The Gardener’s Challenge
In his latest blog, Mark Packer, MD, FACS, CPI, tells of a time a patient of his was left to only trust his judgment and nothing else, and why learning never ends for physicians.
Editor’s Note: Welcome to “Eye Catching: Let's Chat,” a blog series featuring contributions from members of the ophthalmic community. These blogs are an opportunity for ophthalmic bloggers to engage with readers with about a topic that is top of mind, whether it is practice management, experiences with patients, the industry, medicine in general, or healthcare reform. The series continues with this blog by
The gardener’s challenge
A quiet, reflective woman in her mid-fifties with graying black hair, Mary was tall, with olive skin, overalls and work boots. Her husband and brother sat to the side, listening to our conversation.
Mary’s garden was famous in a town known for prize gardens. She worked outside or in her greenhouse most days, pruning, planting, weeding, and thinning.
“I can’t see the little buds anymore, or separate seeds without these,” she said, holding up a pair of fairly strong over-the-counter reading glasses. “I have to get too close to what I’m working on to see it, and then the glasses get drops of sweat on them, and I can’t see at all.”
Mary started wearing glasses in the second grade, and got contact lenses when she was 10. By the time she went to college, she was extremely nearsighted. When she turned 45, she started to need reading glasses over her contacts. Then, she tried monovision-under-correcting her non-dominant eye to leave it a little nearsighted-but she found this made her dizzy. So she struggled along with the contacts and readers until they became so cumbersome that she decided to see me.
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