Fans of comedy know Brian Regan as one of the premier stand-ups of the past decade.    Possessing a unique ability to engage his audiences, Regan’s storytelling covers topics that the average person can relate to.  In 2004, one of those topics was a trip to his eye doctor.  There is no denying that the bit is funny.  However, it also brings up a number of “teaching points” about eye exams and eye care.

•  “How can instantly improved vision not be at the top of your to-do list?”

That’s a pretty good question.  “I don’t have the time” is a valid and common concern.  But one could argue that few things are more important to our quality of life than our ability to achieve clear vision and maintain healthy eyes.  If you can’t see well, everything else in life is going to be harder.

• “I concentrate like crazy during the eye exam.  You don’t want to get a D on that thing…end up with these big, thick Coke-bottle lenses.”

A lot of patients comment that they dislike the process of prescription determination and the choices they are asked to make.  But this should not be a stressful situation.  There are no right or wrong answers.  You, as a patient, cannot mess the doctor up.  The doctor has a pretty good idea about what your prescription is and what your answers to his/her questions will be before they are even asked.  You are simply helping confirm and/or fine-tune the final prescription.

•  “Is it better like this or like this?  I hate that test…because I can’t commit.  I can feel my eye doctor losing his patience with me.”

An eye doctor should never lose patience with you.  Even if you answer his/her questions with options that weren’t presented.  Examples:

Doctor: “Which is better…”

Patient: “Two”

Doctor: “I haven’t shown you either option yet”

***

Doctor: “Which is better…one or two?”

Patient: “Yes”