Posting on this forum because I want to know if any others have had the same experience.
Saturday night I started having flashes in my right eye and some pretty big floaters. I did have cataract surgery probably 4 years ago and then had a laser after that on the same eye. I was told to watch for symptoms of flashing or floaters because it could be a tear in the retina or a detachment. I know that it could cause blindness if it wasn't seen and taken care of immediately if it was a detachment. This came on suddenly and that was another reason I was very concerned.
I haven't been to the ER in years with kids. So I have found out what the ERs are like today. I had three that I could have gone to. I called each one and asked them if they had an eye doctor in the hospital. They all said no. I asked what does a person do with an eye problem and comes in. They said the attending doctor in the ER makes the decision as to whether to call a specialist on the phone.
I went to the one closest to me and the doctor that saw me only flashed a light in my eye. All he did was look into my eye but couldn't do more than that. I think he may have been concerned about a stroke or heart problem but never checked me and kept asking me if I had a headache. So basically we went over my medications and I left with instructions to see an eye doctor Monday.
While I was there he called an eye doctor and the eye doctor just said to make sure it's checked out. The eye doctor called me today to make an appointment with him and told his office that I would be going to a different doctor that I had seen a few years ago. I called my eye specialist that did my laser surgery this morning and got in this afternoon.
Turns out that I just have the gel in my eye causing the floaters and flashes. I was checked out thoroughly and was told to come back in a month to be checked again. Guess this is just a sign of aging. I think if I had not had the cataract surgery on the eye I wouldn't of thought much about it. But the symptoms I had came on so fast I didn't want to let it go.
My question is, is this the way the ERs work today. I could have not gone in and it would have been the same thing. I knew my BP was fine and I wasn't diabetic. My husband said on the way home as far as checking my eye the doctor couldn't do anything.
Also want to say that I called the specialist that did my laser surgery but haven't been in to see him for 3 years. This is an office of surgeons and they don't do just regular eye exams. They will do a regular eye exam if there is a problem but don't write prescriptions. I called the service for the office and the woman told me if I was not an active patient that she would not contact a doctor. I told the doctor and the girl I saw today about that. They said she should have contacted the doctor anyway. Said they would see why I was told no.
So after checking all this out I find that the only hospital in my area, and there are plenty, that have an eye specialist in the ER is the trauma center in the city. I guess this is what medical care has come to. Guess I was naive enough to think when we go to the ER that there is someone there to help us. If the walk in clinic was open at my family doctor I would have just gone there.
I know that medical care isn't what it use to be and it's so sad. And from the news it's going to get worse.
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