Preparing for an eye appointment when symptoms come and go

Many people know the feeling: something has been bothering your eyes for weeks, and on the day of the appointment it isn't there. Symptoms that come and go are common, and they are hard to describe from memory once you're sitting in the examination room.

A short, consistent record helps your doctor see the days you can't show them in person.

What to record

• When it happens. Time of day, how long it lasts, and how often.
• What it's like. Use your own words, for example "blurry when reading" or "my eyelid feels heavy in the evening".
• What was going on. Sleep, screen time, caffeine, alcohol, exercise, stress, eye drops or medication you took that day.
• Photos, if they help. Taken the same way each time, with the date and time.

Keep it short

A record you keep for two weeks is more useful than a detailed one you stop after two days. One minute in the morning and one in the evening is enough. Set a reminder at a time you're already holding your phone.

Bring a summary, not your whole camera roll

Appointments are short. Pick the most representative days, including a few where you felt fine, and put them on one page or one screen. Note any questions you want to ask at the top.

In Ocufuse, the Doctor Brief puts your photos, notes and context for a date range on one page that you can print or send. You choose what goes in it. Clinicians can read what a brief contains.

Questions worth asking

• Is there anything I should record that I'm not recording now?
• Are there signs that mean I should come back sooner?
• Should I keep doing any exercises, and how often?