Does OHIP pay for an eye exam?
OHIP covers an eye exam for patients under the age of 20 or 65 and older. This coverage is provided on an annual basis. It also will cover the cost of an examination for patients that have certain ocular conditions. OHIP will not cover the cost of digital retinal photos, or any extra testing that may be done.
Why should I get my eyes examined every year?
We feel an eye exam is of great importance, and a yearly visit to our office is strongly recommended. Sometimes a person’s vision remains unchanged for many years and they feel that it is not necessary to return to the office unless their vision is reduced. However, on some rare occasions permanent vision loss can occur, and an annual visit can help to prevent this. Our mission is to provide the most thorough vision care to our patients and the health of the eyes must be monitored to maintain good vision throughout their lives. We encourage our patients to pre-book their next annual appointment when they leave our office.
How long does an eye exam take?
An eye examination can vary in length of time taken. Sometimes it can be completed in 15 minutes and often times it takes up to an hour. This will depend on a number of factors, such as whether more complicated testing is required. Also, an emergency may arise which can put the doctor behind schedule. We do our best to stay on schedule so as not to inconvenience our patients. We recommend the wait time be spent in our dispensary selecting their next frame choices.
At what age should my children have their first eye exam?
Our doctors will see any patient of any age. Our patients are encouraged to bring their young children in to our office for their first eye exam to start a good habit of looking after their eyes. We recommend a full oculo-visual screening at the age of 4. This is a good age for the child to have fun during the exam and for the doctor to establish a relationship with the young patient. If a parent has concerns about their child’s eyes then they can obviously bring them in to see us at a younger age.
What happens if I fall asleep with my contact lenses on?
Falling asleep with contact lenses is strongly discouraged in our office. It can often bring on problems that most patients would rather not have. It can cause a red, irritated and light sensitive eye. Fortunately, most of these problems are not permanent and can often be remedied by a rest from wearing lenses and/or topical medications. However, there are some patients that DO sleep with contact lenses on. These patients remove lenses on a regimented schedule and come in to our office more frequently so that we may carefully monitor their eye health. They also wear lenses that are approved for extended wear.
How old should a child be to wear contact lenses?
There really is no age limitation to wearing contact lenses. If there is a medical condition or an excessive spectacle prescription that a child may have, then we will fit contact lenses for very young children. If a child wishes to wear contact lenses to participate in sports activities, or they wish to give up their spectacles for esthetic reasons we will be happy to fit them and teach them to wear lenses whenever they are ready.
I’m tired of wearing reading glasses over my contacts to read. Can I wear bifocal contact lenses?
Wearing reading glasses over contact lenses can be a nuisance, especially since they are often put on and removed many times a day. Bifocal contact lenses have existed for many years and they have improved substantially over that time. Each of the leading contact lens manufacturers makes a soft disposable bifocal lens that may be suitable to satisfy a patient’s near and far visual needs as they get older. This enables patients to stay as contact lens wearers instead of resorting back to full time spectacles. Ask your doctor if you would make a good candidate for bifocal lenses.
How long will my glasses take to be made?
Our office sends all of our work out to a dedicated spectacle lens laboratory . When glasses are being made by them, there is often a little extra time spent for delivery and inspection on both ends. Quality control is something that we pay special attention to. We check each job carefully to ensure that it meets up to our standards. Some glasses can be made and returned to us in a couple of days and sometimes a complicated prescription can take as long as 2 weeks. We do our best not to inconvenience our patients and we try to communicate with them about when we expect to receive their glasses.