Virtual Visual Field Exam

Ever since I can remember I have been getting visual field exams at the eye doctor. Because I have a lot of strange eye issues annual exams were a part of my life since I was sixteen - when I got my first pair of glasses and soon after - contacts. I also had some visual disturbances in my early twenties and also high pressures. For the last many years the eye exams were every six months. How fun! This week was time for my eye exam. But there was something new and refreshing about this experience. First of all the office moved to a much larger space so it just felt better. And when it came time for the dreaded visual field test a new device was introduced. No longer did you have to sit in front of the hooded machine, put on an eye patch, put your chin in the strap, lean in, listen to the weird noise it made, and then click away at each twinkling bright and not so bright lights. This time I was handed a virtual field headset. I could keep my glasses on and adjust the device so it was comfortable while I remained sitting in the usual exam chair. It was already more comfortable. Then the test began and the device automatically shaded one eye out and then halfway through it changed to the other eye. The clicker didn’t make any noise and it was Wi-Fi attached so there were no cords. The instructions were written and spoken on the device. The technician basically left the room until it was done. I rather like all of these digital devices and thought this was such an improvement over the old machine. After all, that technology needed to be updated - it’s almost as old as I am. And that’s over fifty years. Things are changing so rapidly these days. This is just another example. And having been in health care for most of my career it can only get so much better. 

Washington Hospital Center Eye Appointments

It’s that time of year again. Our eye appointments were scheduled for this afternoon. Every time we go I think something will need to get done - there’s been a lot of cataract surgery going on lately. My husband has glaucoma checks, and has had laser surgery on both eyes. I keep thinking I will flunk the peripheral vision test - and miss a lot of clicks. But getting to and from Washington Hospital Center is always a trick and we leave almost an hour before to travel just a couple of miles. We always schedule our visits for the first appointment after lunch. That way we avoid rush hour traffic both ways and are the first to be seen. The direct route to the physician office building on the main hospital campus was finally reopened after several years of construction. The parking structure was jammed with vehicles leaving (for lunch) and clogging up the lot. What was nice is all the office staff seemed to be in good spirits. But the best news was that everything is “stable.” So we are good for another six months. On the way home the neighborhood keeps changing. A good chunk of North Capitol Street was repaved and lines repainted, there was construction galore, but we actually made good time getting back home. We both wore our stylish sunglasses that fit over our regular glasses and I can actually see clearly already. So all in all it was an uneventful visit and it took less than three hours. Let’s hope it goes that way the next time.