here plus the one in Walmart (which the girls and I went to many years ago and it was alright). I asked if anyone had recommendations in the local Ehlers-Danlos group on FB...since hEDS can affect our eyes.
So...I decided to check out the recommendation I got there. It's only about a mile further (in the opposite direction) than my last eye doctor. The office has some interesting decor and kind of a weird layout. My only real complaints were that the wait seemed quite a bit longer than it should have been with the number of patients that were there, and that it was pretty warm. Of course, part of my issue is perimenopause making me hot all the time anyway...but mom said it was pretty warm in there, too. :P
The guy who did all the initial parts of the exam, helped with picking out the glasses, and then handled checkout was really nice and seemed knowledgeable. He told me the exact price with my insurance of every single thing...the Optomap pictures, frames, and all the extras for my lenses. He also told me about Trivex lenses, which the last office I went to either didn't have or didn't offer (they just said I needed the high index lenses which are the most expensive option). I decided to go with the Trivex lenses since I got half-rim frames this time. One thing I wanted but didn't get (and didn't ask for) was a copy of the order form that shows the breakdown of everything. The emailed receipt just shows the payment but no breakdown.
Anyway...I liked the doctor. He was very personable and thorough. Everything looks good from the Optomap photos. So that's good...because I'd been worried with the increase in floaters the last year or so. My vision is getting worse, especially in my right eye (which has always been my bad eye). He can't quite get it completely corrected, but hopefully the new glasses will be better than the ones I have now. He did say that I'll probably have to switch to bifocals next year because of how much my near-sightedness has to be corrected. The only issue I have with seeing close-up is that it's just taking longer for my eyes to adjust now (thanks to getting older).
I ended up going with another new brand of frames. When I first moved here, I got these black and blue Bebe frames that I thought were super cute. Then I got these black and grey Bebe frames, but I didn't like how they fit. They were a little bigger and the lenses touched the top of my cheek. So they were my least favorite pair. The pair I have right now are these black DKNY frames, which are super lightweight and comfortable. One thing I don't like is that the end of the arms are square-ish and they can be pointy sometimes if you hit them a certain way. The eye doctor recommended Kliix brand because they have some small, lightweight options. I *think* I got these plum rosewood frames...if I remember right. We'll find out for sure in a couple weeks when they get here. ;)
They didn't have to dilate my eyes at this appointment, but all the lights in my eyes and trying to focus through different lenses definitely gave me a migraine. Thankfully it wasn't a hemiplegic migraine, but I definitely didn't do much after my appointment. We ordered Cinnamon's Deli for dinner (which I haven't had in forever and it was so yummy!) and I tried to play my new Sims games a little bit, but I ended up just going to bed early.
Today I plan to get all my orders caught up and ready to ship tomorrow...then I plan to take the weekend off of work and just play Sims and get some stuff done around the house. So I better get to work!