Thanks Chi. I've been going to same guide for a while and he is gentle--really, the problem is me. I think I will ask.

Do you have someone to take you?

Yes, it is better if someone drives you. My husband always used to take me because of the light sensitivity after being dilated. After he passed away it was really hard for me the first time I went alone but I am okay with it now.

Definitely speak to the office staff about your fear. Just like dental offices, a good optometrist/ophthalmologist will work hard to keep you comfortable.

Good luck!

No, I'm going solo. But I live close enough to walk.

They have improved the test for pressure in your eye. No longer use the puff of air in the office I use. Your doctor may have updated. I agree the very bright light is annoying. I find if I think of something else I like, it helps to get through the test. The exam is not just for eye changes and need for new glasses. Some eye problems have no immediate symptoms, and need to have treatment to save your sight later in life.

Might be a good plan to stay at the office for awhile after appointment to let the dialation wear off. Walking home could be tricky, take a pair of sunglasses and be very careful.

I got into the wrong car last time I came out with dialation. Did not drive my self.

When I go, I have the dilation done on a different day because my DH needs to drive me, so you could go for the exam without the dilation. Best for your health to get your pressure checked though as glaucoma and the blindness it leads to is nothing to mess around with.

Looking in your eye with a bright light is a bit uncomfortable, but usually they have something for you to look at (my guy has a little red dot of light to stare at) so if you focus on that, it's less uncomfortable.

The reason it's so important that they do that is they can diagnose not only eye problems, but other health issues as well, as it's the only place in the body where a doctor can really see your blood vessels. For example, many optometrists have found diabetes in their patients who were otherwise unaware.

I'd also be sure to let the doc know about your concerns so s/he can take it slower and easier and explain a lot of the procedures to you so you can be more comfortable with them.

Approach the visit not with anticipation of fear, but with a sense of curiosity and amazement at all the wonderful things this visit can do for you, including getting you to see the world clearly. I actually enjoy visiting my optometrist. He's very gentle and has a great sense of humor, and we both laugh our way through the visit.

Aw, I’m sorry it is so terrifying for you. I have an appointment today. My eye doc has such a soothing voice it almost puts me to sleep to listen to her talk! But she is seriously professional, knows her stuff and has the latest equipment. It’s not hard at all. I go this afternoon.

I am actually going to the eye Dr. today. I am paying an extra $19 for a process called mapping which will replace the dilation.

I would gladly pay the extra amount for no dilation. It takes forever for it to wear off for me, and I have to drive home.

I'm sure as time goes on mapping will be more available, a special machine is required.

It can take a LONG time for my pupils to shrink. My appointment last week was at 1 p.m. I still couldn't read when I went to bed at nine.

For the normal eye exam the eye dilation usually wears off by the end of the day. When they determining the exact parameters of your eyes in preparation for laser eye surgery they need to use a stronger/different formulation for dilation that ends up lasting about 48 hours. I asked the nurse how long it would take to wear off, and she said "Oh about 48 hours" and then laughed. So I thought she was joking and exaggerating. So the next day when I still couldn't see anything I was really worried.

Unfortunately I still got my eyes dilated because of some eye issues, apparently the mapping is not sufficient if they find stuff that is not normal. But I was able to drive home and can see well enough to use the computer.

I was inspired by this thread and made an appointment for this afternoon! Dentist next, yikes.

I just had my apt last night, did the mapping and was charged (with my agreement beforehand, I elected the mapping over dilation) $38! so Lucille, at $19, you got a "bargain."

Yes, I forgot about the retinal mapping. I just signed a paper for them to do that instead of having my eyes dilated. It does cost a little extra out of pocket, but worth it to me.

My husband's mother had the early stages of glaucoma when she died at age 45. There is more than one type of glaucoma, and some can be hereditary. My husband (just shy of 67) has the very early stages, and has to use the drops.

One thing his ophthalmologist told us very early on is that the "air puff" eye pressure tests done in nearly all optometrists' offices are pretty much worthless.

the "air puff" eye pressure tests done in nearly all optometrists' offices are pretty much worthless.

It has tremendous legal value- if it is not done and something comes up later, case law has decided that there may be liability.

so Lucille, at $19, you got a "bargain."

I actually ended up paying somewhat more, the bill for the visit was around $1,000 but most of it is covered by insurance.

I just got back. She did this new glaucoma test with this tool on my forehead. It came back high so I had to do the yellow drops and light test, which came back normal.

I had my eyes dilated but drove home. They don't affect me much.

Oh, Lucille, I didn't know you're an attorney.

Do you normally take Valium? If so, how does it usually affect you?

Oh, Lucille, I didn't know you're an attorney.

One with eye issues, apparently.

Annegriet, would it help if you brought a friend with you to the doctor's office? Maybe the friend could drive you to the appointment and y'all could have lunch after, to take the focus off the doctor visit itself?

The ‘yellow drops’ are part of a test for pressure and are still done (by my eye doc anyway) in addition to the retinal scan. Those drops make your eye feel a little ‘tight’ for a few minutes, but that is the only effect I have with those.

The retinal scan was done first, by the technician, one eye at a time, looking into a machine that does a scan of the eye for glaucoma. No drops that dilate the eye. There is also another map of the eye they do that shows veins, floaters, cataract development, and any other abnormalities in the retina. They always show me last year’s scan in comparison to this one.

Annegriet, all this does take a while, and some of the the equipment does have some bright lights needed to accomplish the tests but so worth your eye health. I personally didn’t find the lights to be so bright as you don’t actually look at the light but away from it. And the yellow drops don’t sting but do have that weird feeling for a couple of minutes. I hope you can find the courage to go or another doctor who will make you more comfortable.

No help to you, but I totally get it. Mine is not the optomologist or dentist, but the GP. I work myself into a near frenzy over having to go and put it off until absolutely necessary. By then, of course, my BP is elevated which has the reaction I fear. And then it starts, more tests, questions about my diet and so on. I just want to crawl under a rock!

I can so relate to all of this! I have white coat hypertension and any time anything medical is involved, from GP to dentist to eye exams, I fret and worry for days and am completely stressed out and in a tizzy by the time I get to the appointment.

Because of this I was put on BP meds and, because my BP is normal in most non-medical settings, it went so low that I was unable to function. So I am off meds but have to monitor it at home. They still make faces when I have it taken in a medical setting which does not help.

It's added anxiety for me that they now insist on taking it at the dentist. I can understand it's necessary before an invasive procedure, but I wonder why they need to take it before a routine cleaning.

I've never had my blood pressure taken at a dentist.

I also get nervous when they take my pulse for some reason, which causes it to speed up and prompt questions!

Lucille, my husband is an attorney. And he sees an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist or optician. It is his ophthalmologist - a medical doctor specializing in diseases of the eye, who told us that the air puff tests given at optometrists' offices are worthless because they do not take an accurate measurement of internal eye pressure.

Lucille, you said, "It has tremendous legal value- if it is not done and something comes up later, case law has decided that there may be liability."

Please cite the case law. Thanks.

Helling v Carey, a famous case. The air puff tests are still suitable to ward off liability, whatever your (or the ophthalmologists) opinion of its medical worthiness may be. If no glaucoma test at all is done, there can be liability if something comes up later.

Just had cataract surgery done one month apart, no pain what so ever, had to put drops in for a period of time. Its a small price to pay to have wonderful vision. Every one was kind and most understanding. be grateful to have this wonderful service.

"The air puff tests are still suitable to ward off liability, whatever your (or the ophthalmologists) opinion of its medical worthiness may be. If no glaucoma test at all is done, there can be liability if something comes up later." You cited the case of Helling v Carey.

You have not accurately reflected the facts or Opinion in the cited case. The Opinion of the Supreme Court of the State of New York affirms the fact that the standard of care is not to administer pressure checks to patients under the age of 40 because glaucoma is so very rare in people under 40. It further states that if a patient has complaints that could be attributed to the effects of glaucoma, a pressure test should be done even if the patient is under 40.

So, if a patient under the age of 40 goes to the eye doctor for a routine exam for a new prescription for glasses or contacts and has no vision-related complaints whatsoever, a pressure test does not need to be done. If the patient doesn't return to any eye doctor for follow-up care for a number of years, and then develops glaucoma, the eye doctor who last examined that patient isn't liable. In the Helling case, the plaintiff didn't return to her eye doctor for four years.

Do a search for information on the accuracy of air puff tests. They are NOT reliable.

You have not accurately reflected the facts or Opinion in the cited case.

Lindsey, it is you who have misunderstood the case.

The Opinion of the Supreme Court of the State of New York affirms the fact that the standard of care is not to administer pressure checks to patients under the age of 40 because glaucoma is so very rare in people under 40..

Yes, and the Washington court went on, famously, to disregard that standard of care in its judgment.

Here is what the court said:

“The precaution of giving this test to detect the incidence of glaucoma to patients under 40 years of age is so imperative that irrespective of its disregard by the standards of the ophthalmology profession, it is duty of the courts to say what is required to protect patients under 40 from the damaging results of glaucoma."

Your statement:

So, if a patient under the age of 40 goes to the eye doctor for a routine exam for a new prescription for glasses or contacts and has no vision-related complaints whatsoever, a pressure test does not need to be done.

Your statement is not correct.

Due to Helling, glaucoma testing is now almost always done on those under 40 in the US, as a routine test.

Lindsey, you made a statement about air puffs and their accuracy, I did not disagree with you, I merely added a comment that they have legal efficacy, which they do.

Lucille, my husband is an attorney.

Great! He and I have at least one thing in common, then!

Teddybear if you feel like sharing, I would like to hear more details about your cataract surgery and how you felt during the process from diagnosis to surgery. It was a bit of a shock to me when my doctor mentioned a few days ago that eventually I might need this surgery. (All I went for was a new eyeglass prescription, I did not expect all of what happened that day).

While I understand that I am getting older, and all that might mean in terms of my increasingly poor hearing and vision, somehow knowing it all might happen and having the word 'cataract' come out of the doctor's mouth were two entirely different propositions.

Has the OP dropped off this conversation? Annegriet, if we offended or are off topic, sorry.

I thought of something......wondering if an anti-anxiety med would affect the eye test. I sure would ask beforehand.

Lucille - since Teddybear hasn't answered yet, I'll step in. I had cataract surgery last summer. My doc said that nearly everyone will eventually have cataracts, although surgery isn't always necessary. Fact is that many of my friends and older family, including DH, had already had theirs removed. My cataracts were diagnosed about 7-8 years ago.

The fact is that most insurance companies demand that they (the cataracts) are causing obvious inconvenience to you before they'll pay for the treatments. Doctors are aware of this and usually wait until you experience vision that is so blurred that reading or watching tv becomes a problem, or there is clear interference with your job. In my case, I waited until reading was becoming unpleasant and I was squinting at the tv monitor.

Everyone told me not to worry about the surgery as there was very little to it, it was quick, painless, and easy. And everyone was right! After your eye has been "frozen" into painlessness (the tech puts a few drops in your eye and you don't feel anything), you are wheeled into the OR, and the actual procedure takes about 20 minutes. No pain! A bandage is placed over the eye and someone else must take you home. You have to put various types of drops in your eye for about ten days. There are follow-up checkups and then the doc does the other eye.

It all worked perfectly for me. Now I only need reading glasses for books, etc., and the computer and tv and everything else are fine without them. It really is a miracle! So don't worry at all!

Thank you sableincal. For you, how long was it between the time you were diagnosed and the surgery?

I also have other stuff, a macular wrinkle and some diplopia, and all I was expecting was an eye test, so I think I was just overwhelmed that day.

For some reason he recommended continuing with bifocals instead of trying progressives again like I was thinking of doing. He was about to give me the reason for that but I started asking a lot of questions about other stuff like driving (he says no freeway or night driving).

I've kinda stopped reading--all the actual eye health stories started freaking me out. I'll post after my visit to the doctor to let you know how it goes. Thank you to everyone who replied.

Yes, these threads have a tendency to stray. Your eye health is so important. So glad you are going and I look forward to hearing your outcome.

Understand. People try to explain the process and procedures in hopes it will ease your mind, when it might actually add to your stress. Hope it all goes well, and that your eyes are healthy.

Yes, but she is going for a routine exam, not surgery.

I admire that you are doing it! My husband is the most stubborn man alive and hasn't been to an eye doctor in almost 30 years and a dentist in almost 15... Drives me nuts.