My New Retina Specialist: The Honeymoon is Over
Recently I had my second date with my new retina specialist. He is looking after my dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). I had high hopes for this date because the first one had gone so well.
My first 'date' with the retina specialist went well
During the first date, 6 months ago, we spoke easily together. I asked him lots of questions. He listened intently and answered willingly. He asked me lots of questions, too, and I told him all about myself.
I thought things went quite well, and that we were on the same wavelength. This was confirmed when he looked deeply into my eyes for quite some time. He even took a couple of pictures of my eyes to remember me by. He was a bit (lot) younger than me, but, hey, at least he’ll be around for some time to come.
At the end of the date, I found out I would be paying the whole bill (no going Dutch here), but it was worth it. I thanked him as we said our goodbyes. He insisted on seeing me again (and soon), which I thought was a good sign that our date had gone well. "Not too long," he said. "Make it another 6 months."
The second 'date' didn't go as I'd hoped
When the 6 months were up, I approached the next date with some trepidation. Would things still be the same? Would he still have time for me? Would he look into my eyes? Would he sit down next to me and talk? Would he still want to hear all my questions?
Well, the short answer to all of the above is, "No!"
The second date did NOT go as I’d hoped. He did not sit down next to me and gaze into my eyes. He wasn’t even keen on the 1 question I asked.
So, what had happened? I had expected the "first date syndrome" to last forever. This was not to be!
A brief, disappointing appointment
I had the usual eyesight test done by one technician, then the pressure test and optical coherence tomography (OCT) taken by another one of the technicians. Then I was taken into the specialist’s examination room.
Was he there waiting to have a chat and gaze into my eyes once again? No! He had sent his wingman, also a doctor, whose name I couldn’t even hear through his mask. This doctor asked me if I had noticed any changes in my sight and other general questions.
Eventually I caught sight of my main man. He stepped into the examination room, but not very far into it. He said the words I wanted to hear: "No change." I was so relieved that I took a deep breath, and it was then he made his escape.
Evidently this second date was not to go the way of the first. He had found out all about me the first time around and didn’t need to know more. What a disappointment!
Remembering my father's words to me
His wingman indicated that it was time for me to get up out of the chair and leave. I said to him plaintively that no one had even looked into my eyes! He said he’d have a look, and he did. He commented that my cataracts were still relatively small and probably wouldn’t need to be removed for a couple of years. This was the only new information I gleaned from this appointment.
I made my way home from that appointment remembering my father’s words to me when I was a young girl: "Wendy, things are never the same the second time around!"
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