There are, of course, two sides to every story.  When I first heard of this
situation and then read the optometrist's 'rebuttal,'  I tried to imagine it
from the optometrist's perspective as well.

I think we need to keep in mind that this Dr. is a woman with no children who
does says she would want to breastfeed if she were to have children.  But
think back to pre-child life.  Many women have admitted here on Lactnet that
before children they had not much mothering instinct.  [A study on rats shows
that there is a portion of the brain that is triggered by oxytocin and
induces mothering behavior in the new mother rats in the first day or so
after birth.]  I think I remember Liz Baldwin saying at a conference that
before children, her mothering instinct fit in the tip of her little finger.
  Once that child was born she found herself transformed and, my words, a
mother bear.

I am quoting from some newspaper articles.
This is what the mother says happened:  "She was nursing the child in the
exam room when the optometrist entered.  She was not being examined at the
time.  According to the mother the Dr. got very angry. 'She told me she was
upset because I had my baby back there [in the exam rm.]. It was a Saturday.
 My husband was working so I had to bring my baby with me.  I told her I was
down to my last two pairs of [disposable] contacts and needed the
prescription.  I begged her.  She told me if I picked up the baby again, the
eye exam was over.  The baby got very upset and hysterical.  He was
screaming.  It only took a few minutes but it seemed like forever.'  When she
was finally able to calm him down, he was gasping for air from crying so
hard.  The mom reports that the Dr. told her there was no excuse for what
[she] did." [I assume that means having the baby in the exam room and slowing
down the exam.]

The article I am quoting from also says the Dr. refused the exam fee and the
mother later went to another Pearle, was examined and got the prescription
she needed.

And, there was another box in an other paper quoting a woman who works with
her optometrist husband in New Hampshire.  You might recall that the original
optometrist claimed that nursing a baby interferes with the ability to do an
eye exam.  Here's what this other optometrist's wife says:  "Several women
have nursed here, even while my husband was examining their eyes.  He was a
little embarrassed, but he was also flattered that they trusted him and felt
comfortable enough with him to do it.  It's never been a problem here.  In
most cases, it's difficult to tell that a woman is nursing.  We encourage
people to bring their children.  We often find ourselves babysitting while
someone is getting an examination."

"She also explained that holding, or even nursing, a baby does not interfere
with most of the equipment used, or procedures conducted, by an optometrist.
 And for the few minutes where holding the baby might be difficult, the baby
can be put down or held by someone else.  'We've held a lot of babies,'
 Collins said.  'Nursing is a beautiful experience.  It's hard to understand
unless you've ever done it.  We were just horrified to read what happened to
this women.  We couldn't believe it.'"

My point is that there is a contrast in attitude between these two offices,
or two doctors.  I'm sure the first optometrist felt she had done this mom a
favor seeing her out of appointment order [the mother had shown up an hour
early], tried to rush through the exam, and wanted no interruptions.
 Unfortunately, there were interruptions, but as a colleague of mine says: "
I think it
probably was true that [the mother] was making the Dr.'s life difficult - but
that's the way it is - some patients make your life difficult.  If she
came early and they didn't want to take her in early they should have
said no.  If she was taking too much time in the appointment they should
have said that.  It does sound plausible - and there are two sides to
every story - except for one thing.  The Doctor didn't say this a week
ago.  This incident happened on October 18 - today is the 6th of
November....and the story hit the press on Oct. 31st.  Why didn't
the Dr. speak out on the 31st - or at least on the 1st.   If someone
didn't tell the whole story and made me look like a jerk, you can bet
I'd be screaming my side to the press as soon as I was asked.  But we
got a lot of "no comment" from her for a week."

Mardrey Swenson in New Hampshire