Fair compensation for doctor's mistake?

[asoctoberfalls]

Oct 28, 2012 22:51:01 GMT -5 niki said:

How much did this MRI and specialist cost you?

Only $30. (The MRI was covered 100%). The bigger issue was the time off work, but I'm not going to pursue that.

[LoveTrains]

asoctoberfalls, sorry this happened to you. and sorry people are giving you guff for it. I do think the doctor should compensate you for the contacts you can't use - since they gave you the wrong prescription.

[asoctoberfalls]

Oct 28, 2012 23:10:41 GMT -5 tacocat said:

This is not meant to be snarky at all but how did improper vision correction not come up before an MRI?

ETA: I am probably biased since I
work in vision but it seems like someone would have tried to verify this before major testing

I did the testing my PCP ordered. She did ask me about my vision, but I reported no problems because I could see just fine. She ordered the MRI just to make sure I had no tumors, and she referred me to a specialist when the MRI
showed some fluid in the mastoid. (The specialist said the fluid was not an issue).

[dietdrpepper]

I'm an optometrist, so I will give my two cents

Optometry is regulated like every other medical profession.

It is quite possible for a person to not notice if they have the wrong prescription on, especially if in just one eye b/c with both eyes together, your brain can "fill in" any discrepancies. It depends on the person, their sensitivity, the type of Rx they have, how old they are, wearing glasses vs contacts, etc.

Any mistakes made on the part of the doctors office need to be rectified by the doctors office. If a mistake in a prescription was made on my part, my staff's part, or my labs part, we will fix it 100%. I cannot comprehend not doing this.

No long term damage will occur to an eye for wearing an incorrect prescription.

I am surprised that your doctor did not recommend an eye exam before any other testing be done. I am always doing exams for patients who were referred bc of headaches, etc to make sure they are not having vision, binocular vision or other issues first.

Good luck!

[asoctoberfalls]

Oct 29, 2012 9:08:10 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

asoctoberfalls, sorry this happened to you. and sorry people are giving you guff for it. I do think the doctor should compensate you for the contacts you can't use - since they gave you the wrong prescription.

Thanks!! I dont mind the questions - I would probably have the same ones had I not experienced this first hand. It's pretty amazing how the brain can compensate.

When I told my mom about this, she said she wore the wrong prescription in her glasses for 2 years. The only thing she noticed was that her eyes felt strained and fatigued. Apparently these types of issues are more common than I realized!

[asoctoberfalls]

Oct 29, 2012 9:24:15 GMT -5 dietdrpepper said:

I'm an optometrist, so I will give my two cents

Optometry is regulated like every other medical profession.

It is quite possible for a person to not notice if they have the wrong prescription on, especially if in just one eye b/c with both eyes together, your brain can "fill in" any discrepancies. It depends on the person, their sensitivity, the type of Rx they have, how old they are, wearing glasses vs contacts, etc.

Any mistakes made on the part of the doctors office need to be rectified by the doctors office. If a mistake in a prescription was made on my part, my staff's part, or my labs part, we will fix it 100%. I cannot comprehend not doing this.

No long term damage will occur to an eye for wearing an incorrect prescription.

I am surprised that your doctor did not recommend an eye exam before any other testing be done. I am always doing exams for patients who were referred bc of headaches, etc to make sure they are not having vision, binocular vision or other issues first.

Good luck!

This was very helpful - thank you! I guess i am a bit surprised my PCP didn't pursue vision testing as well. I'll have to ask her about it next time I see her.

[tacocat]

Oct 29, 2012 8:08:20 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Oct 28, 2012 23:10:41 GMT -5 tacocat said:

I work for an ophthalmologist and we will very rarely write a prescription for glasses. If it needs to be fixed/changed it usually has to fall within 90 days of when it is written. (I am unsure if this is just a guideline or what). I imagine that they would still honor it though since it was their error but they unfortunately might not have to.

This is not meant to be snarky at all but how did improper vision correction not come up before an MRI?

ETA: I am probably biased since I
work in vision but it seems like someone would have tried to verify this before major testing

If it's their error how in the world would they not be responsible? Giving someone an incorrect prescription is a big deal! In any other area of healthcare this would be considered malpractice. Is optometry really that poorly regulated??

I said I don't deal with glasses often since we are strictly medical. I also said that even if they were not legally responsible they would most likely fix it.

[bronxgirl]

Oct 29, 2012 15:42:27 GMT -5 tacocat said:

Oct 29, 2012 8:08:20 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

If it's their error how in the world would they not be responsible? Giving someone an incorrect prescription is a big deal! In any other area of healthcare this would be considered malpractice. Is optometry really that poorly regulated??

I said I don't deal with glasses often since we are strictly medical. I also said that even if they were not legally responsible they would most likely fix it.

In other words, your response was irrelevant.

[tacocat]

Oct 29, 2012 15:46:58 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Oct 29, 2012 15:42:27 GMT -5 tacocat said:

I said I don't deal with glasses often since we are strictly medical. I also said that even if they were not legally responsible they would most likely fix it.

In other words, your response was irrelevant.

The main point of my response was below that with my question of why she got an MRI before an eye exam. The beginning was just me relating.

Go ahead and think it is irrelevant though, an actual eye doctor responded so I would go with her opinion before any of yours.

[kriso]

Oct 29, 2012 9:24:15 GMT -5 dietdrpepper said:

I'm an optometrist, so I will give my two cents

Optometry is regulated like every other medical profession.

It is quite possible for a person to not notice if they have the wrong prescription on, especially if in just one eye b/c with both eyes together, your brain can "fill in" any discrepancies. It depends on the person, their sensitivity, the type of Rx they have, how old they are, wearing glasses vs contacts, etc.

Any mistakes made on the part of the doctors office need to be rectified by the doctors office. If a mistake in a prescription was made on my part, my staff's part, or my labs part, we will fix it 100%. I cannot comprehend not doing this.

No long term damage will occur to an eye for wearing an incorrect prescription.

I am surprised that your doctor did not recommend an eye exam before any other testing be done. I am always doing exams for patients who were referred bc of headaches, etc to make sure they are not having vision, binocular vision or other issues first.

Good luck!

I am too, and while I agree with all of this, is it possible that the on-line company messed up the script?
When you order contact lenses on-line, the company calls or faxes your doctor to verify the prescription. If the company does not hear from your Dr. in 8 hours, they will fill it, even if the Dr. has not responded.
Am I understanding that you ordered them on-line? Did the Dr. Tell you they they gave you the wrong script?

[kriso]

Oct 28, 2012 10:19:07 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

Oct 28, 2012 9:52:16 GMT -5 GailGoldie said:

I can't imagine how you could wear the wrong contact for a year and not know it. Didn't you notice things were not clear? Didn't the doc give you a trial first? Mine always does before I buy a bunch. If they did not offer that then sure ask for them to pay but if they did and you said they worked then it is your own fault not theirs.

Many people explained how this is possible, including the OP. It is quite clearly the doctor's fault. Obviously OP does not write her own prescriptions.

Actually when people order contacts on line, most people DO "write" their own Rx. They write in what they are wearing, and while it should be an Rx from a Dr, someone could conceivably write anything, and if the company does not get in touch with the Dr, they will fill it, based on what you have told them is your script.
And I didn't mention above, but on-line companies will exchange CLs for almost any reason.