I qualified as optometrist about 5 years ago,then decided to train as a audiologist before starting my own business 3years later, last month I was very lucky to get a contract with a professional employment agency to check applicants vision and hearing as part of their medical before being shortlisted for work applications. I normally save Tuesday and Thursday pm for clients sent by the employment agent. I had just got back from lunch when my receptiones rang me to say a Ms Johnson had arrived for her examination. I called her name out over the intercom, but nobody came into my examination room so I opened my door and went into the waiting room I looked at the photo on the paperwork that the agency had sent me,and walked over to the young lady sitting in the corner, Good morning Ms Johnson, she looked up rather shyly,would you come into to the examining room please. I need to check a few details first if that’s ok with you. You are 25 and from Brazil?.she nodded in reply.when did you last have a eye exam and hearing test. Never she said.my parents could never afford that. Do you have any problems with your eyes I asked.. Not when I was back home in Brazil she replied,but since coming to England 2 months ago to live with my older sister I get a lot of headaches and find it hard to travel on my own,the writing on the bus time tables is so small and and high up on the poles and I’m not very tall.also there are so many busses and I have to wait till they stop to see the numbers and were they are going to.I don’t like to ask people as its so noisy that it’s hard to understand them,It so different to at home, Here I get afraid on my own. Ok let’s see what we can do to help you,first I need to look in your eyes with this bright light don’t be afraid it won’t hurt,Ok they seem healthy a little bloodshot nothing to worry about I will give you some drops to put in them daily that will help. I need to put these strange glasses on you and get you to look at the chart on the wall,can you start from the top and read as far down as you can manage.we will try with both eyes first then I will test each eye separately.dont worry if you get any wrong. She just sat there,is there a problem I said.I don’t know what to do she said I can’t see any letters. The penny dropped, no wonder she not like to travel on her own she was a very high myopic young lady,I had read that that there were many high moipic girls in Brazil, but had never meet one before. Don’t worry we will soon sort that I said,let’s start with your right eye,I need to put this black lens I front of your left eye and put some lens in front of your right eye I decided to start with -5.00.Ooo I think that’s a E if I screw my eye up.ok don’t do that just relax I added another lens.that’s better she said.good lets try the next line .ok which is best first or second. I think we will stop at that now I said you have managed very well,I wrote down -10.25 -250 160.lets do the other eye now,I decided to start with -6.00. This eye was proving more difficult despite adding more lens it was getting hard to get her past the second line so I stopped at -7.75 -3.75 180 I think we will see how you managing with both eyes now let’s walk into the main showroom be carefull the floor will feel as if it’s jumping up at you. Hold my hand if you want to. Wow you must be a magician I can see all that over there I never knew people could see like this.can I keep these on please please. No I’m afraid not I said with a smile on my face, but we will get you a nice pair of glasses and put lens in like this,but first we must go back into my testing room. and get you to read this card, It’s not easy to read it she said, ok how about this,its a bit better,good,O! I can read it much better now, thank you I can read much further down the card now . I think for now it’s best if we make you 2 different pairs of glasses one for distance and a seperate pair for reading or the computer. In 2 or 3 months we can talk about bifocals I think you call them dual vista lens. I will remove the reading lens then you will see further The agency will pay for the glasses and the lens for you.but only the basic frames in pink blue or tortoiseshell. We call them NHS frames. Can I have pink she said I think they look nicer against my darker skin. I’m Hoping we have the lens in stock if so we can get them made in about one hour. I could not let this young lady back out on the streets without glasses on,now I had seen how little she could see,so I took the unusual desion to take her to the coffee shop next door and let her keep the test frames on,while we made up a pair of glasses for her.I also sugest we rang her sister to come and collect her later. We chatted as we drank our coffee the time went very fast soon my assistant came in and took me to one side and said the glasses were ready, but the lab had done their best but the right lens was very much thicker than the left and it was hard to close the arms.I said that its ok she will need to wear them all the time so we just need to find a bigger case to put them in when she using her reading glasses. We got back into the shop and I collected her glasses and fitted them on to her,the lens were in fact even thicker than I had expected my assistant had rung the agency and they would only pay for the cheapest lens.despite this she was so excited to see so well that she never commented about it and I did think she looked very pretty wearing them and happier and not looking now so shy. My next was client was waiting so my assistant took Ms Jhonson into the waiting room. When her sister arrived she was pleased to see the smile on her siblems face my receptionist had told her that her sister glasses were very thick,to this she had replied it’s ok mine are as well. It will take your sister a few days to get used to her glasses,they are very strong for a first pair and we have made a special appointment for her to see the doctor tomorrow for her hearing test and we hope her reading glasses will be ready then Sadly I had been busy so I was unable to see the two sisters together
To be continued
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