Until 2018, Dr. Schoeppner was my opthalmologist for several years. In 2018, she told me that I…read morewould soon require laser treatments and/or injections in the eyes due to the condition of my retinas. I decided to get a second opinion and made an appointment at Mid-Atlantic Retina, where the doctor there told me that my retinas were in good condition and that I shouldn't let anyone shine lasers in my eyes or inject my eyes with needles, and to return to see him in a year. Then the doctor at Mid-Atlantic Retina said to me, "Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy", to which I replied, "What?"... he told me I had Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy, explained the nature of the disease, and asked if Dr. Schoeppner had ever told me I had Fuchs; when I told him that she had never said anything about it to me, he promised to send her a letter and recommend some OTC drops that would help with the condition.
The next time I saw Dr. Schoeppner in 2018, she never mentioned getting the letter about the Fuchs, or even that I had the corneal disease, so, finally I asked her about it, and when I did, she got very huffy with me and said to me, "I found it to incidental (not sure what she meant by that) and I see that all the time in my elderly patients!"
Well, what was "incidental" to her was very serious to me. For years I had told her about issues I was having, like seeing halos around car headlights and tail lights and street lights, which are symptoms of FCD, and she never once commented on what I told her or mentioned that I have Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy, a disease of the cornea in which the endothelial or inner cell lining of the cornea starts to deteriorate, i. e., those cells of the inner lining of the cornea die, which causes the eyes to water a lot, sensitivity to light, especially blue light, like that from computer and phone screens and even fluorescent lighting. I have been seeing a cornea specialist, who is the Director of the Cornea Fellowship Program at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, for a few years now, and she has determined that I have a moderate case of FCD. If and when it should progress any further, there is a surgical option available to avoid the worst case scenario of going blind.
I sure am glad that I decided to get a second opinion back in 2018. And needless to say, Dr. Schoeppner is no longer my ophthalmologist!