Tag: ophthalmologist

Sparkly Retinas

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23 minutes.

That’s how long my annual appointment with my ophthalmologist lasted this past week. I think we may have set a record in eye doctor appointment efficiency, as it was only such a short visit because there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about other than my “sparkly retinas”.

Yup, that was indeed the exact phrasing my doctor used to describe the state of my eye health upon dilation and examination. She went on to add several other gushing exclamations about my eyes, most of which I can’t recall because I was laughing at her comments.

It might sound like the appointment was rushed or that my doctor was less than thorough, given how short it was, but I was asked more than once if I had any eye concerns that I wanted to discuss with the doctor before I left. And I genuinely couldn’t think of anything worth mentioning, as my eye health has been stable in the last year and I haven’t had any noticeable vision changes. So we didn’t need to prolong my visit by any means. We probably spent a collective 7 or 8 minutes together before I was given a clean bill of eye health and asked to make my appointment for next year before leaving the building. It was that easy-peasy.

And I am extremely grateful for that.

Almost 26 years of living with diabetes and so far, it hasn’t impacted my eye sight. I don’t take that for granted. I know that may not always be the case. But for now, I’m more than happy to give up a measly hour of my day (I would’ve said 30 minutes, but I had to factor in the drive time to and from the doctor, naturally), once a year just to have that reassurance that I’m doing something right when it comes to my overall health. And maybe to hear that I have “sparkly retinas”, because that is quite a unique compliment.

I Care About Eye Care

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Like most people with diabetes, I see an ophthalmologist (essentially an eye health specialist) once a year. This is because diabetes can affect vision and overall eye wellness, so an ophthalmologist will look for things like cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration within my eyes to make sure they’re healthy.

These appointments have all followed a similar pattern for me in the last couple dozen years that I’ve had diabetes. I’m brought into an exam room, my vision is tested with an eye chart, and then my eyes are dilated and examined with extremely bright lights. And I’ve been very fortunate to hear the same verdict from the ophthalmologist year after year: There’s no evidence of diabetes in my eyes, which translates to my eyes look healthy and normal.

This lack of diagnosis has always reassured me, and this year it was no exception. The only thing that actually changed for me was that it dawned on me that this appointment really means a lot to me. It was relatively quick, completely painless, and, dare I say, pleasant because of my doctor’s deep personal connection to diabetes (her son is around my age and also has T1D). She truly gets what it’s like, and didn’t make a big deal whatsoever when my Dexcom interrupted our appointment with a high alarm.

My annual appointment with my ophthalmologist is like performing a maintenance check on a car – it’s my chance to make sure everything is operating smoothly.

I’ve come to realize that even though it’s a blip on the radar compared to all the other doctors and healthcare specialists I see throughout the year, it’s still significant to me because I don’t take my vision for granted. Sure, I can’t see much without the aid of my contacts or glasses, but I can still see without pain, blurriness, or any other general eye discomfort. That makes me lucky and also motivates me to continue doing all the right things for my eyes, such as replacing my contact lenses on schedule and taking care to use high-quality cosmetic products. I can’t say that those two factors alone have contributed to my eye health (in fact, I can say with certainty that it’s my diabetes management more than anything else), but even so…I recognize that eye health is not to be taken lightly.

I care about eye care, and I definitely see the connection that doing my best for my ‘betes benefits it, my eyes, and well…all of me.

Nothing to Complain About

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I’m writing this blog post from my ophthalmologist’s office – I’m sitting in a chair in an exam room, waiting for my eyes to dilate so my doctor can complete the exam.

Just before my eyes were dilated, I checked in for the appointment and went over my information with a nurse who works here. During the check-in, she asked me how my eyes fared in the last year.

The chair from which I wrote most of this blog post – on my phone, to boot! (It takes time for eyes to dilate, okay?!)

“I have nothing to complain about, all is well!” I said to her.

“That’s great to hear. After all, after a year like we’ve had, it’s nice when there’s no complaints about something.” She replied.

I sat here in this chair and smiled under my mask. Too true. It’s refreshing when there aren’t any complaints about any aspect of my health and well-being, considering diabetes can be such a pill.

And I’m happy to report (now from the comfort of my own desk chair) that I have “gorgeous retinas”, according to my ophthalmologist.

Nothing to complain about, indeed.