My daughter has a medical vision condition which requires that she wear prescription eyeglasses. She has been seeing a pediatric opthamologist for a year. This doctor works out of 2 locations, as many doctor's do. So on the first visit, I selected the frames and had them fill the lenses, per the prescription. The next visit to the doctor, I went to the *other* location and found the optical department had a much better frame selection and was very pleased. So on her 3rd checkup, I decided to make her appointment, again, with the same physician, and at that same location where the frame selection was better.
Her prescription "had remained UNCHANGED" on her 3rd visit but her frames weren't holding up that well so I purchased a new frame and had them fill the lenses--with the original prescription on her first visit.
Fast forward to today, she had her one-year exam and we were hoping to see substantial progress to her medical vision problem and discovered that 6 months ago, when I bought that 2nd frame/lenses, they ordered the WRONG prescription lenses !
No one apologized. No one accepted responsibility for the mistake and tried to instead, each person ignored the issue or tried to put the blame on someone else. The doctor said that "her progress isn't what we would like to see" but told me that giving her the wrong prescription wasn't that big of a deal.
I never imagined that someone could or would screw up prescription lenses. It's not like I can look at it and tell if something is wrong. My daughter's vision was so bad today too! At the same time, she would never say a word herself if her prescription is off.
But how mad would you be if someone gave your child the wrong prescription lenses? I'm pretty darn agitated and find myself getting more agitated as the evening wears on. TIA
I originally thought it was the lab's fault. The lady that works in the optical department tried to tell me that the prescription was correct. I explained to her 4 times (it was so many because she kept doubting me.) that it was not. She then went into the back office to get more clarification because she didn't believe me. She did that twice and when she came back she explained how it happened:
When I went to the "other" location on my daughter's 6 month visit, the TECH verified her first prescription but was LAZY and wrote the "sphere" portion down incorrectly in the "L" eye. Further, she completely left out the portion for the astigmatism. My daughter HAD a mild astigmatism in her R eye and moderate in L eye. Again, the LAZY tech completely left that portion off of her prescription notes. Unaware of the level of ineptitude and incompetence, I proceeded down the hall to the eyeglass department to order my daughter a brand spankin new pair of frames. Woohoo...right? Well, the man that works in the department ordered the new lenses and he is suppose to verify the prescription from the prescription, not from the notes. Try to keep up here. The lady from the first location, yesterday, said he should have faxed her for the verification and said he didn't. I said to her, "I was sitting in the office that day and I thought I remembered him contacting you.." She said he didn't. Personally, I think he did and that she never got back to him. But either way, he never verified the actual prescription. Then when we picked up the new pair of prescription lenses, again, he never verified the actual prescription.
My insurance paid for the frames except for like $10.00 or so. I paid about $100 for the lenses but because I came back within 6 months (yesterday was 6 months from the date of order) for the follow up visit, they changed the lenses for free but that would have happened even without their MISTAKE.
Why precisely am I pissed? Because my child has a medical condition that is cure-able. Her glasses are literally her medicine to make her heal. She wore those glasses all day for the last 6 months and was so good about it. So I lost 6 months of treatment and her glasses are her eye medicine, literally. Not only that, but her astigmatism is has gone from mild to moderate in one eye. The sphere portion of the prescription, where they effed it up is also worse in that eye. Arghhhh.
@Kristine: Read my SWH. It wasn't the lab's fault. I wish it were that simple.
@Shari: She has a medical condition and that's why she sees a medical doctor. It's more of a muscle/brain issue--if that makes sense. In other words, the vision problem is a by-product of the muscle/brain problem. That is why I am so pissed off because her eyeglasses ARE her therapy! She basically lost 6 months of good therapy. In other words: Her eyeglass prescription is not only designed to help her see, but to WORK those muscles in cooperation with the brain. When a person has a medical issue, they should see a medical doctor. When it is simply a vision issue, you see an optometrist. Of course an optometrist will treat you, but it is not the optimum treatment because...well again, it's a muscle--brain issue.
@Gamma G: Ack. I did and I didn't get the impression they were too concerned. No one seems to be that concerned actually. Sure, I can complain but this is at an actual hospital. They aren't going to cancel the contract. I may send in something to the medical board. I'm cutting my financial and time losses and going elsewhere.
I have found that people can mess up about anything anymore. I wouldn't be 'mad' as much as I would go to a new doctor from now on. I read on this site where someone got the wrong immunization by mistake the other day and things like that happen but you don't have to stay with that doctor. I think if they didn't apologize I would just politely find a new place to go, in fact I would anyhow.
I would be hopping mad! And, I would probably threaten legal action if the wrong lenses could have had a detrimental effect on her vision.
Well, you cant go backwards and fix it.
Just be glad it's figured out now.
Mistakes happen.
I'm sure they are all aware.
E., don't give your business to people like this. You pay good money, and you shouldn't let this go. Find another pediatric opthamologist. Tell him or her why you changed doctors. Tell this new doc that you don't expect to go through this again.
You vote with your pocketbook. Truly.
Dawn
you have a right to be angry....
But I have been wearing glasses for over 21 years and you might be surprised by how many times different places have messed up and then told me that everything is fine.
Unfortunately, it happens pretty frequently. Typically, though, adults know pretty quickly when their prescriptions aren't correct. Young children can't tell you.
I would try to stay calm. I would be upset without an apology, but it's true - lawyers are telling companies and doctors to never apologize - it opens the door for litigation as an admission of fault. Obviously, they are the only ones at fault here.
Prescriptions in glasses should always be checked once the glasses are in. Always. However, it was a mistake.
What would make you feel like you were made "whole"? An apology? A refund?
Your child won't have permanent damage from having the wrong prescription for 6 months. Identify what would put the situation "right" for you and write the opthomologist a letter.
If you want an apology, put in writing that you have no intention to sue, that you understand that sometimes procedures break down and mistakes happen, but that you would like an apology and a refund for your lenses.
Updated: I completely get that these glasses are supposed to help your daughter's eyesight improve. I've worn glasses since the 5th grade - too late to make improvements. We still don't know your daughter's age, but if 6 months of bad prescription can change her eyes that quickly, it won't take much to correct it. I understand the process broke down. It sounds like a crappy optical department. If you like the doctor (or he's the only one nearby that's on your insurance), then get the prescriptions from him and have them filled elsewhere. Your prescriptions are YOURS - not his. He cannot charge you for writing out your prescription (at the time) to take elsewhere.
I would die on that hill, E.!
How old is your daughter? A child cannot be expected to notice if her prescription is off!
This has happened to my mother (my Step-father was dying at the time, and she thought she was going mad--just kept wearing her old glasses til she had "time" to address it and once she did, they told her "sorry--too late!") AND it happened to my husband (who went back the following year and the doctor was baffled as to why his eyes had changed SO MUCH--turns out the tech wrote it backwards & the lenses were made backwards!) so it DOES happen!
Switch immediately. They can't be the only game in town and I'd let them now EXACTLY why I was leaving! AND I'd tell everyone I know what happened!
Request a refund for the frames and lenses or ask them to fill the next prescription for free. THEN decide if you like the doctor. The LAB fills the prescription. The LAB is supposed to double check. The TECH at the office is supposed to check the lenses and the frames against the prescription. Make sure the doc checks the new prescription when you pick up the new glasses.
If you like the doc, you might choose the frames and lenses at the main branch and have them delivered at the other - providing they do what they are supposed to do.
Like another person said, you can't go backwards.
So - decide if you like the doctor. Decide to stay or go.
You can be upset and angry. You should be.
That said - this is a blip on the radar screen of life. Find your solution, fix the problem, and move on.
LBC
Yeah, I'd be pretty PO'd! I'd want a refund on the glasses and move your business elsewhere.
And talk to your daughter and tell her to tell you if the glasses feel wrong, so next time you can have the doctor double check them.
Go on the COVD website and get her to a developmental and behavioral optometrist who can give you therapy to correct things along with glasses perhaps. ALWAYS get 3 opinions for any medical condition. Move on from that practice it's wasting your energy.
you have every right to be angry. those people did an injustice to you and your daughter. and regardless if the wrong lenses didnt go anything to agitate your daughters condition the fact of the matter is that she had to suffer through 6 months of poor vision, which is just plain terrible! I would be doing something. there has to be a general manager/owner you could talk to. I would not ever go back, and I would warn others away from them. I would also talk about getting your money back, it is not right for you to have to deal with that. if a pharmacist had given her the wrong medication there would be hell to pay and so many routes to take, this is the same in my opinion! I am so sorry!
the old saying "don't get mad, get even" comes to mind - in this case, all you can do is change doctors. which i would, not because of the mistake, but because of their attitude about it. you are right. absolutely ridiculous. i'd let them know exactly why i was, too.
You have every right to be angry. There are supposed to be steps in place to prevent this. Your opthamalogist is most likely not apologizing because that is what attorneys always tell them. --> NEVER EVER EVER EVER APOLOGIZE! It is like admitting the mistake is your fault. Although most doctors who are decent will apologize. I would definitely fire him and report him to the board of opthamalogy. You may even decide to see an attorney. Good luck to your little girl. Take some deep breaths... try to calm down and demonstrate by example that being proactive instead of reactive is the best way to handle most situations in life. You are being proactive if you report him to the Board of Opthmalogist because that will make him remember this mistatke and hopefully this will not happen to anyone else. You are alos being proactive if you talk to an attorney because you are making sure that you are looking out for you daughter. He is not going to say that it is a big deal. That would be stupid of him. Most other dr's will not incriminate another dr. You need an expert to look at your case... an attorney would know how to find one.
i would be flipping out. I would demand that he give me discount on her new frames for the incovience that was given to me and my child. and i would probably tell him out and everyone else that was in the office thinking that they can give my child or any child the wrong perscription and not apologize or anything like that. sometimes being polite doesn't always get your point across.
I would call my insurance carrier and let them know what happened, often they can get results financially that you can't get. They can threaten to cancel their contract with that doc if they don't get reimbursed. It may help you to have some clout. If her vision is that hard to understand them I would definanatly choose someone else to do the work after this. I would also tell the doc that if he didn't think it was a big deal to put the wrong glasses on a child then he really didn't have any reason to expect his patients to ever come back since they only need one pair of glasses for their whole lifetime.
I guess my question is why would your daughter not mention that the glasses "were weird." If they were really off you should have noticed some-thing wrong. Try putting on a completely different prescription and you cannot function. When I had glasses done, the prescription was a bit off
and I could not use them. I returned and the lenses were redone. So I would not be happy, but I would encourage my child to speak up when
things were not right with her glasses.
I would be furious. Especially as kids are learning to read, it's critical that they have the proper prescription in their glasses. My daughter has astigmatism, and if the astigmatic eye isn't "forced" to work, it won't, and there's only a short window of time to re-train the eye and reinforce those brain patterns. It really CAN be a big deal. I know because I had an undiagnosed astigmatism until I was 12, and as a result my left eye never learned to read. I can physically see the letters with my left eye, but without my right eye, I can't read. The brain connections just never happened with my left eye. I don't know what your daughter's condition is, but it really could be a big deal. Don't let them brush you off like this.
If I were you, I would INSIST upon a refund for the glasses. (The lenses, the frames, everything.) Further, find a new ophthalmologist, relate to the doctor what happened with the glasses, and find out what, if any, next steps you should be taking to get your daughter's vision back on track. You need an impartial medical opinion on this, but I would say without a doubt, if your daughter requires occupational therapy due to this mistake with her glasses, or whatever else needs to happen, the place that screwed up her glasses needs to make it right for you.
The next time she gets glasses, insist that she does a full eye test with the new glasses on so you can be sure the prescription is correct. They are supposed to do that anyway, but with kids, half the time they just want to rush them out the door. Don't let them!
I've worn prescription lenses since I was in grade school (and I'm 60 yrs old). I read sometime ago that you should take your glasses back to the ophtalmologist so they confirm the lenses are correct. Since the new ones are always so much an improvement, I've never done this. You can begin practicing this.
Don't expect apologies, sad to say, few people do.
E., I'm very sorry that happened to you. It does sound like it was the lab's mistake and not the doctor's. Many times opticals and doctors share space (like Sears, Walmart, or even private opticals), but are independent. So it is possible the doctor's side had nothing to do with it. As other people have said, they are supposed to verify the prescription before they release it. I would speak with the optical manager about getting a refund because the lab is definitely at fault.
Your daughter's eye are still growing and I would expect that the prescription would have changed anyway regardless of what her prescription was. The old and new rx's might not have been that far off, which may have been why the doctor didn't seem overly concerned. I don't mean to excuse the incompetence of the lab because there really is no excuse for that! Patients pay a lot of money for glasses and they should be made correctly. I just wanted to reassure you that wearing an old or undercorrected prescription will not ruin someone's eyesight. If you otherwise like the doctor and have been satisfied with his care, I would stick with him. However, if you are not satisfied with how the optical resolves the mistake they made, I would get your prescriptions filled elsewhere. The prescription is yours and you may take it where you like. There are plenty of opticals which probably take your insurance and would be willing to verify the RX in front of you when you pick up your glasses.
Good luck! And I hope you get a good outcome with this!
