Sometimes as a physician we have only a small idea of how much what we try to do affects the patient’s life. Every now and again we get a glimpse of the feelings that the patient has about what happened to them. One such revelation came to me just recently.
A patient was referred for an eye problem that others could not fix but was within my scope of training. I knew I could fix it. After evaluation and discussion of how we could fix this problem and bring the sight back, the patient then opens his little bag and pulls out two framed pictures to show me what he has had in his bedroom for the last 8 years. It turns out that he had a retinal detachment 10 years ago that I had fixed. Subsequently he had developed a macular hole and I had fixed that 8 years ago. He had been so grateful about the success that he had my brochure framed as well as the last eye scan printout showing the macular hole before and after the repair, where it looked normal again. He had kept these two items for him to see every day to remember the kindness and help he had experienced. I was speechless…
East Carolina Retina Consultants 