On Trial

It all came to a head when Dina underestimated the space between her car and the one in front, and plowed right into it. Baruch Hashem, neither she nor the other driver was hurt, but she was badly shaken up. “I realized then that something was seriously wrong with my vision, and I had to do something about it,” Dina says.

But when one eye doctor after another wasn’t able to help, Dina decided to consult with her primary care physician. Her PCP doctor sent her for blood work, and when everything came out normal, recommended she see a neuro-ophthalmologist.

“There were two neuro-ophthalmologists on my insurance plan,” says Dina. “The one closer to my home wasn’t taking new patients, and the second one, in a different state, had a three-to-four-month wait time for new patients. I couldn’t wait that long. My eyesight was worsening, and I was feeling desperate. I decided to check myself into the emergency room at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where the neuro-ophthalmologist I was waiting to see was based. I figured they’d have to treat me straight away if I came through the ER.”

Turns out Dina was partially right. The ER doctors did do a full exam but couldn’t work out what was wrong and sent her home. The upside though was that hospital protocol requires that any patient checked in through the ER must be seen again for a follow-up within the next three weeks. Instead of a three-to-four-month wait, now Dina only had to wait three weeks to see the neuro-ophthalmologist.