A New York optometrist shares what happened after they conducted a routine test on a patient’s eye. After suggesting the “eye puff” test, a patient quickly became aggressive, stating it caused him immense pain. This led to a heated confrontation and police being called. Now, this eye doctor says that he’s showing this to remind those in healthcare that they have the right to “protect themselves.”
Dr. D (@envisionaries) shared a video after conducting an eye puff test on a patient and what happened afterward. Immediately after the test, which puffs air into a patient’s eye, the patient became heated and aggressive toward him. You can hear the patient yelling at the doctor behind the door, stating, “My [expletive] eyes hurting right now! If I’m telling you I can’t see something, it’s no longer gonna work for this [expletive] eye.”
You can hear Dr. D patiently telling the man that it’s “fine” that he can’t do the test. But the patient continues screaming at him, telling him his eyes are hurting and refusing to calm down. The doctor tells him he doesn’t have to do the tests and he’s finished. The patient continues screaming about what they put him through and that his eyes are hurting. He firmly states, “They’re not doing something to my eyes. It’s hurting, bro. My [expletive] is hurting.”
Eventually, Dr. D leaves the room as the patient calls after him, “You wanna call the police? We can do that!” He continues yelling as the doctor walks out into the hall to speak with his employees. According to him, they did immediately call the police to help de-escalate the situation while others who heard the commotion tried to intervene and help.
Dr. D says he didn’t post this as a way to “embarrass a patient.” But, he says, “This is the reality of working in healthcare sometimes.” He says doctors are taught how to care for their patients. He adds, “We also have to learn how to protect ourselves and our staff when a situation escalates.”
Commenters shared their reactions and personal stories on Dr. D’s video. One commenter shared, “I’ve been a tech in both optometry and ophthalmology for years. As much as I love it, I’ve recently taken a step back because of patients acting like this. Just over the abuse we’re supposed to take and I was dreading going to work at a job I used to love.” Another commenter pointed out, “I’m so sorry this happened, but I will NEVER let a patient speak to my staff like that. NEVER. I have zero tolerance in this day and age. DISMISSED.” One added to this, “I do not stand for disrespect even if they’re in pain!” Commenters continue to share their reactions on what they’ve dealt with in the healthcare industry in the video’s comments.
