3 Things You Should Think About When Booking Your Next Eye Exam
Thinking you only need an eye exam if you have poor vision is perhaps the biggest mistake you can make related to your eye care. Eye exams are for more than just prescribing glasses and conducting eye tests. Eye exams are extremely important for catching problems like cancer or glaucoma before they become serious and untreatable.
Aside from misconceptions about the purpose of an eye exam, there are also other excuses people make to avoid eye exams. The biggest excuse is that there is not enough time. Another reason that is not discussed as often is uncertainty around what to expect from an eye exam. Here are a few factors you should consider and things you should bring for your next eye exam.
Do You Have Any Specific Worries Related To Your Eye Health?
If you have never had an eye exam (or the last time you had an eye exam was when you were a child) you may be confused as to who exactly you should be seeing. Should you be visiting an optometrist? An ophthalmologist? This depends on how much you know about why you are seeing an eye care professional. If you are going in for a routine eye exam, an optometrist is your best bet. If you think you may be suffering from more serious vision problems, try to find an ophthalmologist. Either way, rest assured that an eye care professional can recognize if there is something wrong, even if you can’t, and refer you to the relevant specialist. Going in for an eye exam with uncertainty is better than not going in for an eye exam at all. Our warm and knowledgeable staff at Eye Associates of Tallahassee will answer all your questions and guide you through the process.
Advise Your Doctor Of Any Medications And Bring Your Contacts
If you are wearing contacts, be sure to bring them with you to your eye exam, even if you are not wearing them that day. This will allow your doctor to test your vision with your glasses, with your contacts, and without any prescription lenses during the eye exam.
In addition, be sure to advise your doctor of any medications you are on or if you have any health conditions (such as diabetes) that they should be aware of during the eye exam. Various health conditions and prescriptions can affect your vision. Knowing the full picture can help your eye doctor give you the highest quality care. If you are on an extensive array of medications and are worried you may forget the exact name, prepare a list a few days prior to your appointment so that you can read it to your doctor or give them the list during the eye exam.
Talk To Your Insurance Provider And Look Over Your Finances
You may have private insurance or be covered through your employer. Give your health insurance provider a call to ensure that you are also covered for eye care expenses as well. While you may be covered for a routine eye exam, your insurance plan may not extend to other costs related to eye care such as medication, prescription lenses, or a dilation test. Familiarize yourself with your plan to avoid any confusion when you go in for your eye exam. If necessary, conduct research on more competitive plans or figure out how to adjust your finances to accommodate for eye care expenses. Your eye care definitely deserves a spot in your budget.
Eye Associates of Tallahassee prides itself on serving its patients. We are more than happy to walk you through the details of eye care and provide more details on the benefits of routine eye exams. Our welcoming staff would be happy to book your next eye exam with our health care professionals. We work with several different insurance providers. Give us a call or stop by our Tallahassee office today.
