Having worn glasses virtually all my life I must have visited the optometrist on a regular basis over the years. As with all the professional organisations that one fleetingly interacts with, like the doctor and the dentist, some things have changed but much has stayed as it was.
The chart on the wall and the lens holding device are all from the past. The new gadgets are the pre test analysis such as a pressure measurement and the ability to scan the eye in such a way as to pick up potential problems regarding the health of the eye itself.
The test still relies on an interchange of in formation but much of the information flowing from the patient is subjective. "Is that clearer" depends on an evaluation which is trying to be helpful but struggles to distinguish between "clear" or seemingly better defined in so far as contrast is concerned. There is a difference.
The test largely concentrates on each eye in turn but when the eyes work in tandem and there is an incremental lag between the two images, the frustration of the Optometrist is palpable as their own information is based on specific graduations in the strength of the lens they now have to cope with the subjective reality of someone's else's brain having difficulty blending two perfectly good optical signals with a phase shift which makes a mockery of all they are trying to do. 'Oh my god' is the look on the face of the Optometrist, whilst the poor old patient dearly wishes 'their reality' was more like the one expected of them.
Dentistry has changed much more radically, not only in the sphere of damping down the pain but also the administration of the painkillers. The tools of the trade remain much as they were, the pliers to pull the tooth out and the hooks to probe around are much as I remember them. One significant improvement has been the high speed pneumatic detail drill, such a far cry from the belt driven drill of my childhood, that and the use of gas with the dentist forcibly clamping the mask over your face like a kidnap artist.
In those days the drill, the gas, and the adversarial temperament of the dentist terrified his patient and made a trip to the dentist a thing to dread. Conversation is of course very one sided and usually resorts to grunts and even today the high pitched whine of the drill and the expectation of pain as the cavity gets deeper is synonymous with some sort of Disney cartoon comedy where you know the circular saw will not reach Mickey's chest but the look on Mickey's face tells you no one has told him yet.
A visit to the doctor is less reassuring these days. Then the doctor knew the family pretty intimately he/she had been around at the birth and their knowledge of every medical scare was imprinted on their memory when you walked through the door into the surgery. Taking your seat and noticing who was in the room so as to know your place when "next" was called was far simpler than under going the gauntlet of reception Today sadly the doctor doesn't know you from Adam. The practice has grown such that it's nothing more than an assembly line and with the clock ticking, you had better get down to discussing your medical problem and quick. Much of the small talk which used to reveal a lot to the doctor as the patient opened up to speak, was of emotional nature and revealed problems often laying behind the medical ones as for a minute or two a rapport was established. Today the computer holds your history, you are to it nothing more than bits and bytes whilst to the doctor, you are a blood test and a pathology report.
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