Research, it’s become mandatory

25 years ago, I was fortunate to have eye surgery to correct my eyesight. I was so severely myopic (nearsighted) that I was legally blind. Thanks to my prayer team, the Good Lord, and a brilliant doctor (who was just hoping to enable me to see the big E on the chart), I was able to have perfect vision up until just this last year or so.

According to my optometrist, RK and laser surgery lasts about 25 years, which is awesome as far as I’m concerned, before there becomes a possible need for some minor correction. Then, the scar tissue begins to lose its strength and causes the cornea to sort of collapse. Now, before you faint, this isn’t as bad as it sounds. Of course, when they told me that my corneas resembled Mt. St. Helens, I did think I was going to faint. She explained this was normal and was easily corrected with lenses. Big sigh of relief.

My eye exam showed that I had some astigmatism, which was the probable cause of the headaches I had been suffering with for the last few months. They sent me in to see the glasses specialists, but after several attempts at getting lenses to work, I decided to see the optometrist, again. That was when I decided to do a little research. I figured that since I had worn contacts before my surgery, there should be contacts to help my eyes, now. Even though there have been great strides in contact technology, I wasn’t completely sold on rigid lenses. So, I kept digging. I eventually discovered a couple of new lenses for eyes like mine. One in particular looked like it would work the best. It married a rigid center with soft skirt.

When I went to my next appointment, I asked the optometrist if I could wear contacts. She told me that shouldn’t be a problem and took me in to meet the contact specialist. She tried fitting me with a rigid lens, and although not as painful as when I tried them in the mid-70’s, they still just felt like a piece of plastic in my eye. So, I asked her about this new lens. Her response was that they were expensive. I asked her how much? She said about $600, which was way lower than what I was anticipating. Then, she told me that my eyes should be covered by my health insurance, which could pick up the bulk of the cost. I was silently wondering whether she would have told me about them had I not researched them. I’m not sure she would have. The contacts were perfect and quite comfortable.

This is not the first time I have researched something ahead of time and had it turn in my favor, especially when it comes to my health or the health of my family or friends. In spite of what doctors may say, researching is often a good thing. What the doctors get wary of is when people research and then ask for something totally unreasonable. But, if it’s reasonable and you have looked at all of the pros and cons, you will then go into appointments and meetings with the information to ask the right questions and make good decisions.

It has come down to the importance of personally advocating for our own healthcare. We are not given enough time with the doctor (scheduled 15 minutes) for them to be proactive about our health. It’s up to us to take the initiative. It’s not up to us to diagnose, but it is up to us to check out our options. Remember, whenever you research, especially healthcare, make sure there plenty of substantiating documentation from different, reputable sites. Do not just settle on one that says something you want to see. That’s not being responsible or proactive.