38. “YOU CHANGED THE OIL IN MY CAR AND THEN THE WHEEL FELL OFF!”
We had a patient who refused to let us use the tonometer, a machine for checking ocular internal pressure to diagnose glaucoma. He said that machine gives you glaucoma and we weren’t going to pull that on him.
He told us his father got an exam and had glaucoma after using that machine. His uncle and brother also had no signs of glaucoma, and after getting the puff test, both people had been diagnosed with the disease.
Glaucoma doesn’t have any outward symptoms before you start going blind. This genius just told me he has a very strong familial disposition to glaucoma, and refused to be tested for it. Also, puff isn’t that bad guys. Try contacts, your eyes stop fighting back pretty quick. The puff is a lot better than the old machine – it just hit you on the eyeball with a little ball on a lever.
I also have plenty of patients that don’t understand family history. I interview patients directly so we don’t have any real paperwork, and too many people can’t answer simple questions.
“Do you or any of your direct family members have diabetes?”
“Yes.” …Yourself or your family?
Alternately, if yes to family members, they start listing their spouse’s family or step children. Not how genetic disposition works.
CaptainTheGabe