My string of kind and thoughtful doctors continued today, I went to see Dr. Enrique Yepes of the Saratoga Hospital Eye Car unit We sat and talked together for half an hour about my eyes, my glasses, and the kind of eye care I was looking for.
He spent a lot of time talking to me and asking my questions. I was very comfortable with him. He said the diabetes hemorraghing near the retina had not grown. He wants to see me every six months.
The Jon Katz restoration program is underway and taking shape, somehow I’ve managed to asseble this team of great doctors who are guiding me in my effort to be strong and healthy. It seems I’m not ready to surrender any time soon.
When we were done, Dr. Yepes, who had a Mediterranean kind of courtesy and manners, wrote me two prescriptions, one for new glasses to read by and the other for a new pair of general glasses (above.)
He also examined my eyes and retina and said they looked good. There were signs of a cataract starting up in one eye, but nothing that needed attention right now. He did dilate my eyes and I was seeing double of almost everything for a while.
Dr. Yepes said my eyesight was great. He had me sit in front of a computer and show him how I worked and how close I get. He tested my eyes and agreed I need some help with my computer vision.
I saw that Dr. Yepes listens and he is gentle and empathetic, unlike some mappeof
I am grateful for the new reading glasses, I spend a lot of time at the computer and my eyes were getting strained. I found an optician a few blocks away and ordered two new pairs of glasses. They cost about $1,100 altogether. They’ll be ready in two weeks. Maria helped me pick them out. (She spotted the ones we both liked.
I’m glad she was there. My dilated eyes kept seeing double and triple.
They didn’t accept my insurance.
In keeping with tradition, I took a photo of Dr. Yepes (above) as well as my others. No one has turned me down yet.
When I got home I called my insurance company and was surprised and pleased to learn that they will cover the costs of both glasses. They were nice about it, too, and it was easy.
Maria took a photo of me wearing the new glasses, and my very dilated eyes as well. I like them. And I really like the fact that my insurance company will pay for them. It was a good day, an important day.
Photo by Maria Wulf.
Your new glasses look good on you. I also really like the color of your mask. I think that we need to be treating masks as fashion statements so that more people will wear them. Yours is a winner.
Good point, we’re going to be living with them for a good while, perhaps for good.
The glasses really suit you! But the mask is totally inadequate against Omicron according to the experts.
Cloth masks = 20% effective! Surgical masks = 50% effective. N95s = 90-95% effective. KN95s = depends on manufacturer (China has lower standards).
Cloth masks are just fashion not protection; no filters, no regulation, and so many gaps for air to enter. Omicron is as contagious as measles used to be! Example: if you enter a room where a positive person has coughed in the last several hours, you will be exposed. Quite shocking!
I tell you this because those of us whose health is compromised by co-morbidities need to be extra cautious. Be safe.
I like the glasses. My doctors suggest wearing masks for now, so I will. Be well.