It was supposed to be just a routine eye exam for David Wilson. The long-time local charter fishing captain had been experiencing some issues with his right eye, and as he was due for new glasses anyway, he scheduled his appointment with Dr. Michael Campbell Jr. at Optical Solutions and prepared for an uneventful visit. It would prove far from uneventful.
“I went in, did the whole checkup, but then when they tried to check my blood pressure, the machine couldn’t get an accurate reading. Then the doctor starts looking in my eyes,” Wilson said.
“In the back of his eyes, I could see that the optic nerves were edematous with hemorrhages around the edges of the optic nerve,” Dr. Campbell said. “He could have had a heart attack right there.”
Indeed, a manual check of Wilson’s blood pressure revealed it was greater than 240/140. He was rushed to the hospital immediately, where doctors were eventually able to get his blood pressure back down to normal levels.
“I spent three days in the hospital,” Wilson said. “And in that time, Dr. Campbell called me four times to check on me. It meant the world to me that he did that.”
By catching the problem early, it’s safe to say Dr. Campbell saved Wilson’s life. But then, that extra-mile checkup has long been a part of Optical Solutions since the senior Dr. Michael Campbell opened his first location 33 years ago.
“My father’s dedication and passion for his patients has shown me the proper care to all patients and a standard that all patients deserve. I love working with my dad. He has set a great example,” Dr. Campbell Jr. said.
“There is more to an eye exam than most people realize,” he explained. “In a lot of commercial optometry offices, a quick refraction is performed, and you are in and out in 15 minutes. They don’t diagnose systemic issues that could help a patient’s life in the future. But that is what our job should be. In some cases, we are the only doctor someone will see for years on end. We need to be able to diagnose systemic issues.”
Accomplishing that level of vigilance requires a two-pronged strategy. The first is the right technology. At all three Optical Solutions locations—Hospital Center Commons, Shelter Cove and Bluffton—you’ll find cutting-edge equipment that not only assesses your vision, but can help diagnose everything from glaucoma and macular degeneration to diabetes and even certain brain tumors.
“If I can show a patient a visual picture of how their eyes are being affected by their overall health, it really hits them. We can show them the evidence with the Optomap and OCT technology,” Dr. Campbell, Jr. said.
The second prong has been part of Optical Solutions since the beginning; it is a legacy established by the senior Dr. Campbell to offer nothing less than the best care. That family legacy continues with Dr. Campbell Jr. and will soon expand when younger brother Kevin graduates from optometry school and joins the family business.
“I cannot wait for what Kevin is going to bring to the business, I’m excited to learn from him and work with him. As we continue to grow the practice, we will be able to give more patients the proper eye care they deserve,” Dr. Campbell Jr. said.
And as this family business moves into the future, they can definitely count on David Wilson as a regular patient.
“Oh, I’ll always go back to Dr. Campbell,” Wilson said. “He took care of me.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit drmichaelcampbell.com.
