From time to time we still get asked why we do what we do.  Why test the 80-year-old lady with dementia? Why bother with the wee man who has no interest in TV or reading, sure what’s the point in testing their eyes. 

Well the answer is simple and illustrated perfectly by a phone call we received last week. In 2010 we tested a gentleman of 92 and gave him a new pair of glasses, which allowed him to see reasonably well. He had advanced cataract, so after discussing a referral we sent a letter to his GP.
 
One year later the gentleman was on the waiting list to be seen by the hospital but his vision had dropped to the point were he could not see our letter chart at all. He had lost all interest in day-to-day activities and his care staff said he had failed a lot, but they were still keen he be assessed for cataract surgery.

Recently we had a call to retest the man following cataract extraction. It was fantastic!! The man now reads to the bottom of the letter chart, which means that TV is something he can enjoy again along with the daily paper, his meals, his friends and his family photographs etc.etc.etc.

The man’s grandson rang to have a chat about the difference it had made. At 94 years of age this man has been given a new lease of life and is making the most of it. Being able to see properly for the first time in years has been a revelation for him and it is great to see him enjoying it. Sometimes it takes surgery to achieve such a dramatic affect, sometimes just a new pair of glasses. Whichever it is we still get a great buzz from stories like these.