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Some Stories from the History of Eye Care by  Dr. Joseph Ross.  

Painful Neurological Testing:

                One of my most angry moments was when I met a poor Spanish lady in the Bronx, who had undergone dangerous medial testing for chronic headaches caused by poor eye glasses. She had  the left and right lenses reversed in her glasses by a high volume chain store!  What if that had been your wife?

Undiagnosed Convergence Problems:

                I have seen numerous cases of children who were failing school because they “hated to read.”  Interestingly enough they had motor coordination problems which can not be diagnosed in a quicky exam as high volume optical chains often provide.  What if it was your child?

Retinal Detachments & Lost Sight:

                I recently saw a patient who has NEVER had her eyes dilated.  She had a high prescription which immediately told me she was a candidate for a retinal detachment. She was so use to poor eye care that she thought I was trying to talk her into an unneeded test, after all the other doctors never suggested it at the big store.  Two days later  her MD sent her to a Retinal Specialist at my recommendation and her tear was diagnosed and repaired in an emergency surgical procedure.  

The Little Bit Of  Brown Pigment:

                No one noticed it until she came here and we looked with a microscope at the back of her cornea.  Now she is on medication for glaucoma, before she lost her vision.  What if it was your daughter or son?

One White Eye is NOT attractive.

                I saw the pretty blonde 24 year old secretary because she got nervous when her contact lens really started to hurt.  She was sleeping with them,  the doctor at the store said it was OK.  The lenses were fit slightly too tight and over months had triggered a corneal ulcer.  Medications saved her eye but not her vision and the eye is now scarred white (the other is a pretty blue).   Good follow up and careful fitting could have prevented the problem.  She should also have known that sleeping with lenses was dangerous but they were too busy to inform her.  What if it was your child?