MS Speaks

Aside from occasional brief walks with a rollator in the vicinity of this apartment building, I haven't been out anywhere more remote since mid-February. Medical appointments that were scheduled in March and April were all cancelled, of course.


Now they're gradually being rescheduled. Today's was one of them--the ophthalmologist, for a regular eye exam. With diabetes, I have to have regular eye exams. I often need a new glasses rx as well.


My left eye has been hopelessly blurry for months now, and so I was glad to be tending to the eye doctor at last.


It was very beautiful weather. Flowers were blooming in profusion. It's very nice to be able to see flowers--and to see colors at all. There have been times (very brief times, thankfully) when I lost all color vision. I hated those episodes.


I try to get the best possible eyesight even though this can get pricey.


I've had rx sunglasses and rx computer glasses in addition to the bifocals I use regularly. I also keep my most recent old glasses right by my bedside in case I can't find my usual glasses. Usually I've dropped them but I can't see to find them without glasses. I depend on glasses.


The van that came for me came right on time, delivered me to the eye clinic on time, and everyone was wearing a mask.


As we arrived there the driver said, "Looks as if you'll have to wait in line outside."


"Oh, aren't they open yet?" I said incredulously. It was 11 AM.


No, they were open, but everyone had to wait outside until a staff person agreed it was OK to enter. First there was a temperature check (very fast), and then there were a couple of questions about whether I was feeling all right and whether I'd been exposed to anyone with the coronavirus.


Since I had an appointment, I was allowed in at once. I'm not sure how this system would work in bad weather, and I'm not looking forward to finding out--my next appointment there is in December--but at least today's wait wasn't long at all. I'm not sure how the other people waiting there fared.


I was admitted to the inner sanctum in a timely way and out of there in an hour. Not bad at all for that place. There have been times when I've been left waiting in the examining room for an hour and a half.


The doctor and his assistant were very nice, much nicer than usual. I've been going there for over 10 years and never felt that anyone there cared especially about me. I was just there for an updated glasses rx and so I didn't mind much but if I'd had a more serious eye concern, I'm not sure I'd have wanted these people in charge. However, for my purposes they've been adequate.


The doctor actually asked if my family was in good health. This was done chattily--but later I realized that, for a doctor who has never been the least bit chatty about anything, he was probably trying to make sure that no one had exposed me to the coronavirus.


I was then wheeled over to the optical department, armed with two glasses rx's. The waiting areas were totally different compared to last time I was there, about 10 months ago.  The chairs were carefully spaced throughout the room with little tables in between them. There were signs all over but I didn't try to read most of them because, after the eye drops the ophthalmologist uses to dilate the pupils, reading wasn't so easy, but I did notice a sign forbidding "browsing" among the glasses frames.


That did take me back. It's been many years since I even thought of browsing among the glasses frames. There are so many of them that it would just be too tiring.  I always just let the optician bring a few.


It was my intention to save money on frames by reusing some old ones, and so I'd come laden down with a handbag filled with 4 old pairs of glasses.


Sometimes this goes over with the optician, and sometimes it doesn't. Today it didn't. He swore that if I bought frames I'd save money compared to using the old frames.


I couldn't believe that, but as it turned out, I was astonished when I saw what I ended up owing. It was hundreds of dollars less than usual, and I'll be getting two pairs of bifocals, one of them photochromic, with new frames.


My glasses rx is so odd that the lenses come out very thick and heavy unless I pay extra for high-index plastic and something they call "roll and polish"--smoothing off the edges so they're not so thick.


I never dreamed I could get photochromic lenses again. I loved them when I had them some years ago. I no longer would need the rx sunglasses, which I tend to drop all too often.


So I'm very happy to have taken steps to supply myself with better vision. The new glasses will be ready in a few weeks.


Then there was my venture into the public restroom. I'm very familiar with it--and its impossible door. It's a very heavy door and it won't stay open. A person using a wheelchair has to fight it every inch of the way in, propping it open with one foot while propelling the wheelchair through.


I can't recall a time when any staff member helped me with this. A couple of times another patient has held the door for me but today a staff member actually held the door. And on my way out she was there to help again.


It began to dawn on me that the eye clinic might be trying very hard to get its patients back. Some may have become discouraged and found some other eye clinic.  And maybe its optical department has a lot of special offers just now, and that is why I got such a good deal on the price.


By the time I return to pick up the glasses, it might be hotter. On the way home the driver and I were saying that masks are going to be hot when summer starts up. Today, in the low 80s, that mask wasn't exactly cool. But at least the whole expedition took only about two and a half hours.

That was how I spent the middle part of the day today--out in the world at last.


A masked world but it was good to see that people here are observing the recommendations.