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- Eye Care Treatment
- Eye Disease
- Lasik Surgery
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Choosing Your Eye Doctor
When picking the individual doctor you wish to have
for your vision problem, how do you know whether you've got the
right person? This can be a tough decision. There are as many
different types of individual doctors as there are types of people.
One of the best sources of good doctors is word of mouth. If you
have a friend who wears glasses or contacts, and has been with a
good doctor for several years, there's a good chance that this
doctor will be good for you too.
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When looking for a doctor, don't bypass an
experienced practitioner for a young professional fresh out
of school. Although recent graduates may possess the latest
technical knowledge, there's something to be said for
experience in any field. And, some new doctors are so
cautious that they may keep you in the chair for hours doing
every test in the book instead of just the ones related to
your problem.
To avoid the high costs of setting up offices of their own,
new graduates of optometry school sometimes begin their
practices in chain-store operations, which are usually
located in shopping malls. In these kinds of stores, you may
find young doctors with good technical knowledge but little
time to apply it because of the large numbers of patients
the stores book into each time slot. These young doctors
often don't stay around for very long - usually just long
enough to get on their feet financially - so if you frequent
these stores for your eye care, there is little chance that
you'll see one doctor more than one time. |
On the other hand, you should also be cautious of
older doctors who have been in the same location since
prehistoric times. If they have been keeping up with the
advancements in eye-care technology and knowledge, they are
perfectly fine doctors to see, but things change fast and not
everyone keeps up. Since all states require continuing education
as part of the relicensing process for optometrists, checking to
make sure that your doctor has a valid license should give you
some comfort that he or she has kept abreast of at least the
most important developments in the field.
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To become familiar with the doctors on your
list of possibilities and to make an intelligent choice from
among them, you should inquire about their educational and
professional backgrounds. You could ask each doctor for a
resume and any office promotional materials. Here are a few
questions to ask their receptionists when telephoning their
offices for the first time:
1. How long has the doctor been in practice?
2. How long does the examination take?
3. Will your eyes be dilated for the examination?
4. How much does the examination cost?
5. Does the doctor specialize in (or have experience with)
the particular condition or service you are interested in? |
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6. Will a case history be taken? (Be sure the doctor
sits down and talks about your problems, medical history,
medications, and lifestyle.)
7. How extensive is the examination form? (Although the form will
probably look mysterious, see how big it is and how much of it
should be filled out by the end of the examination. Be suspicious of
an examination form that's the size of an index card.)
8. Is a full range of distance and near-vision tests included in the
examination?
9. Is a glaucoma test a regular part of the examination?
10. Does the doctor work with a number of different contact lens
companies? (If you want contact lenses, it's important to have a
doctor who is not tied to one manufacturer. There are many different
kinds of contacts available now.)
11. Will the doctor describe the different tests while performing
them?
12. Does the doctor offer treatment alternatives (for example,
contact lenses, glasses, or vision therapy) according to the
patient's preferences?
13. Does the doctor regularly refer patients to other doctors when
appropriate or necessary?
Much of what you determine about a doctor will be based on just
plain old gut feelings about the office in general. If you feel you
aren't getting high-quality, personalized service from your eye
doctor, you may want to go elsewhere. Sometimes it takes a little
faith and trust to find a good eye-care professional. A good doc is
hard to find, but once you find one, stay with him or her, and
appreciate the good vision care. |
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