RM, the only point being made is that this patient is in need of
somebody somewhere who will spend the time and effort necessary to do
provide the level of service they desire.  That kind of service takes
time, and time is money.  It has nothing to do with commercial vs.
corporate practice, at least in my thinking.  How much time does $70
buy in your practice?

I've been in private practice out of one location for more than 20
years in a state that gave birth to Royal Optical, Pearle Vision, Texas
State Optical, and Eye Masters.  I am thriving, thank you, on patients
who are difficult to satisfy.  But, I would have been out of business a
long time ago if I charged $70 to fit that kind of prescription.  In
that kind of situation, neither the doctor nor the patient wins.

DrG

LB,

I am glad that you tried to clear this up.  Frankly it needs a little
clearing up from some of the remarks that have been made.

Some clear pot-shots were taken at retail optical practices from doctors who
are also clearly biased against them.  The following statements were
negative or contained misinformation at least regarding the optical chains I
am familiar with (which is admittedly limited).

quote:

(every retail optical chain in the area I live in fits gas perms)

(the price may be on the low side but that says nothing about the quality of
the care.  I guess the only car that you consider is any good is a Mercedes)

(actually Wal-Mart has an optical division and in my opinion its one of the
better retail outlets compared to others I know of in my area)
unquote:

I too work at both a private practice setting and an optical chain.  So I
know what I am talking about like the other poster.  I fit gas perms when
appropriate and have good access to suppliers at both locations.  Where I
work, the optical chain management does not dictate any policies to the
doctor-- the doctors are totally independent.  In fact they must be by state
law.  I know of a few private docs in town who I personally think give
inferior care, and whose pricing is excessive.  As you know, it is difficult
for a private practicioner to compete with the pricing that retain chains
can offer.

So I would agree with what a couple of people have already said.  Find a
good doctor, and go to that doctor.  Its not the location or the price you
pay that determines how good your care will be-- its the doctor doing the
exam.

And to the original poster, you indeed DO need to be more patient and quit
complaining.  It is common for multiple doctors to practice at a location.
Retail or private.  Thats whats happening at both locations I work at.
Simply ask for the working schedule of the doctor you prefer and make sure
your appointment is with that person.

RM

========

Two things, the first being FYI you posted a reply to this thread with
no new text. And next.......

Perhaps it's time to change the subject of this thread.

My bias is against the retail opticals, not necessarily the doctors who
work for them.  It is the opticals that commercialize eye health care
and that is my primary issue.  It matters not if it's optical or
surgical or the fast-buck doc-in-the-box "urgent care" place.  The
"insurance" payers have a part in this, too. It creates a mindset on the
part of the health care consumer that ultimately degrades the management
of their health. I have a problem with that.

That is most certainly true.

I'm certain there are bozo docs in private practice as there are in
retail, but there's a difference in the retail establishments. You could
have a fine, knowledgeable doc who simply does not have access to
product, due to corporate decision makers limiting him/her to certain
brands of lenses or lenses that exceed a certain cost/profit index. The
corporate "deciders"  (for those of you outside of Bushville, a new
vocabulary word here in the USA, which is actually a old Middle English
word but I'm sure he didn't know that when he spoke.) may also limit the
amount of time that can be spent on any one service procedure.

I'm not saying that is the policy at all retail opticals, or that some
private practice docs don't do the same things to maximize the bottom
line. I just think that a private practice doctor with competence,
ethics and caring and depending upon good will and patient referrals is
more likely to go the extra mile to satisfy a patient's needs and
concerns. A corporate chain store is just a very different business
model.

As did I, so I know.  I tried to "to do the right thing" and was
promptly told to do otherwise.  I lasted a couple of weeks. In private
practice, I try to profit from the time I spend making patients happy.
Sometimes, a contact lens fitting takes a longer time than I feel
comfortable billing the patient and I might make little or no real
"profit" (there's not a lot of $$ in the actual lenses, folks), except
from the many patients referred to me by the one who respects my work.

In the end game, it is, of course, getting what you need from someone
who is able to provide that in a timely and cost-effective, hopefully
pleasant manner. And wherever you can find that..............

LB, O.D.

i think its irrelevant whether the eye doctor works out of his own
private practice or whether he works out of a retail chain.  i cant
help but notice that the two doctors who spoke out in this thread have
a biased against retail doctors-- i'm sure its because both are private
docs.

whats important is that you have a doctor who will take the time to
properly fit you in the type of lenses you need.  also-- whether you
paid a high price or not is clearly irrelevant.

personally, i have worked in both environments.  currently i work
part-time in a medical/surgical practice and also in a retail
optometric business.  my patients receive the same care in each
location.  i have the same access to the same materials in both
locations except to costs for a simple refraction and contact lenses or
glasses is MUCH less in the retail location.

pardon my blunt comments short, but you need to quit whining about your
situation.  if you've found a doctor whom you like and you think will
take the time to fit you well (and it doesn't matter whether she
practices in a walmart or a private office!) then make sure you
schedule your appointment with her and then follow her recommendations.
expect it to take time.  with high astigmatism you may not find a
satisfactory fit with soft lenses and you may need to try a gas
permeable hard lens.  expect it to be uncomfortable initially but many
people get used to it.
========

Didn't know it was the quality of Walmart. I specifically asked when I went
in if they could prescribe proper contacts for me since i have a high
astigmatism. They took the reading of my glasses and gave it to the female
doctor, she said yes she can do it but it'll take a few tries.

So I go back today to pick up the contacts and she's not there. Another
doctor is there. I did not expect that since her name is on the door. I
don't feel like its professional either. So far i'm only out $70 for the
exam. Well, and $70 for the Eyeland contact exam a few months back which
produced the same terrible results.

Can nobody help me?

If you want quality, why are you going to the optician-equivalent of a
Wal-Mart?

Your expectations and your choice of providers are simply not a good
recipe for satisfaction.

Well I went back and there was another doctor there. Some young guy. Seemed
like a buffoon. Uh, I'll check the matrix and order a new pair and call you
when they come in. Looks like I'm going to have to go to a contact lense
specialist eventually. What would guy just out of college know about fitting
high astigmatism soft torics. When he asked me to read the chart I couldn't
see a thing lol. Letters were blurred like crazy.

Yeah, she said to be patient, it'll take a few tries. So, i'm going to do
that.

------------

its tough to fit toric lenses on people with high astigmatism.  the
slightest movement and rotation causes noticable blur.  the only way to
find the best prescription is to try a prescription for a time (several
days to a week), go to a follow-up appointment with the doctor, and
allow him/her to adjust the prescription based upon the lens fit.

with your prescription it isn't possible to simply run in for an exam
and leave with perfect-fitting contact lenses.  it doesn't work that
way.  you just need to accept that.

gas permeable contact lenses are certainly a possibility but the reason
that soft lenses dominate the contact lens market is that most people
find the comfort (or lack of comfort) of the gas permeable lenses to be
unacceptable.  but you should try them anyway.  if you are able to
adapt to the feeling of gas permeable lenses they MAY provide you with
better vision although, as you have been told, we do not have
sufficient information about you to determine whether they might work
or not.

either get yourself in a mindset to take the time to find the optimal
fitting contact lenses, or just wear your glasses.  you are not going
to be a simple patient to fit because of your high astigmatism and your
impatience.

also, I think it is irrelevant whether or not you go see a retail
chain-based eye doctor or a doctor in private practice.  I have seen
good and bad doctors practicing in both situations.  just find someone
who is willing to invest the time it takes to best fit a patient like
yourself, and then you need to accept that it is going to take some
time too.

Just got my frequency 55 soft toric trial contacts after two weeks. Again,
they are Frequency 55's, which I really hate. I wore contacts several years
ago, and it took several tries to "get it right."

I haven't worn them for about 4 years. I went to Eyeland and my prescription
was:

Right Eye: -4.25 x -3.25 x 020
Left Eye:  -4.50  x -2.75 x 155

I got those trial contacts and they were bad. The left eye felt good but the
right eye didn't seem to fit right and had frequent blurriness. I wasn't
happy with Eyeland so I went to America's Best about three months later.

My prescription was:

Right Eye: -4.00 -3.75 x 025
Left Eye: -4.25 -3.25 x 155

So, which prescription is right? Why the change after just 3 months? After
two weeks I got my trial contacts and at first they seem better than
Eyeland's first attempt. The right eye seemed a bit clearer and feels better
in my eye. But... after awhile stills get blurry and out of focus far too
often especially at longer ranges. No matter who fits my contacts, it feels
like the right eye is always messed up, as if there's a blurry film over my
vision. The left eye doesn't feel as sharp as it did with Eyeland's trial
pair, but again, better than my right eye which causes the problem. Also, as
with the other contacts, even with two eyes, if i'm seeing clearly it's just
a matter of time before everything gets blurry for a second or two before I
have to blink many times to clear it up. what's the problem? are they not
staying in place? what can they adjust if my prescription is correct? is
there another brand other than frequency 55 that i can use?

i have to schedule another appointment for the doctor to check my vision and
make an adjustment. i'm sick of this.