54% of You Have Saved a Life During A Routine Visit

Yes: 54%

• Found a large tumor. Oddly enough, the patient said she had better things to do than go to another doctor because she had a major event coming up. I practically begged her to go and she refused because the event was more important. I have seem more than a few retinal holes and most people follow your advice to see a specialist, but had the same experience with a macular hole. A woman came in because her vision had changed but when I told her why she said a loved one was visiting and she would go later. I even went as far as to offer to drive her but she refused and ignored my calls. Then a few weeks later came back and complained that her vision was still blurry. — Nytarsha Thomas, OD, Visionelle Eyecare, Zionsville, IN
• Wasn’t during exam it was while reading patient history off a disc set to our office. The results of a previous biopsy never given to the patient. — Leisa Lauer, Dr H Michael Shack, Newport Beach, FL
• I diagnosed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) based upon visual field and the patients complaint of reduced vision and a new headache. I sent him to the hospital with his wife and he had neurosurgery that night, if not caught he would have bled out and died. — Robert M. Easton Jr, OD, FAAO, Oakland Park, FL
• Diabetes quite often, MS and brain tumors a couple of times … all of these after referring out to their PCP of course. — Billy Isgett, Eyecare of Florence, Florence, SC
• I work in an optician-owned optical and I saw something unusual on a customer’s eye. I asked him if it bothered him and he said a little bit, so I told him he should get it checked. Come to find out it was cancer which they quickly treated and were able to save his eye. — Julie Uram, Optical Oasis, Jupiter, FL
• A new patient came in with complaints of headaches. Blood pressure was 160/90. They initially refused dilation and imaging. But upon dilation, there was significant narrowing of the arteries with mild, scattered dot and blot hemorrhages. The patient didn’t believe me so I imaged him and showed him the picture; he admitted that he thinks all doctors are liars and make money from selling medication. My staff then made an urgent appointment with his GP. When the patient returned a month later he reported taking his meds as directed, resolution of his headaches and a BP of 130/90. The hemorrhages were diminishing and he is very appreciative of doctors now. — Dennis Iadarola, OD, Center For Vision Care, Monroe, CT
• We recently discovered a patient had a brain tumor and she’s currently under the care of a neurosurgeon. — Christine Howard, Attleboro Vision Care, Attleboro, MA
• Possible brain aneurysm. Immediately went to see her cardiovascular surgeon. — BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
• The patient came in with complaints of a gradual decrease in vision in her left eye over the course of a week. She had visited an ER and they did a CT scan but had no clue what to tell her (surprisingly). She came to us the next morning and as soon as her description of “shadow” came out we got her straight back to our OD who dilated her and determined she had retinal detachment. We got her in with a specialist immediately for further treatment. — William Chancellor, Eye Can See Eyewear, McDonough, GA
• Pituitary tumor, patient was grateful. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• Papilledema due to fluid on the brain. Patient now lives with stents to properly drain cerebrospinal fluid. — Dave Schultz, OD, Urban Optics, San Luis Obispo, CA
• Found a brain tumor during a routine eye exam in a totally asymptomatic patient recently. He had papilledema but the rest of his exam was perfect. I scheduled him for an MRI and before making it in for the MRI, symptoms hit him and his mother knew to take him into the ER for an immediate MRI. He was scheduled for brain surgery that day. I haven’t seen him for any follow-ups yet but hope he is doing well. I’ve found a few brain tumors over the years but not in someone so young and asymptomatic. — Marc Ullman, OD, Academy Vision, Pine Beach, NJ
• 15 year old male wanted a pair of glasses, no complaints. Retina revealed wide spread hemorrhages that turned out to be leukemia (it helped that we had normal retinal images from the year before to compare). When he came back to get his new glasses a few weeks later he shook my hand and quietly said “thank you for saving my life.” I love optometry! — Kenneth D. Boltz, OD, Dublin, OH
• Brain Tumors. The patient was thankful and grateful. — Zachary Dirks, OD, St. Peter and Belle Plaine Eyecare Centers, Saint Peter, MN
• In February this year, found Horner’s Syndrome from her pupil being irregular. She had neck trauma to her carotid artery (slight tear). Also, I have on multiple occasions found cancer in patients eyes and saved their lives. — Scott Keating, OD, Vision Trends, Dover, OH
• Carotid Artery Infarct. Patient had surgery same day that I did eye exam and came back in about a month later to thank me for the referral. — Texas L. Smith, Dr. Texas L. Smith & Associates, Citrus Heights, CA
• One of our doctors has been the “first finder” of cancer in two individual patients over the past 10 years. One was lung cancer that had metastasized, and the other we never got any further details on (after she disappeared in a subsequent out-of-state referral). Both were obviously hugely concerned, but also = grateful. Much more common: hypertensive ret in patients who have been claiming to have things under control; diabetic ret in patients who had never been diagnosed with diabetes, etc. Often patients are confused by the news, sometimes argumentative, but in the end, after they’ve had their follow-up care with their PCP, some come back thanking us for improving or saving their health. Always gratifying. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• We had a patient who ended up in ICU due to his blood pressure being unbelievably high. We had him rushed to the ER and they admitted him. Luckily, it saved his life. — Deanna Phillips, Clemmons Family Eye Care, Clemmons, NC
• Not during an exam, while on a motorcycle trip. A riding friend complained of a headache that was making him see flashing lights. I started asking questions and he added that it felt like he was looking through a spider web. He said if he just got some aspirin, he’d be fine. I insisted he go the ER “right now” and tell them his optician friend said he had a detached retina. He tried to argue that it could wait and after I told him the potential consequences, decided to take my advice. To this day, he thanks me every time he sees me. — Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
• Elderly patient presented with vision loss and failed Amsler test. Our ophthalmologist confirmed dry Macular Degeneration and referred them to a specialist for review and injection. Patient had been expecting this due to similar incidence in their family. Patient was thankful to be diagnosed after it being missed by a large chain store in town. — David Greening, Astorino Eye Center, Newport Beach, CA
• Choroidal melanoma, patient was calm but concerned. — Sonja Franklin, OD, Modern Eyes, Austin, TX
• Doctor was able to discover a patient had a brain tumor (a teenage girl). It’s never great news but it was caught well enough in advance that they were able to have it removed. They come back to our office and if they ever have concern of it coming back they always call to get in right away. — Lindsey Pulford, Insights Eyecare, Manhattan KS
• We have an Optomap and it has assisted us numerous times to detect several medical conditions early on. When this happens, our patients are very appreciative that we went the “extra step” to look into it further. We get our referrals out right away and help our patients every step of the way. — Selena Jachens, Urban Eyecare & Eyewear, West Des Moines, IA
• Patient came in on a day that our OD was not in complaining of dizziness and “blocked vision.” I recommended he check himself out at the local hospital. Turned out he was having a stroke. — Vlad Cordero, Focus Eye Care, Hackensack, NJ
• My doctor discovered that someone was having a stroke during his routine eye exam. I drove him immediately to the local ER where his wife could meet him. The patient was annoyed a little a first because who really wants to go to the ER? In the end, he was very thankful that the doctor may have saved his life. It was a minor stroke and he was ok in the end. — Ann-Marie Weaver, Optimal Eye Care, Lewis Center, OH
• Choroidal Melanoma, the patient is extremely grateful. He drops in frequently for a “glasses adjustment” but I think he really just drops by to give us a hug. — Angie Patteson, OD, Sunset Eye Care, Johnson City, TN
• It was life threatening and the patient thanks us for his life at every visit. It is very heartwarming. — Bethany Cassar, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI