I FEEL SO YOUNG AGAIN
Dear Dr. Wallace,
Thank you for bringing me through a rough time; for standing by me; and showing me your steadfast diligence as an accomplished eye surgeon. You took full responsibility when one of my eyes developed a problem that required special attention. You called me all the time to check on my status, and were relentlessly concerned.
I had been wearing corrective lenses since my 40’s. After lens implant surgery on both eyes for cataracts, I feel so young again. I don’t have to squint all the time, or wear glasses all the time. For the first time in years I am reading for several hours in bed before I go to sleep at night. Before the surgeries, I could barely read for 10 minutes and my eyes became so tired I had to turn off the light and go to sleep. Now I am enjoying all of the books I have been buying for the last 20 years, and lots of new ones too. This has given me such a new lease on life, and I am so excited to be able to walk into a room and see everyone and everything without getting the glasses out. Driving down the street and reading all the writing on the signs, and being able to actually see people and recognize them without glasses is like a miracle. I am so happy!
You are a doctor who truly cares about the success of his surgeries and the comfort of his patients. Thank you for my “new youthful” eyes.,
Nadine
Doctor Wallace says:
Nadine came to me for evaluation of her cataracts, having been referred by her optometrist. She was noticing mild to moderate blurring of vision, left eye more than right, making reading increasingly difficult. We agreed with her optometrist that the principal cause of her vision difficulty related to the cataract in her left eye, and discussed the pro’s and con’s of cataract care. Nadine chose to schedule her surgery, and this was done in early April of ’03.
The surgery went smoothly, and the day after her care she remembers that “the vision was perfect”. She tested at 20/25 without correction, adn was quite happy.
That night, she noticed a veil of haze creep across her vision in the left eye, accompanied by a “”cobweb”” affecting the peripheral vision, so she came back to see me the next day. I was quite surprised to note that her vision had decreased significantly. I determined that the reason was a hemorrhage under the retina, in the back of the eye. I immediately recruited a retina specialist to examine her. He determined that the bleeding was likely related to the cataract care (though this could not be absolutely proven), and would most likely clear with time in any case. I and the retina specialist saw Nadine on a weekly basis until the blood did clear up, a few months later. Nadine was not happy that this had happened, but I told her I would accept responsibility for the problem and would see her through it. She waited until early ’04 to make any decision about cataract care in the right eye.
Fortunately for all involved, surgery in the right eye went extremely well, without any ‘hitch’. She has recovered crystal-clear “20/20” vision in both eyes, and is thrilled with the results of her care.
Sometimes, despite the best of intentions and the most meticulous surgical care, unexpected things do happen. I make it a point to work harder in those situations where patients may not get the “”fairy tale”” result right away, and to accept responsibility for any difficulties encountered. Nadine was very appreciative of this approach, and I am delighted that — after a slight detour — she has recovered excellent vision in both eyes and is happy.
Dr. Wallace