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Orville Asked March 2020

Which eye doctors near zipcode 21220 can perform an eye exam for patients in a wheelchair?

Dad is 102, wheelchair bound. I cannot transfer him from his wheelchair to another seat. He lives in assisted living and his caregivers transfer him there but don't travel to his eye doctor.
He needs an eye exam but his current doctor also cannot transfer him. There must be some eye doctor who can help. Please advise.

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2020
I agree. Hire a Medical Transport ( an "ambulette") to take him to the office that can do the exam.

Grandma1954 Mar 2020
Contact an agency and explain that you need help transferring your dad from the wheelchair to the care then from the car to wheelchair and so on....
They should be able to provide someone that can help and it should not cost much since there is no real "caregiving" involved.
Your other option would be to hire Medical Transport they can help with all the transportation and transfer that needs to be done.

Another option would be to see if it is possible to have the eye doctor visit the facility to do an exam. That might be easier on everyone.

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worriedinCali Mar 2020
I too, question why he needs an eye exam at 102? My mothers eye dr is not set up for people in wheel chairs, you have to be able to transfer from chair to the equipment. And a regular checkup requires going in to multiple rooms. My mom is 71 with COPD and requires a walker. I took her to the eye dr last month and it was a quite an ordeal. Once she’s had her 2nd cataract surgery next week, no more eye exams unless absolutely necessary.

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2020
Orville; You are not answering what I'm asking.

Why, at 102 years of age, does your dad need an eye exam? Does he have a progressive disease like macular degeneration? what treatments are being considered?

A very wise geriatrician said to me about my mom: "If you aren't going to do the treatment, don't do the test." It made us rethink EVERYTHING that we were doing with mom.

That's why I'm asking what the REASON for the eye exam is. At some point, you stop doing "routine" stuff.
Orville Mar 2020
My dad's mind is still sharp. He says he believes that his vision has deteriorated.
His last eye exam was 2 yrs ago. Should he need a newer perhaps stronger prescription to improve his ability to see tv, read his Kindle, etc., we want to act on that.
Orville Mar 2020
The location where his doctor is requires his transfer to the examroom chair for the doctor to use the machine that goes up to your eyes. They have another facility that could do his exam in his wheelchair but then we have the problem of not easily getting him transported to that location.

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2020
Ok, but WHY does he need an eye exam?

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2020
Why does he need an eye exam?

At my mom's NH, there was an eye doctor who visited regularly. Is that not available?
Orville Mar 2020
No. His assisted living facility does not have an eye doctor available for residents.
needtowashhair Mar 2020
Why would they need to transfer him to another chair? As long as he's cooperative, then they should be able to examine him in the wheelchair. If he's not cooperative then even if you could transfer him to that special chair, it wouldn't help.

While it looks like it, the doctor's chair isn't bolted to the floor. It can be moved. Our doc just moves it out of the way and then we roll grandma's wheelchair over to where the chair was. Then the exam goes as normal.

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