Lately, I’ve been getting queries from patients that seem either very trivial or somewhat absurd. Some may just be pulling a prank on me to get my attention. They’re easy enough to cancel out. They don’t fill up patient forms nor reply to follow up questions. Only the ones serious enough about their worries go ahead with scheduling the check up and doing a face to face consultation.
Some concerns brought up can make even non-medically oriented people roll their eyes. However, as a doctor, I know I should address these concerns because they cause people to worry. I don’t dismiss these patients because maybe they just can’t verbalize their symptoms and there’s a really big problem underneath. When can you say an issue is BIG enough to be brought to a doctor’s attention?
I have a set of answers for frequently asked questions (FAQs) that pop up a lot. Most patients are satisfied with these answers and end up not needing to book an appointment. Others still want a check up because they feel that having an actual conversation with their doctor is the balm they need, even if no medications are needed.
One of the weirdest questions I was asked was from a new mom. Her 10-day old daughter would cry and the eyes would swell after each crying spell. I mean, it is so hard not to ask the mom “Have you never cried yourself?”, right? I remind myself to be understanding and kind to all my patients before replying. She scheduled an online check up. During the consultation, she informed me that the swelling occurs only from crying and resolves spontaneously shortly after. There are no other signs such as bulging, redness, pulsations in the eye, eyelid discoloration, or discharge. The baby was brought to the health center a day before and was otherwise well. The mom was worried because she researched online and read about congenital eye problems and feared that was what her baby had. I assured her that her concern was valid. At the time of the check up, the baby didn’t cry at all so I did not see the swelling for myself. I advised the mom to send me a video the next time it happens, which she did. Thankfully, the swelling was just the “normal” amount and what we expect after crying (water retention in the eyelids resulting in puffiness). Had it been from an eye disease such as orbital varix, blood vessels may be more pronounced and the eyelids appear bluish/purplish, the eye bulges out, and the baby will be crying non-stop from pain.
When eye problems don’t resolve right away and they start to worry you, the best thing to do is to still consult your eye doctor. It’s important that both the patient and the doctor not trivialize these concerns. We don’t want to miss actual sinister conditions lurking underneath.
