Services

 

INSURANCE

Family Optometry bill directly to Green Shield.  We will be billing directly to Blue Cross, Great West Life and SunLife in the very near future.

PRE-APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST

As a courtesy reminder, our staff will contact you one month as well as two days before your appointment.

In the event that you need to reschedule your reserved time with the doctor, We kindly request at least 24 hours notice to cancel your appointment so you will avoid charges and we can fill that appointment time.

We will try to accommodate any of your unexpected scheduling changes.

Please remember to bring your OHIP card, list of any medications all current eyewear and contact lenses.  As most patients require dilating drops it is also advisable to bring along sunglasses. The dilating drops will blur your close up vision and make you very light sensitive for 3-6 hours.

You should know that contact lens exams require additional doctor time and carry an additional fee which often are not covered by vision plans. 

Due to the thoroughness of our appointments please reserve a good hour for your eye health examination.

If you are a new patient, please complete our Registration Form. To save time, you can complete the PDF form and e-mail it to us, or print the completed form and bring it with you.

EYE EXAM

What is an Eye Exam?

  • The optometrist will use a number of techniques to assess any potential vision or eye health problems, and will keep a file of that information in order to keep track of changes in your eye health or vision. Regular visits to the optometrist are recommended.

Take a proactive approach to your eye health!

Steps that you can expect in a typical optometric examination include:

  • Case history – you will be asked about your general health, medications you may be taking, your working environment, hobbies, etc. You will also be asked to describe any vision problems you may have been experiencing.
  • External eye examination – The optometrist will examine the external area around the eye to ensure that there are no abnormalities.
  • Internal eye examination – Using the slit lamp microscope and an ophthalmoscope, the optometrist will check your eyes for indications of abnormalities, from front to back.  Some problems detected during an internal eye examination may indicate possible disease, such as diabetes or hypertension. If your optometrist sees any of these warning signs, you will be referred to a physician for further examination.
  • Tonometry – Tonometry measures the fluid pressure in the eye and is an important test in detecting glaucoma.
  • Vision tests- A number of tests are used to assess your vision:
    • Retinoscopy – The optometrist can determine the strength of your eyes using various lenses and the retinoscope. This is done without feedback from the patient and is therefore an invaluable instrument for assessing the vision problems of children and others who may not be able to read an eye chart.
    • Visual acuity tests – Using the familiar wall chart and a hand-held charts, your optometrist will assess your ability to see small detail clearly at both near and far distances. You may sit behind a phoropter, an instrument containing a combination of lenses. Lens choices are systematically changed until clear focus is obtained.
    • Eye movement – Using a number of different tests, the optometrist will evaluate how well your eyes align or coordinate when working together and individually.
    • Peripheral vision – The optometrist may evaluate how well you see targets which are not directly in front of you.

Other tests may be undertaken to evaluate your ability to change focus, see colour correctly, or perceive depth correctly.

The items above are typical to a routine eye examination.

The optometrist will choose those tests required to adequately evaluate YOUR visual system!

 

RETINAL DIGITAL IMAGING

Retinal Digital Imaging is the most important part of your eye exam.  Your Eye Exam is Not Complete Without an Exam of the Inside of Your Eyes.

Annual vision tests allow the Doctor to check for changes in the front of the eye to determine if you would benefit from glasses or contacts or alterations to your existing eyewear.  The Doctor will also perform an examination of the back of your eye, the retina, to ensure that your eyes are healthy and not showing any signs of damage or disease.

Your Doctor now has the ability to take digital pictures of the back of your eye, right here in the office using the latest technology available.  The Doctor is able to capture, examine and review these images with you during your visit.

The photo’s are stored digitally to create a permanent record of the current condition of your eye.  Retinal images are captured in less than a second, nothing will touch your eye, and drops for pupil dilation may not be required.

Over the years changes can be detected and measured, alerting your Doctor to potential health risk including early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinal tear or detachment.

To assist your Doctor in providing a thorough examination of the health of your eye, your doctor highly recommends that you make retinal photos a part of your annual exam.  As the cost of taking retinal photographs is not covered by Health Care, there will be additional fees to cover the cost of these images.