I am an Optometrist, Ask me Anything.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by tete

Hesla, my 14 month old daughter might have pink eye - her eyes were crusted shut this morning and her one eye looked red when I dropped her off at daycare this morning. If she does have pink eye and I get called to pick her up should she see a doctor or are there OTC drops that can be bought to clear this up?

Your Optometrist can prescribe drops for this. It is a good idea to get it checked out for cornea involvement (vs just the white part of the eye).

Tobrex ointment works best in my experience.

[Suzles]

Hi Aaron

I came to see you a while ago and you prescribed some drops that started with the letter 'P'. I had watering eyes and you thought it was allergies. I have now run out of these drops (these drops really worked) and my eyes have started being naughty again - would the drops be available OTC or do I need to make another appointment with you? Many thanks. Susan

[Suzles]

Hesla is the MAN!

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Hesla is the MAN!

Indeed his is. I have an appointment booked this week to have my eye exam done, partly due to Hesla's influence and advice. Also my wife's influence.

[tvp2003]

My wife is seeing random flashes of light (she notices them at night) -- akin to a photo radar flash. Any idea what this could be?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

My wife is seeing random flashes of light (she notices them at night) -- akin to a photo radar flash. Any idea what this could be?

Should be seen by an Optometrist right away. Flashing lights indicate traction on the retina and it could be serious. Should be Alberta health care covered to get it looked at as it is a medically necessary procedure.

I scanned through the first 5 pages...

My daughter is 4. Does she have to be checked out for anything? I'm not worried about anything, because she seems to have better eyesight than me.

If she does, can you recommend anyone close to Bonavista?
Thanks!

[Komskies]

I'm not an optometrist but I've been going to Dr. Trump in Lake Bonavista my entire life. Really nice guy, and seems to do a great job in my opinion.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Puxlut

I scanned through the first 5 pages...

My daughter is 4. Does she have to be checked out for anything? I'm not worried about anything, because she seems to have better eyesight than me.

If she does, can you recommend anyone close to Bonavista?
Thanks!

We recommend check ups starting at about age 3. Ruling out a lazy eye is very important at this age. It is rare, but it has to be treated to prevent a lifetime of lazy eye. IT is usually a fun exam with pictures, 3D glasses and various lights. Kids are covered by Alberta Health Care too.

I am in Southcentre Mall @ FYI Doctors Southcentre (beside sportchek) if that is convenient for you.

[sketchyt]

I've been looking into some sort of eye correction surgery. My first consultation with Gimbel said that my corneas are too thin for PRK (slightly <350 microns in both eyes) and I don't want implants.

Without using up another 2-4 hours of my and another clinics' workday, are there other procedures and/or clinics that are able to do it? Should I continue my search or just drop it?

[Knut]

With thin corneas are options are limited to implantable contact lenses or clear lens extraction (lens implant). At least with existing technology.

[henry07]

Hi,

I went to go get my eye examined at costco and they gave me my prescription but its for eyeglasses. I told them I wear contacts most of the time and would like the prescription to be converted so I can get contacts. they refused to do that unless I do an actual fitting with them. their next appt wont be until middle of aug. is there a way to convert tmy prescription to contacts to that I can order them online?

[terminator]

Originally Posted by Hesla

With thin corneas are options are limited to implantable contact lenses or clear lens extraction (lens implant). At least with existing technology.

Hey I have the same issue. Five years ago I went in and they said I was too thin for Lasik but ok for PRK. Could the technology have changed in that I can now under go lasik?

The reason I say that is, I do not want to struggle with my vision for a month w/ PRK.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by henry07

Hi,

I went to go get my eye examined at costco and they gave me my prescription but its for eyeglasses. I told them I wear contacts most of the time and would like the prescription to be converted so I can get contacts. they refused to do that unless I do an actual fitting with them. their next appt wont be until middle of aug. is there a way to convert tmy prescription to contacts to that I can order them online?

It is recommended to get a proper fitting done to determine the right contact lens. Costco, Walmart etc always make you come back for another appointment for it and the wait is usually quite long. I would call around to Optometry offices/optical chains and you should be able to get in quicker. There will likely be a fitting fee, but at least you know you are in a lens that works for you.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by terminator

Hey I have the same issue. Five years ago I went in and they said I was too thin for Lasik but ok for PRK. Could the technology have changed in that I can now under go lasik?

The reason I say that is, I do not want to struggle with my vision for a month w/ PRK.

It would not have changed. Surgeons are going back to PRK due to better long term results and a lower complication rate. Only in extreme cases would your vision be off for a month. The usual time period is 10 days to a couple weeks. PRK is short term pain for long term gain.

[Coach]

My optometrist mentioned to me a couple years ago that I might be a good candidate for laser eye surgery as my prescription has been the same for the last 5 or 6 years. BUT that was when I was 22, and now at 24, I still feel like I might be too young for something like that. My parents both had it with great success, but I also know that they have both regressed quite a bit. Maybe thats more to do with their age, but I'm concerned if I get it done at 24/25 and then 10 years later I'm having problems again when I'm still relatively young. Thoughts?

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Puxlut

I scanned through the first 5 pages...

My daughter is 4. Does she have to be checked out for anything? I'm not worried about anything, because she seems to have better eyesight than me.

If she does, can you recommend anyone close to Bonavista?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Hesla

We recommend check ups starting at about age 3. Ruling out a lazy eye is very important at this age. It is rare, but it has to be treated to prevent a lifetime of lazy eye. IT is usually a fun exam with pictures, 3D glasses and various lights. Kids are covered by Alberta Health Care too.

I am in Southcentre Mall @ FYI Doctors Southcentre (beside sportchek) if that is convenient for you.

We had our daughter checked before she started Kindergarten. We were surprised to find out that she had a lazy eye, since she could easily see better than either of us, even with our glasses on. It turned out, she was basically only using one eye. She got glasses, and we have patched her good eye in the last couple of months, and now her poor eye is seeing much much better. According to the doctor, the correction is likely permanent, which is awesome. It's a good thing we had her checked, though.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by MattyC

My optometrist mentioned to me a couple years ago that I might be a good candidate for laser eye surgery as my prescription has been the same for the last 5 or 6 years. BUT that was when I was 22, and now at 24, I still feel like I might be too young for something like that. My parents both had it with great success, but I also know that they have both regressed quite a bit. Maybe thats more to do with their age, but I'm concerned if I get it done at 24/25 and then 10 years later I'm having problems again when I'm still relatively young. Thoughts?

If your prescription has been stable for a few years I would do it sooner, rather than later. Everyone starts to need glasses again in their 40s, so the sooner you get it done, the more years you will have without correction. There may be a small regression, but that can be touched up if needed.

[Minnie]

How does Costco rate on their product? I used to post at a board years ago with a woman who worked for an optometrist, and they didn't think very highly of Costco. Now obviously that could have been a play for more business but she lived in the US and I live here, so it's not like I could have given her my business, lol, so I figured it was perhaps slightly more unbiased than it could have been were I a potential customer.

But with as much money as I'm looking at spending for Progressives and frames and such now, I was reminded of that conversation. I've been doing a little shopping around and they certainly seem to be the least expensive, for $350 all in (frames, lenses, coating). But is cheaper necessarily better?

Another place today quoted me about $465 (+$18 for the frames) for the Progressives lenses, and it includes all the coatings - anti-scratch, anti-glare, A/R, and something I don't recall the name of - hydrophobic and oliphobic or something? Probably butchered that. We get $200 coverage and they will direct bill so that's an advantage, plus they offer me 90 days to decide if I am happy with the Progressives and if I'm not, I can come back and they'll replace them with SV and refund me the difference. I can go with their cheapest version of Progressives and that drops the lenses to about $300, give or take.

Seem about standard, the pricing?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Minnie

How does Costco rate on their product? I used to post at a board years ago with a woman who worked for an optometrist, and they didn't think very highly of Costco. Now obviously that could have been a play for more business but she lived in the US and I live here, so it's not like I could have given her my business, lol, so I figured it was perhaps slightly more unbiased than it could have been were I a potential customer.

But with as much money as I'm looking at spending for Progressives and frames and such now, I was reminded of that conversation. I've been doing a little shopping around and they certainly seem to be the least expensive, for $350 all in (frames, lenses, coating). But is cheaper necessarily better?

Another place today quoted me about $465 (+$18 for the frames) for the Progressives lenses, and it includes all the coatings - anti-scratch, anti-glare, A/R, and something I don't recall the name of - hydrophobic and oliphobic or something? Probably butchered that. We get $200 coverage and they will direct bill so that's an advantage, plus they offer me 90 days to decide if I am happy with the Progressives and if I'm not, I can come back and they'll replace them with SV and refund me the difference. I can go with their cheapest version of Progressives and that drops the lenses to about $300, give or take.

Seem about standard, the pricing?

That is about right. You can start going even higher if you get into digital or free form lenses. A basic progressive with frame for under $500 is pretty good. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for and going with the cheapest option is usually not the best option.