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Ten
Questions to ask a New eye doctor.
1. What is
your fee? What does that include?
2. Roughly how many Keratoconus patients do you treat a year?
3. How
long have you been in practice?
4. Can I have a copy of all my test results such as eye maps, etc?
5. What are your areas of specialty, e.g., Pediatrics, Keratoconus,
LASIK surgery?
6. Are follow-up visits included in your fee? How many?
7. Do you have an eye map machine or an orb scanner?
8. Where did you get your degree?
9. What do I do if I have an emergency?
10. What insurance coverage do you accept? Do you accept insurance
for Keratoconus?
Further
Questions to ask your eye doctor.
It's always
good to ask your prospective eye doctor questions regarding Keratoconus.
You may learn something new and it will also give you an idea to
his/her approach and interest in treating Keratoconus.
1. What do you think causes Keratoconus?
2. What's your view on transplants and when should they be performed?
3. Is there anything I can do to stop progression? Do hard lenses
stop progression?
4. Do you see any new and exciting treatments on the horizon for
Keratoconus?
*Questions # 5-9 are related to lens fitters
5. How many fitting sets do you have for Keratoconus and do you
have any preferences regarding lenses?
6. On average how long does it take for you to fit lenses on a Keratoconus
patient?
7. When I start wearing my lenses, how can I tell the difference
between normal eye discomfit and pain related to a potentially damaging
bad fit?
8. When I start wearing my lenses, under what conditions should
I call or see you immediately?
9. Do lenses cause scaring and what can be done to minimize the
risk?
10. Do you know of any resources or publications on the internet
where I can find more information and support?
Ten
Questions to ask your Doctor about your Keratoconus.
Sometimes your
doctor is so busy treating you that they forget to tell you specifics
about your level of vision and Keratoconus. For piece of mind and
general information it's always good to ask some questions related
to this.
1. On the 20/20
scale, what is my vision without correction? (click
here to learn what 20/20 means)
2. On the 20/20 scale, what is my best corrected vision with glasses?
3. Am I legal to drive and operate machinery with glasses or do
I need to wear contact lenses?
4. What stage is my Keratoconus- Stage I, II, or III?
5. Does my cornea have any scaring or damage caused by Keratoconus?
6. Has my Keratoconus progressed since my last visit and if so by
how much?
7. Can you show me my eye map and explain it to me?
8. What level of astigmatism do I have? How many dipoters? (click
here to learn more)
9. Which eye is worse effected?
10. Does my cornea
have any scaring or damaged caused by lens wear?
Below
are Examples of Problems and Experiences of People With Keratoconus.This
is an amalgamation of typical stories.
KC-er #1
I didn't really choose my eye doctor. I just went to the one that
was closest to me for a check up and he diagnosed me with Keratoconus.
However, once he diagnosed me, he told me to go to a lens fitter.
I didn't like the lens fitter too much. I mean he was ok but he
only gave me one set of lenses- RGPs. I wore them for a while and
he said they were no good and then put me straight into soft perms.
I was told those lenses were normally used as a last resort! Yet
this was only my second pair of lenses. Well after a while he said
they didn't work either and just told me I was lens intolerant and
told me to go on my way!
KC-er #2
Many doctors call themselves specialists just like lots of people
think they are special. But before you pay more money, check their
experience behind their title. Ask them how many KC patients they
see a month. Are they involved in any special projects / groups
with Keratoconus or published research papers? Ask to see their
resume. It normally only takes typing their name into a search engine
on the Internet to find out their interest and involvement in KC.
The top ones normally do volunteer work on KC charity websites or
have published papers or studies and they are easily found on the
net. I wish I had done that earlier because I paid a lot of money
and went to a lot of doctors before I found the right one for me.
KC-er #3
I've been to many lens fitters and eye doctors; some were good and
others not so. I think the most important thing is to have a patient
fitter who also has many fitting sets and is interested in fitting
and treating Keratoconus. I went to an optometry school because
they had all the fitting sets. However many fitters will just give
you the lens they think is best for you and won't change it unless
they feel it's not working.
KC-er #4
My fitter told me that one specialty kc lens (when you specify the
curves on the back is, what he told me) is not much different than
another. They said if the lens they gave me didn't work then another
type is unlikely to work. But that's different to what I have heard
from other people.
KC-er #5
I find my fitter great. I'm really lucky to have found them. A friend
of my mine who also has Keratoconus recommended him. The internet
is a great place to meet up with KC-er's and exchange stories and
experiences. My fitter is very knowledgeable about KC and is really
patient with me. I know I've heard some bad stories from other people
who didn't get on with their fitter but I guess I struck gold as
he's great!!
KC-er #6
My child has been at the same lens fitter now for 3 months and still
hasn't received her/his first set of lenses. I'm paying more as
they are supposed to be a specialist fitter but now they are saying
they are not even sure if my child can be fit with lenses. They
say my child is in too much pain when she/he wears them. He went
on to talk about other options like piggybacks/soft perms. I said
that I was under the impression that people could take quite a long
time to adjust and again he pointed out my child's discomfort. Now
my child had them in only about 25 minutes and yes it was uncomfortable
but my child said it was not terribly painful, just annoying. There
is just no way I would accept that my child was lens intolerant
without first trying to adjust the fit. So we are in the process
of looking for the next place to go and I'm not happy with this
fitter.
KC-er #7
My advice is getting yourself a lens fitter who knows KC inside
out and has a lot of KC patients. Go on the internet and try and
find fitters who are affiliated with Keratoconus charities. If they
are too far away to see you perhaps they can recommend a colleague
closer. But if you just go to your nearest lens fitter you could
be in for an expensive time and the wrong treatment. I went through
many lens fitters and experts all giving me different advice than
the other. Finding a good fitter can be hard work.
KC-er #8
I changed eye doctors recently and had some problems getting my
old eye results. I was also shocked by the numbers. My previous
eye doctor never showed me my level of astigmatism or anything like
that and so when I read them I was shaken to see such large numbers.
It really upset me until I saw my new eye doctor and they were explained
to me. In the future, I will always ask for a copy of every eye
exam I have and ask the doctor to tell me what they mean. I know
from a treatment point of view you don't need them but it's nice
none the less to know. It stops any nasty surprises and you know
where you are with things.
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