Better equipment, better prescriptions

Anyone who comes into my office will know that I’m a bit of a gadget freak.  I believe in technology and its ability to improve the quality of an eye exam.  From a health perspective, I love what the Optomap Retinal Exam allows me to see in the back of a patient’s eye, without even needing to put dilating drops in their eyes.

My love for things that are gadgety and automated extends to checking glasses prescriptions as well.  Whereas many offices are still using equipment that hasn’t been considered cutting-edge for twenty or thirty years, I’m fortunate to have a fully 21st century office.  First, an automated machine measures the power and curvature of my patient’s eye and gives an excellent starting point to refine for the glasses prescription.  At the touch of a button, this measurement imports directly to a small computer in my exam room, which controls the machine that sits against my patient’s face to flip lenses and finalize the glasses prescription.

To be honest, when I first started using the automated refraction equipment, I thought it was really just a dolled-up version of the older equipment.  However, I’ve come to greatly appreciate its accuracy and efficiency when determining my patients’ prescriptions.  By starting with a more accurate initial measurement, not only is the end result more accurate, but it also takes less time to arrive at that prescription.  Not to mention the fact that both the patient and I are saved from the endless “1 or 2” questions (not eliminated, but definitely reduced!).  Also, the computerized controls allow me to refine certain aspects of the prescription more exactly than I could with older machines and their less precise dials.

None of this is meant to take away from other doctors and what they are able to accomplish with their equipment.  I’m just very grateful for my equipment and absolutely believe that it gives me the best opportunity to give my patients glasses and contacts that they will love!

My Optometry Turn-ons

When I first graduated from optometry school, I assumed that as I practiced I would find an aspect of optometry that particularly interested me and could turn into somewhat of a specialty.  Now that I’m a few years removed from optometry school, here are a few things I’ve realized I’m passionate about:

1) Communication.  I feel strongly that every patient leaving my office should understand the current state of their eyes and their options for correcting any problems with their eyes.  I try to be very clear about all this during the exam, and if anyone sends me an email after their exam asking questions, I typically send a pretty detailed reply to make sure nothing is left unsaid or under-explained.

2) Good prescriptions.  Whether for glasses or contacts, I want things spot-on.  I was extremely picky about my vision growing up – probably to a fault – and I am picky about my patients’ vision.  This is why if you come in saying you recently got a glasses prescription somewhere else and only want contacts from me, I’ll still remeasure your glasses prescription to make sure things are as exact as I want them (we use the glasses Rx to determine the contact lens Rx).  And yes, I am aware of the fine line between a thorough exam and causing my patients a nervous breakdown from having to answer “1 or 2” too many times 🙂

3) Having options.  My prescribing philosophy is to offer each of my patients any and all options that I would consider for myself if I had their eyes.  If I’m offering you a separate pair of glasses specifically for the computer, it’s because if I had your prescription, I would probably want those glasses.  If I think you would benefit from part-time or full-time contact lenses, or from LASIK, I try hard always to bring up these options and how they could help enrich your life.  Before I had LASIK, I had prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, and daily disposable contacts for part-time wear.  I had options for whatever came my way.

4) Technology.  I love my optomap because I think it gives me a better view of the back of the eye and a more perfect comparison from year to year to check for change.  I love my computerized refraction system because it makes the process of checking glasses prescriptions more efficient and more precise.  I truly believe the exam I can give you with my technology is better than the tradition exam with all manual equipment and dilating drops in your eyes (which isn’t to say there is never a reason to use dilating drops, just fyi).

What’s in a frame: How to choose the right glasses for you

Over the years, I have come to realize that I am a lot pickier than about 98% of the general population – including opticians and other eye care professionals – when it comes to picking out the right pair of eyeglass frames.  Following are a few of my cardinal rules for finding a great fit for you.

1) Size matters!  Sometimes height (you don’t want to cut off the reading power of your bifocals), but always width.  Many of today’s trendy styles are rectangular, and I feel like I’m always fighting to get my patients into frames that aren’t wider than their face.  A frame that’s too wide will put undue pressure on the bridge of your nose and the tops of your ears, even when adjusted as well as possible.  Additionally, especially if you have a stronger nearsighted prescription, choosing a frame that’s too wide for your face will result in really thick edges on your lenses.  Not only are thick lenses cosmetically unappealing, but they can also result in more dizziness or distortion when looking through your new glasses.

2) Adjustability can matter.  I love the look of chunky plastic frames as much as the next person (and I had a couple pairs before my LASIK surgery), but keep in mind that the thick plastic arms and lack of nosepads severely limit the extent to which these frames can be adjusted to fit your face.  Does this mean you shouldn’t consider plastic frames?  Absolutely not, but you’d better make sure they fit really well to begin with, as opposed to expecting that you’ll be able to adjust away a poor fit.

3) Weight can matter.  If you’ve never experienced problems with glasses becoming uncomfortable on your face, you can disregard this section.  If you HAVE had problems, or in general don’t like having glasses on your face, go for as light a pair of glasses as you can.  Rimless is great but can be expensive and is not available in all opticals.  Half-rim glasses are a good compromise, as are plastic frames or some of the newer titanium frames.  If you know you’re really hard on your glasses, titanium and/or some of the newer styles with flexible bridge and arms would be advisable, especially over a half-rim or rimless design.

Hopefully that helps get you started!  Obviously certain other styling elements should be considered, like fair-featured individuals generally not going for fat, black frames, but I won’t get into that here.  In a future blog, I will plan to go over considerations for which bells and whistles to choose for your lenses once you get the right frame; until then, happy shopping 🙂

 

 

Related articles

• Choosing the best eyeglasses for your face shape (fashionflu.com)

Help me help you

Every so often, a patient returns to my office within just a few months of their comprehensive eye exam, complaining of blurry or uncomfortable vision with their new glasses.  Of course I am happy to double check my measurements and see if some change is in order, but I often find that the situation could have been prevented a couple of different ways.

First and foremost, whenever you have an eye exam, bring as much information as possible regarding your current and/or preferred vision correction.  As an optometrist, my goal is not only to give you the clearest vision possible, but also to make it as easy as possible for you to adapt to your new glasses.  If I have no idea what correction you’ve been using, I also have no idea if I’m making a big enough change to give you a headache.  I have known people who almost seem to hold back information – because they don’t want to feel like the doctor is simply copying a previous prescription – but that sort of thinking can come back to bite you in the end.

If you do ever find yourself in the 2-4% of patients who have problems with their new glasses, my recommendation is first to stop by the optical department before ever seeing the doctor.  I would venture to say that at least 50% of glasses re-checks I see involve problems that could have been solved by the optical department through measuring or adjusting the glasses.  Especially if you are wearing a bifocal or progressive lens, stop by the optical first.

At the end of the day, prescriptions are variable, and mistakes can be made.  If your eyes were quite dry or irritated the day of your exam, your vision may change once your eyes are feeling better.  If your doctor saw 20 other people for exams the same day as you, statistics would suggest that at least one number on one person’s prescription was slightly off.  I definitely subscribe to the theory of “measure twice, cut once,” but no one is perfect.  If you can’t wear your new glasses that you paid good money for, please come in and let us help you!  The last thing we want is for those beautiful glasses to go in a desk drawer until next year.

Ordering glasses online: proceed at your own risk!

Image via Wikipedia

I recently read an article in the journal of the American Optometric Association discussing the upswing in glasses being ordered from online vendors.  The idea behind the article was to explore whether patients using these supply avenues were receiving glasses that would both fulfill their visual requirements and provide them with adequate safety.

In the interest of both time and my desire to avoid regurgitating the monotonous details of a scientific survey, let me skip to the results:

With a sample size of more than 150 pairs of glasses, nearly one half failed to meet the nationally accepted standards for vision and/or safety!  One point from the study that I find significant is how these failures in vision and safety were independent of lens price, meaning that you are apparently just as likely to get a crummy pair of expensive online glasses as you are to get a crummy pair of cheap online glasses.  Yikes!

Bottom line?  If you choose to order glasses online, proceed at your own risk.  There is currently no defined body to regulate these types of orders, and there appears to be a 25-50% chance that your vision and/or safety will be compromised.  Obviously you will also be on your own regarding having the glasses adjusted to fit your face correctly.  And don’t get me started on ordering bifocals or progressive lenses online – the measurements required to ensure these lenses will work appropriately make the very idea of ordering them online completely unfathomable to me!

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on your glasses, I recommend Costco Optical.  They have been ranked #1 by Consumer Reports for overall patient satisfaction, and I have been extremely impressed since taking over the office here at the Thornton Costco.

Related articles

• Warby Parker Raises Money to Sell Prescription Glasses Online (bits.blogs.nytimes.com)

Back to School eye exams

As a Minnesota native, I still have a tough time accepting that school starts before Labor Day here in Colorado; but believe it or not, we are in bona fide back to school season!

For many of my patients, back to school means back to the optometrist, and I totally agree with this mindset! In my experience, young patients aren’t generally given to complaining about their vision, especially if those complaints may land them in the exam chair with the possibility of glasses or (gasp!) eye drops looming. Lest you think you can rely solely on school vision screenings, studies have shown that roughly one third of kids who should be sent for a comprehensive eye exam are missed during screening exams.

To ensure that young people are performing their best in school and are not hampered by uncorrected vision problems, schedule their yearly eye exam! Back to school season is a great time for their exam, firstly because it’s easy to remember each year, and second because it ensures their prescription should stay up to date for the duration of the school year.

For our more vanity or sports oriented young people, back to school exams are also a great time to pick out a fabulous new frame or get fitted for contacts. I remember during my school days, it was always great to feel like I was starting the year off with a fresh new look!

So, whether your kids wear glasses, contacts, or no vision correction; schedule their back to school eye exam to ensure they’re performing their best and feeling prepared to face another year in the trenches 🙂