Question: What can I expect with an eye exam?
Answer: This is what you can expect in the process of making your appointment and visiting our office.
Appointments can be made either by someone in my office or by Houston Eye Associates’ main scheduling department. If you speak to the scheduling department, let the scheduler know that you need to set up an appointment with Dr. Vital and specify your preferred date, weekday, or time. Budget at least an hour and possibly longer if you expect that you may need to set up plans for surgery. Keep in mind that I handle many complex eye conditions and sometimes our clinic schedule is thrown behind due to serious and unexpected patient problems or emergencies.
You can access and download patient registration forms from the HEA website (www.houstoneye.com/houston/patient-forms.htm) or go the “My Online Clinic” button in orange at the top of this page, to fill out prior to your visit. Please bring as many of the following items and information with you as possible to allow us to help you better:
- Your current glasses (even if broken)
- Your current contact lenses, case (and contact peel pack for disposable lenses), as well as the names of your solutions if you have any
- The actual eye drops that you are currently using or have recently used
- The names and dosages of your oral medications
- The name, phone number, and address of your pharmacy
- The name, phone number, and address of your referring doctor
- The name, phone number, and address of your primary care doctor
- Your insurance cards
You will first be interviewed and examined by one of my ophthalmic assistants (OAs). This person will record some notes regarding the reason and circumstances of your visit. He or she will also perform some or all of the following: a check of your vision, a check of your intraocular pressure, a check of your glasses prescription, a refraction in order to measure your best possible vision, and an instillation of dilation drops.
You will then be moved to another room to see me. I will review the information collected to that point and again discuss with you the circumstances of your visit. After I perform an exam, I will record my findings, and discuss my impressions and recommended plans with you.
The healing process is collaborative: I will not force or manipulate you into treatments. However, you share in the responsibility for your improvement by being compliant with the plan of action we agree upon.