Viewpoint
FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR

His Name is Earl

Larry E. Patterson, MD

Earl is an 85-year-old patient with bilateral macular degeneration, 20/400 OD and 20/60 OS. He had noticed the vision in the better eye worsening lately. Seven focal laser treatment sessions done elsewhere to the right eye resulted in a large macular scar. Now the retinal pigment dropout in the left eye was progressing, and there was no real treatment to improve his eyesight short of a low vision evaluation, which we scheduled. Earl's life was complicated further by having lost his wife two years ago.

It was just a few weeks before Christmas, and here on the eastern edge of the central time zone, it was already getting dark just a bit after 4 pm. When that afternoon's evaluation was finished, Earl was sitting alone in our front lobby. Admittedly, he didn't really feel safe driving with his vision being what it was, plus the oncoming darkness.

One of my younger technicians, Kayla, spied him sitting there and inquired as to his situation. He explained that due to his macular degeneration, he “couldn't see worth a damn.” She offered to drive him home, but he replied that that wouldn't be necessary, as he was calling a neighbor to get him. Nevertheless, she checked on him later that evening to make sure he'd made it home OK.

Unbeknownst to me, the next day she went by his house to see if he was doing all right. She noticed he had no Christmas tree displayed, and asked him about it. Earl explained that he had a tree in a box, but just wasn't capable of putting it up any more. Later that day, Kayla came by and put up the tree and decorated it. Earl had two TV dinners and shared his meal in that way with her that evening.

“She called on me three or four times over the next few days and weeks just to make sure I was OK,” Earl told me when we next talked. “Then, on Christmas day, the most amazing thing happened. She shows up at my house with a plateful of food left over from her family's Christmas dinner. Roast beef, turkey… I hadn't eaten like that in a long time.”

Take what you want from this true story. For me, it's a reminder that it's not about marketing—it's about people. In this magazine, we write a lot about how to fit more patients into your busy schedule, which means you get to spend less time with each one. That's the unfortunate reality of modern practice. With time at such a premium these days, it's all the more touching when someone goes the extra mile (literally, in this case) and makes a real difference in the life of a patient who needs a little extra attention.

Thank you Kayla, and thank you to all my wonderful technicians, doctors, nurses, front office people, opticians, etc., for having hearts that really care about people, and enhancing my continued love for this profession.