Eye doctor visit

I have been having some issues with my eyes watering a lot lately. In addition, I have found in the morning I have a bit of difficulty focusing when I wake up.

Since my company has vision insurance, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get an eye exam since I have never had one. I looked up participating doctors in my neighborhood to try and save some fuel costs since gasoline is hovering around $4 a gallon.

I found a place that did a complete exam in Keller called Keller Eye Care. Yeah, their web site is kinda boring, but they seemed busy, because it took over a week to schedule this visit.

I arrived just before the scheduled time, 12:30 pm and they took my insurance information and got right to the exam. I despise sitting in a waiting room and this was a refreshing experience.

Until they started the exam.

If you don't need glasses when you go in, you will after the exam. They begin by making me read an eye chart in a mirror from a TV above my head. I did pretty well, reading the last line with just a bit of difficulty. After that I was subjected to various machines, each one progressively worse in the torture they would subject me to.

The one that shoots a puff of air into your eye was annoying, but the one that photographs your eye was especially delightful. If you are a masochist, that is.

After the torture by the assistant/technician, I was taken to a small room with the 'normal' tools I expect to see at an eye doctor, the little machine with all of the lenses they use to determine what prescription you might need.

The doctor arrived in a short period of time and begin talking to me about my issues. After about 10 minutes, she proceeded to use the little lens machine to hone my eyesight in to see where the deficiency might be.

That process took about 30 minutes or so. Thinking the worst was over, I was ready to hear the results, good or bad. Little did I know, the worst part was yet to come. She informed me she would need to place some dye in my eyes and look at them under a variety of lights and magnification.

I hate eye drops. I know it won't hurt me, but there is something not right about placing things in or near your eyes.

After she dropped the dye in, she placed my head in the light-rendering machine and begin to shine a light in my eyes while I looked up, down, left and right with each eye. Ok, so far this was just annoying.

Then, she turned off the light and pulled out the 'blue' light that would 'just touch my eyelashes'. I don't think so, scooter, as Ron White would say.

Since I was somewhat captive, I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter, I guess. She slid the apparatus in and touched the right eye first. While it wasn't bad, it still freaks me out seeing that come at your eye. Ok, now for the left eye. Even though you know it's coming, you see it coming and you know what it just felt like, it is still a surprise, at least to me, anyway.

She flipped the light on and proceeded to show me my eye photos. I could see the veins, etc, but overall it just looked like a big blob. But, she pointed out a tiny little spot in the middle of the left eye that she called a 'pigment' spot. It wasn't anything to worry about, she said. She stated I had 'fair' eyes and I probably needed to wear sunshades more. She noted it on my chart, I suppose next time I come in for an exam they will compare it to see if it is worse.

As for the watery eyes, she didn't seen anything that might be definitively causing it, but she expected I might have 'dry eyes'. She explained the difference in baseline tears and reflex tears. She stated that my baseline tears might be lacking and the reflect tears are producing moisture to correct the dryness. She prescribed some steroidal eyedrops. Oh great.

After this, she started trying to explain how, with age, the eyes don't function as well as they used to do so. I was fully prepared to wear glasses, so whatever she was going to tell me wouldn't shock me. And, I am not vain at all, so I can wear glasses without fear of changing my appearance.

Surprisingly, she stated I didn't 'need' glasses. I could probably use some reading glasses for computer work since I am in front of one between 12-16 hours a day. But, I didn't even have to have those, it was my choice. We could even do bi-focals and improve my already good sight if I wanted. I opted to let them fit me with some nice reading/computer glasses. I paid the co-pay and headed home.

Overall the process wasn't bad, it just seemed like it took a long time. If anything, they were thorough. I know that will make my doctor, David, happy. He has been after me for some time to get an eye exam.