Dr. Michael Lange Highlights How to Choose the Right Optometrist
In larger cities, it becomes difficult to find the right optometrist due to the high volume of choices of readily available doctors. This is something that optometrist Dr. Michael Lange understands, and he urges patients to do some research prior to booking an appointment. There are a few different factors he believes patients should look at before choosing, as he believes it’s important to cater to your own needs.
Services Provided
While mostly all optometrists will provide similar basic services, such as eye health screens and prescription checks, Dr. Michael Lange enforces that different populations may require specialized care.
Patients with pre-existing health conditions could benefit from finding an optometrist that focuses around particular disorders, such as diabetes, as these patients have increased risk for eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts. With prior experience in these populations, these doctors are generally better versed in the disease and may be able to spot subtle changes in the disease process earlier on, helping potentially prevent further damage.
These optometrists’ generally also will have additional testing available to patients to check for and test eye health, such as an ocular coherence tomography (OCT) machine which takes digital pictures of the inside and back of the eye. Dr. Michael Lange explains that the OCT machine helps doctors visualize blood vessels, the vitreous humor, macula, and the thickness of your retina. All of these aspects can help tell your optometrist if there are other issues going on that you may not know about or be able to tell are happening.
Optical Options
Another important factor for some patients is the availability of on-site purchasing of glasses and contact lenses, which many optometrists’ have begun to provide as a service to patients. It simplifies the process, and many times is better for patients as their optometrist has just examined their eyes and can provide helpful information on which types of lenses, or even frames, would be best suited for them.
Check/ask for reviews
One of the best and easiest ways to assess whether an optometrist is for you or not is to ask people who are already patients at the clinic. They can help give you an unbiased opinion on the doctor and the services they provide, and help you determine whether they would be a good fit or not. Many times, family and friends who are already seeing that optometrist can give you information such as what sort of services the doctor provides, what the exam looks like, how long you’ll be at the appointment, and what the patient population is. Keeping this information in mind, you can make an informed decision.
A secondary way to assess the optometrist and the office is looking them up on social media, as many clinics now have Facebook and Instagram pages. You can find many reviews here, as well as see how involved the clinic/optometrist is and see if they make an effort to interact with their patients through educational posts, or even as simple as responding to comments.
Their website is also a good place to visit to check what services are offered, if they provide special eye checkups for different medical conditions, as well as checking days and hours they provide appointments, which is important as working individuals may not be able to make a 9–5 Monday to Friday clinic work with their schedules.
Cost/Insurance
Dr. Michael Lange also notes that another important factor in choosing the right optometrist comes down to how much the visit will cost you. One thing to check is to see how much a basic visit costs, what is included, and if additional tests are necessary, how much they cost.
It is important if you have private insurance with vision coverage to check and see if they have a list of providers that they will cover, or if they allow their clients to see any optometrist. Another factor to consider is if the office collects payment upfront and has you bill insurance, or if they have the capability to direct bill for you.
Dr. Michael Lange’s Final Thoughts
Not every optometrist will be right for you — the patient. Conducting the necessary research is paramount to ensuring you see the best fitting doctor for your needs. As explained, you must find an optometrist that offers the right services for you, has positive reviews, adheres to your insurance policies, and most importantly — gives you a welcoming and relaxed feeling.
