He has had both eyes done for cataracts. He is 88 and his Doctor continues to stress he needs a check up. He is not very mobile any longer and has shown no problems with seeing. He has veterans and regular insurance and is well off, so even if he has to pay out of pocket I am sure that would be ok. Like I said though...he is not having a problem. But I do not want to cause harm by not taking him or having someone come to his home.
Do not fool with your sight.
Do the home test for macular degeneration, which is common.
If he passes that one, ask the doctor next time a test is mentioned: What’s the concern, there seem to be no problems, what would the check be for?
No answer? - Don’t bother.
I don't recall the financial arrangements. I do recall that we could get reimbursement for our trips to the VA hospital (about a 75 mile or so drive).
What appealed to me though was that, if I remember correctly, there was a VA van that drove to various pickups to get the patients. I don't know though if this was continued throughout the pandemic. You'd have to check with the local VA office or hospital.
You might also check with the local Senior Center. If I remember correctly, my father's SC arranged with a local eye center to provide limited exams at the Senior Center. Or it may be that his Senior Center could take him to an ophthalmologist's office for testing.
The macula is in the middle of the inside back surface of the eyeball, where the optic nerve goes from the eyeball back into the brain. When it stops working, vision is impaired in the middle of the field of vision. You still have vision around the edges, but not in the middle. The normal ‘home’ diagnosis is to look from a distance at a piece of paper with a grid drawn on it, about quarter inch squares. If the lines in the middle of the grid seem to be wonky or not there, you have ARMD. We had our graph paper on the fridge with a magnet, and DH stood about 10 feet away.
DH went through all the ‘lab’ checks, and he is lucky. He had the other sort of macula degeneration caused by small broken veins in the eye ball, called a wet macula. It is being treated with a 2 monthly injection through the eye ball, which seems to be working. It is not age related.
My trouble was a detached retina, which is not age related and often comes from getting hit in the eye socket. They drain out the eyeball, lazer the retina to the back of the eyeball again, then refill the jelly substance in the eye ball. The ‘home’ diagnosis is flashing lights and a dark veil over a part of the field of vision. I can’t see why an 88 year old would be at much risk of this, but ask him if he has the symptoms.
I don’t know about any other age-related problems, and you could do a ‘home’ check for ARMD, which is by far the most common. If he doesn’t seem to be having problems, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Ask the doctor to explain the need, if the topic comes up again. Stun him/her with your new knowledge of ARMD!