June 16, 2005. Doctors have a lot to learn when it comes to
dealing with patients who are blind, according to an
occupational therapist working in TCD who is herself blind.
Bethan Collins, writing in Forum, the journal of the Irish
College of General Practitioners, says anecdotal evidence
suggests a lack of awareness among GPs and a lack of
assertiveness among blind people can create many of the
communication difficulties that exist between the two groups. Ms
Collins gave the example of one blind person who when attending
a GP, was told by the doctor:"there's a seat over there",
following which the doctor (presumably) pointed to the seat. The
patient then asked where the seat was and the doctor
replied-"over there" again trying to point the seat out to the
blind patient. The patient then pointed out to the doctor that
he was blind but again the doctor pointed to the seat and told
the patient it was "over there." According to the article, the
consultation continued with a number of further faux pas,
culminatin