In medicine, inflammation of any body part is called an “-itis.” Meningitis (inflammation the spinal area), tendonitis (inflammation of the tendons) or appendicitis (inflammation/infection of the appendix) are some examples. The eye can have several -itises as well depending on the part of the eye involved. Sometimes autoimmune conditions can trigger them.
I have dry eyes from my old LASIK corrective surgery 26 years ago. The medications I take for my chronic hives also cause more dryness. Wetting drops help a lot, and I have had no problems. But due to my recent hearing loss issue, which may be autoimmune, I went for a good dilated eye exam just to be sure. I told the vision tech that I had a new autoimmune diagnosis, and I was “ruling out the -itises.”
Rest assured, this all checked out okay. The optometrist gave me more advice and thought over-the-counter allergy drops might also help. But as far as the bad things go, such as uveitis, retinitis, and iritis, I am all clear! That’s a relief.
Sometimes it is fully reasonable to get things checked for reassurance. This is not being a hypochondriac, particularly when the reasoning is sound. Making your goals and concerns clear from the beginning of the visit helps. We sometimes call this setting the agenda for the visit. As the patient, what are your goals for the visit? It is best to make that known at the beginning.
As a primary care doctor, I have seen too often that patients don’t do this. We spend 15 minutes talking about their chronic and stable conditions, like hypertension and diabetes. Then, at the end of the visit when I am ready to leave, they tell me about the crushing chest pain or fainting spell they had a week ago. Do yourselves and your doctor a favor by leading off with that next time!
I have started asking at the beginning of visits, “Is there anything new we need to discuss today?” Sometimes this helps. Yet not always.
Trust me, your doctor wants to know about these big things up front. If you have concerns about your health or the treatment recommendation, we want to know that, too. Patients who do not trust the treatment plan or have concerns are less likely to take the treatment, and they therefore might not get better. None of us want that.
My charge to you today is to proactively set the agenda for your doctor visits. What is your true concern? If it is for additional advice about a chronic problem, such as dry eyes, and a new concern, such as ruling out something that worries you, make that known from the beginning. This act of patient empowerment will make both you and your doctor happy, and lead to a more effective and efficient doctor visit.