Optometry Visit

Modern optometry equipment

My night vision seemed to be less acute, so after nearly a decade it was time to visit the optometrist. The doctor's assistant asked whether I'd like to forego eye dilation.

Using a new LED camera system a high-resolution picture would be recorded in less than a second. There would be no eye drops, no shining of a bright tungsten light into the widened pupils, and no optometrist breath a few millimeters away from my eyeball. I immediately agreed to the $30 additional expense.

After a few minutes of staring at letters and answering a series of Which is better? One or two? questions, he determined that the myopia and astigmatism had not gotten worse. However---and then a close-up of an eye filled the four monitors---there was a faint shadow developing on the left lens.

Someday the cataract may need to be treated, but for now we'll just keep an eye on it. The sunlight didn't cause me to squint as I went back to the car. It was an enlightening visit. © 2013 Stephen Yuen