I'm actually in a mix of emotions right now; anger, and sadness. One of my friends, started telling me had vision issues, I told him to go to the hospital (a few times actually; emergency room anything). No one really cared either, I was the only one who cared... Everyone else was like "oh sh*t happens". Am I on another planet?
He said, "Oh it's no big deal.... it can't be serious"
Flash forward 8 days because he waited for a clinic appointment; retinal detachment. He's going to go blind, because retinal detachment is fix able in 24 hours. I told him, everyday it's going to get to get worse. He's smiling and covering his eye, like "oh well". What's wrong with him??
He's like not making a big deal, minimizing the situation! I don't know. It' also made realize life is so finite, anything can happen. It freaked me out to be honest cause our health can change so fast in a blink of an eye. I went outside, and felt like we are just of aunts waiting for the inevitable. It freak me out.
He's a realist. Do you think ER would have equipment needed for complex eye surgery, or would he get an urgent appointment with a specialist??? Unless you are a major guy, it will take a number of days to get to any eye surgeon at least
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Quote from: elkie-t on July 21, 2017, 08:18:45 PM
He's a realist. Do you think ER would have equipment needed for complex eye surgery, or would he get an urgent appointment with a specialist??? Unless you are a major guy, it will take a number of days to get to any eye surgeon at least
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Not to say I disagree with this... but I'm just going to say he has the opportunity to see a specialist for retinal detachment if he really wanted too. Great insurance.
Quote from: elkie-t on July 21, 2017, 08:18:45 PM
He's a realist. Do you think ER would have equipment needed for complex eye surgery, or would he get an urgent appointment with a specialist??? Unless you are a major guy, it will take a number of days to get to any eye surgeon at least
Are you kidding? If you go to ER ( in Australia at least) you are evaluated first, and if it is a retinal detachment it is considered an emergency and you'd be admitted immediately and receive appropriate treatment.
As for that guy's attitude, it's typical male who thinks that he is indestructible. I have two brothers who have to be cajoled into seeing doctors when it seems like the thing to do.
Alas, we can't be our brother's keepers. We can only suggest.
When I had an eye problem, a couple of years ago, my doctor make an emergency referral to an ophthalmologist for the next day. Fortunately it wasn't a severe problem. So, when there is an emergency, the medical profession can move quickly. But it's up to you to take the first step and let them know.
Quote from: AnneK on July 21, 2017, 08:28:50 PM
When I had an eye problem, a couple of years ago, my doctor make an emergency referral to an ophthalmologist for the next day. Fortunately it wasn't a severe problem. So, when there is an emergency, the medical profession can move quickly. But it's up to you to take the first step and let them know.
Exactly! It's like he just went to the clinic and ask for an appointment.... dude.
This ruin my day actually.
Quote from: Wild Flower on July 21, 2017, 08:31:57 PM
Exactly! It's like he just went to the clinic and ask for an appointment.... dude.
This ruin my day actually.
Don't let it ruin your day. You cannot be held responsible for another person's actions based on his own free will.
He is now paying the price.
Yeah, last time I went for emergency I had to sit for 6 hrs before being evaluated by a triage nurse... if you aren't bleeding to death, they are overfilled with other patients
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In emergency, they have to take patients in order of priority. That priority may be affected by what you tell them. Again, you have to provide them with the info they need to make the selection and tell them about factors that may aggravate the situation, such as other issues, medications etc. The more they know, the better they can decide. Also a big problem is the number of people who rely on the emergency department, instead of finding their own doctor/clinic, for regular care.
Quote from: Dan on July 21, 2017, 08:26:48 PM
Are you kidding? If you go to ER ( in Australia at least) you are evaluated first, and if it is a retinal detachment it is considered an emergency and you'd be admitted immediately and receive appropriate treatment.
That's because, in part at least, we have a health care system designed to provide health care, not make money.
Quote from: elkie-t on July 21, 2017, 08:56:32 PM
Yeah, last time I went for emergency I had to sit for 6 hrs before being evaluated by a triage nurse... if you aren't bleeding to death, they are overfilled with other patients
6 hours to wait for triage? That's appalling.
My wife has suffered from 3 detached retinas. She had weird vision issues, she described it as a ceiling on her vision in her eyes. We set up an eye doctor appointment, and he laser attached them within 3 days. Her right eye detached a second time, so when she went back he reattached the retina and filled the eye with a medical grade silicone. Her eye is legally blind, but it won't lose color in the iris, at least according to the doctor. She can see light, color, and perceive some movement, but can't see any images with it. He will likely not return full vision to the eye, but he might save some of it, if he seeks treatment.
It is not your fault, you did what you could. Let him know he can still save some vision, but it won't ever fully return, but only if he acts soon.
Guys can be really stupid about getting medical attention. Last year my brother got what he thought was the flu. But it kept getting worse and worse. I told him he needed to see a Dr, so did my mom and dad. But he kept saying it was just the flu and he was fine. When his fever spiked to 103 my dad made him go to the hospital. "Only the flu" ended up being pneumonia. It wouldn't have been so bad if his dumb ass had seen a Dr when we told him to. I didn't even really get to enjoy being right because I ended up having to take care of him while my parents were at work.😫
Julia
He should have seen a medical professional sooner, but him freaking out at this point is useless.
Life is absolutely finite, make the most of it and don't abuse your body. Learn from incidents like this.
Quote from: kelly_aus on July 22, 2017, 01:31:52 AM
6 hours to wait for triage? That's appalling.
Not if that was someone who couldn't be bothered getting their own doctor. I think they're earned it.
Quote from: AnneK on July 22, 2017, 01:10:47 PM
Not if that was someone who couldn't be bothered getting their own doctor. I think they're earned it.
Even in an Australian hospital, where we suffer the same "minor illness flood" in ER's, a 6 hour wait for triage would result in a complaint and an investigation, it's unprofessional.
In Philly I would have gone to Wills Eye Hospital and had treatment relatively quickly.
Why he did not take quick action and having great insurance is his lack of self care. Perhaps he has other underlying issues that are preventing him from self care.
Quote from: Viktor on July 22, 2017, 08:33:00 AM
He should have seen a medical professional sooner, but him freaking out at this point is useless.
Life is absolutely finite, make the most of it and don't abuse your body. Learn from incidents like this.
Trust me. I learned from this hardcore. I realize life is so finite, it's a freakin scare. After he told me, I was like outside running like an aunt from the deep sun... feeling the rays of the cancerous Sunlight, and feeling like my body is falling apart without a cause so slowly. It's more disturbing than I describe, but I felt so scared... I bought eye vitamins, sunglasses... so scared.
Quote from: Rachel Lynn on July 23, 2017, 05:06:32 PM
In Philly I would have gone to Wills Eye Hospital and had treatment relatively quickly.
Why he did not take quick action and having great insurance is his lack of self care. Perhaps he has other underlying issues that are preventing him from self care.
This^^^
My mother has had many detached retinas due to a childhood problem and currently goes to wills. Any of the philly area hospitals would get the person in the same day or next day.
Really though, it's up to the person to make their own choices. If you suggested an action and they did not take it then no fault on you, though completely understand how you feel when people close do what seems like really dumb things.
Quote from: Wild Flower on July 23, 2017, 05:57:23 PM
Trust me. I learned from this hardcore. I realize life is so finite, it's a freakin scare. After he told me, I was like outside running like an aunt from the deep sun... feeling the rays of the cancerous Sunlight, and feeling like my body is falling apart without a cause so slowly. It's more disturbing than I describe, but I felt so scared... I bought eye vitamins, sunglasses... so scared.
Possible blindness is a terrifying idea. Because I am albino I have to be especially careful with my eyes and sunlight. But people with normal eye color really have a small chance of going blind from sunlight. As long as you don't stare into the sun and wear sunglasses when it's bright out you should be fine.
Julia
Quote from: elkie-t on July 21, 2017, 08:18:45 PM
He's a realist. Do you think ER would have equipment needed for complex eye surgery, or would he get an urgent appointment with a specialist??? Unless you are a major guy, it will take a number of days to get to any eye surgeon at least
This is simply not true. He was a fool. And yes an ER would have know what was wrong and could have been able to get him the help he needed to save his sight. How do I know this? Because I had the same happen to me. I looked up the symptoms online and found out it could be serious. I immediately call the hospital and was in to see someone that day. I had a tear in my retina the could have led to detachment had the not used a laser to seal the edges down so it did not get worse. The symptoms of retina tears is well known and require immediate attention.
If you see a bright flash and notice crap floating in you sight that was not already there, then get your tail into see a doctor. In my case I don't remember the flash but I did suddenly have what appeared to be a big glob of lint floating in my vision. I also noticed what looked like a snow storm of tiny black dots when looking at a bright background, That was blood from the tear dispersed in the eye fluid.
Your eyes are nothing to mess around with. when you noticed something out of the ordinary get it looked at.
Hugs,
Laurie
Quote from: Laurie on July 23, 2017, 06:32:31 PM
This is simply not true. He was a fool. And yes an ER would have know what was wrong and could have been able to get him the help he needed to save his sight. How do I know this? Because I had the same happen to me. I looked up the symptoms online and found out it could be serious. I immediately call the hospital and was in to see someone that day. I had a tear in my retina the could have led to detachment had the not used a laser to seal the edges down so it did not get worse. The symptoms of retina tears is well known and require immediate attention.
If you see a bright flash and notice crap floating in you sight that was not already there, then get your tail into see a doctor. In my case I don't remember the flash but I did suddenly have what appeared to be a big glob of lint floating in my vision. I also noticed what looked like a snow storm of tiny black dots when looking at a bright background, That was blood from the tear dispersed in the eye fluid.
Your eyes are nothing to mess around with. when you noticed something out of the ordinary get it looked at.
Hugs,
Laurie
YES! YES! YES!
I am still so pissed at him... but I cannot do anything about it.
Quote from: Laurie on July 23, 2017, 06:32:31 PM
This is simply not true. He was a fool. And yes an ER would have know what was wrong and could have been able to get him the help he needed to save his sight. How do I know this? Because I had the same happen to me. I looked up the symptoms online and found out it could be serious. I immediately call the hospital and was in to see someone that day. I had a tear in my retina the could have led to detachment had the not used a laser to seal the edges down so it did not get worse. The symptoms of retina tears is well known and require immediate attention.
If you see a bright flash and notice crap floating in you sight that was not already there, then get your tail into see a doctor. In my case I don't remember the flash but I did suddenly have what appeared to be a big glob of lint floating in my vision. I also noticed what looked like a snow storm of tiny black dots when looking at a bright background, That was blood from the tear dispersed in the eye fluid.
Your eyes are nothing to mess around with. when you noticed something out of the ordinary get it looked at.
Hugs,
Laurie
Now you have me worried, I've had floaties in my eyes for a while. Some days are worse than others. I just figured it was exhaustion. Now I'm going to schedule an appointment to have it checked out.
It is very sad that the young man has lost the sight in that eye and it is a lesson for all of us to take care. We also have to be very careful of Dr Google, it may have information but has no training and no skill in interpretation. I've lost count of the number of patients who were fine by Dr Google before they presented at the oncology clinic.
It is also salient that medics are the worse patients of all. I ignored my cough for 4/5 weeks as it was 'only a cold'. I now breathe through a hole in my neck after having a laryngectomy.
Your health is precious and when death taps you on the shoulder and gives you that smile you realise that life is pretty wonderful and seeing a Dr when things are out of kilter is a very good idea.
While we are on the subject of not being stupid with your eyes, ... there is a total eclipse of the Sun coming next month. Anyone wanting to look at the Sun needs to take proper precautions.
For looking at the Sun with just your eyes, you need proper solar glasses. Sunglasses are not sufficient. Solar glasses are not hard to find when there is an eclipse coming up, but this close to the event, stocks may be running low. If you can't find solar glasses, you can use #14 welder's glass. #14 only!! Nothing else is safe. Just because it looks "dark enough" doesn't mean it is safe.
If you are looking through binoculars or a telescope, the front lenses need to be covered with solar film. The injury you receive from looking unprotected through binoculars or a telescope will be instant and permanent! The injury is painless so you might initially think you got away with it, but the damage will become apparent.
Quote from: Artesia on July 24, 2017, 06:55:15 AM
Now you have me worried, I've had floaties in my eyes for a while. Some days are worse than others. I just figured it was exhaustion. Now I'm going to schedule an appointment to have it checked out.
Some floaters are normal as you get older. However, a sudden change could indicate a problem. Regardless, you should be having your eyes checked regularly and mention any concerns to your doctor. They can't do anything, if they don't know about it.
Some floaters are normal Artesia. I am talking about those that suddenly appear especially if there was a bright flash before or is accompanied with black areas or lots of tiny black dots. Any sudden changes in your eyesight should be checked out.
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Quote from: Rachel Lynn on July 23, 2017, 05:06:32 PM
In Philly I would have gone to Wills Eye Hospital and had treatment relatively quickly.
Why he did not take quick action and having great insurance is his lack of self care. Perhaps he has other underlying issues that are preventing him from self care.
That's exactly what I was thinking. I know that I have a bad case of social anxiety. It makes it very difficult to go out for help like this. I hate to say it, but if I was in your brother's position I would have probably done the same thing. :/
Quote from: KathyLauren on July 24, 2017, 09:01:54 AM
If you are looking through binoculars or a telescope, the front lenses need to be covered with solar film. The injury you receive from looking unprotected through binoculars or a telescope will be instant and permanent! The injury is painless so you might initially think you got away with it, but the damage will become apparent.
If you don't have the filter designed for the device, you can focus it at infinity (don't use the sun for this) then place paper or cardboard in line with the eye piece. This will project an image on the surface that can be safely viewed. You can also use cardboard to block out additional light making the image more viewable.
Quote from: Artesia on July 24, 2017, 06:55:15 AM
Now you have me worried, I've had floaties in my eyes for a while. Some days are worse than others. I just figured it was exhaustion. Now I'm going to schedule an appointment to have it checked out.
I have the floaties too, and I had to get laser surgery to tape the retina down because it had a couple tears (no big deal really). Regardless floaters are not good (and I don't consider them normal, but a sign of possible retinal detachment).... there's something going on your in eyes, so fix that immediately. A lot of doctors blow it off, but don't. Vision is way to important to lose!
His was not cause by his eye, but the blood vessel. He smokes cigerettes for many years hardcore, I think that's what cause it. He had healthy eyes. So I know it's the blood that did it.... and his diet is unhealthy. I even told my friend, I will never smoke a cigarette in my life again... (I am terrified to lose my vision, and go downhill)
People take care of your health!!! This totally change my perspective on life profoundly. I felt invincible and then seeing this, I realize it can disappear in one second!0
A common cause of detached retinas is blows to the face like boxing. It could also happen as the result of an auto accident or anything where the head stops suddenly. I have occasional floaters but I also have had regular detailed eye exams and no issues were found. Sometimes material just flakes off and floats around however if there is a bunch of, that is a problem.