Our president and CEO, Kurt Deichmann, recently shared a sobering trend he has noticed when working with clients. He said that many people have mentioned receiving no resources, referrals, or tools from their eye doctors upon losing their vision. In fact, Kurt shared that many clients said something along these lines:
"My eye doctor didn’t know what to do with me once they were done with me.”
With this thought in mind, we polled dozens of people on Facebook who are part of the blind and low-vision community. The vast majority of people said they had very little help from their eye doctors and surgeons outside of specific medical procedures. Here are common phrases that came up in the comments section:
No cure
No treatment
Good luck
Check the internet
Lost in the shuffle
Guinea pig
Lab rat
No support
One user, who will remain anonymous, shared this experience:
“I was in too much shock when my vision went down so quickly. When I went to my last doctor…he patted my arm and said, ‘I’m sorry, but we can’t do anything more for you.’ I was numb. It just never occurred to me to ask him where I could go or what I could do to make things easier for me to accept this. He had no idea what to say…. I was searching the internet for some kind of magnifying glass that I could bring to work so that I could continue as a nurse, and then I had to hide it because I didn’t want anyone to see that I was having problems. But no one pointed me [to someone] who could have helped me with essential equipment for low vision. This is definitely needed. All eye doctors need to be educated about this. When you tell a patient, ‘I’m sorry I can’t do anything else,’ you need to follow that with, ‘Here are the people that will help you from now on.’”
Words and implications like these from a trusted professional are not only heartbreaking and earth-shattering to an overwhelmed patient, but they are also insensitive and antithetical to the purpose of modern medicine.
When patients are experiencing trouble with their vision, they are already feeling frustrated, scared, and confused. Sometimes they are also in physical pain. Most people don’t plan to lose their eyesight, so individuals who face that reality often feel that their lives are over. That can lead to severe anxiety and depression.
Here is our message for doctors, social workers, patient advocates, and other medical professionals: know what resources are available for your patients. There are nonprofits, businesses, support groups, and products that make life easier for blind and visually impaired folks. Don’t let anyone leave your office feeling hopeless. Of course, we hope you will refer your patients to us at www.faftb.com (you can request brochures for your office by emailing admin@faftb.com).
Friends who are experiencing any type of vision loss, we are here for you! We not only offer compassionate support, but also real workarounds to make your life easier. We have the assistive devices, advanced technology, and helpful connections to allow you to thrive. We tailor every lesson to meet your needs, and we remain in contact with clients to answer questions as they arise. Every client will complete his or her training with us feeling more hopeful, optimistic, and confident.
Additionally, we invite you to keep in mind these action items:
Advocate for yourself and others in our community.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Share our website with your doctors so that they are more informed about available resources.
Most importantly, don’t give up.
If you’d like to learn more about our training, fill out our simple form at www.faftb.com/services or email admin@faftb.com.
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