I’m trying to get an idea of how long it’ll take when I go tomorrow. I think he’s an optometrist - the alphabet soup after his name is OD, PA.
(I just need to renew my contact lens prescription but insurance won’t pay without seeing a doctor first*. I had eye problems as a kid so I grew up getting a full exam from an ophthalmologist every six months or something. Obviously it’ll depend on the doctor, but I’m hoping to be able to meet some friends at noon after an 11:00 appointment.)
*Which is a whole other topic, but my opinions on it are more pit material than GQ.
Depend on how far you have to travel, of course. But if you get the whole blind spot test, peripheral test, depth perception check, lens check, sight check, glaucoma check, and eyes dilated for a good look inside, it’s going to be at least 45 minutes. Especially if the OD chats.
At least you won’t need a glasses fitting or time to choose a new set of frames. Take a set of sunglasses, just in case they’re out of the disposables.
My wife is an optometrist, and it really depends on the doctor. If you’re seeing the doctor that owns the practice, likely your exam will be over pretty quick, because they make money on how many patients they see (some see up to 30 a day). Other doctors who don’t own the practice are usually paid a flat salary a day and are younger and thus either more methodical and actually do the proper tests they were taught in school, or slower because they haven’t been practicing as long.
So probably 15 minutes for the former, 30 minutes for the latter. And add 15 minutes to each if you think they’ll dilate you.
Lots of eye threads today. I just started one based on my exam today. My exam took about an hour, including 15 minutes for the dilation drops to work, and was the whole list.
(Incidentally i just checked my pupils. My left one is still a little larger than the right one. I don’t think I like the dilation drops. Not when I have to drive on a bright day.)
Thanks for the replies - I found the new patient form on their website and have that all filled out, which should save a few minutes. The guy seems to be the only doc there, so I’ll assume about 20 minutes, 30 max.
(I’m not going to say no to dilating drops. They always ruin my vision for hours - even once I can focus again things are just…off. My transport to/from the appointment is a bicycle on pothole and drunk-driver ridden roads and it’ll be around noon on a sunny day, so…I think I’ll avoid that particular recipe for disaster.)
I’m not sure how common they are, but my optometrist facility uses Optomap, which takes images of your retina area, and stores them digitally (I’ve been doing them for 3 years now). This method also avoids the use of dilation drops, and you can personally see various features in your retina area when the images are brought up on a computer.
The pros seem to be: faster (no dilation necessary) and the storage/ability to compare older images for trends. I think it costs about $20 extra (insurance may or may not cover it, ours doesn’t), but seems to be money well spent for us.
I get that too; it’s an extra $30 but I like that they can really see everything, store history, and send the image to another doc/hospital in case of emergency.
Even that only adds a few minutes. I’d say I’m in and out in less than 30 minutes so as a new patient, maybe you’ll spend 30-45max.