Trabajar con su médico para controlar su glaucoma
Es importante que su médico escuche y responda a sus inquietudes y preguntas, esté dispuesto a explicar sus opciones de tratamiento, y esté disponible para llamadas y chequeos.
If you do not feel safe and comfortable with your doctor, or at any time in your care, remember that you always have the right to seek a second opinion. Effective treatment begins with a good working relationship with your ophthalmologist.
Tips for working with your doctor
- Keep good records of the date and time of your appointments, and make sure you have enough time for the visit. Get yourself checked before going on a long-term trip or starting a long-term project.
- Write down any questions you have about your eyes, vision, or medications before going to the doctor. During your checkup, take this list of questions and write down your doctor’s answers.
- Tell your doctor if, for any reason, your medications are not working for you or if your daily routine has changed. Your doctor may be able to resolve these problems by changing the type or timing of your medications.
- Bringing a friend or family member to accompany you to your appointment as a second pair of ears can help you capture all the details of your visit. This can be especially helpful early in your diagnosis.
- Report any new symptoms to your doctor, such as redness, irritation, itching, watering, or decreased vision. The symptoms you have could be related to the disease or the side effects or complications of medications or surgery.
- Bring all your medications and an up-to-date list to your appointment. This not only allows your doctor to see what you are currently using and how often, but it also lets you know if you need a refill. Be honest about how often you have been applying eye drops, as this may influence treatment decisions. You should mention any new medications that other doctors have added to your glaucoma doctor.
- It is important that you leave your doctor’s office with a clear understanding of whether things remain stable or are possibly getting worse, or if additional testing is required. Make sure you have the information you need. It can be difficult to remember the details. Ask your doctor to write your treatment plan in large, clear print and, if necessary, color-code medications and instructions.
- Schedule your next appointment before you leave the doctor’s office and put it on your calendar.
- Make use of medical assistance equipment. The trained staff who work in your doctor’s office, such as technicians and nurses, can be a tremendous support in helping you manage your illness. These professional experts can often provide you with the information, time and attention that can make a big difference.
With these tips, seeing the doctor who treats your glaucoma can not only be less stressful, but also more productive. Having the right perspective can strengthen the collaboration between patient and doctor to provide the care that is most beneficial to you.
How to respond to vision changes due to glaucoma
Some people who have glaucoma have “poor vision.” Having poor vision means that you may have trouble doing routine daily tasks, even if you wear glasses or contact lenses. With glaucoma, this can include loss of contrast sensitivity (the ability to see shadows of the same color), problems with glare, sensitivity to light, and decreased visual acuity (the ability to see fine details).
There are a variety of products and resources available to help people who have low vision. Some examples include magnifying glasses, colored glasses, programs to increase the size of text on the computer, and speech-to-text and text-to-audio applications. If you are worried about having poor vision, you can ask for help. Talk about what worries you with your doctor.