Leads the myopia evaluations at the Campus Drive office and explains each option, and what it asks of a family, in plain words.
For children and teens
Myopia evaluation
A first visit for children whose nearsightedness is new or changing, and for parents who want the options explained before choosing anything.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, means distant things look blurry while near things stay clear. It often starts in the school years, and the prescription can keep changing as a child grows. The evaluation measures where your child is today, so that every later visit has something to compare with.
Nothing is started at this visit unless you decide to. You leave with the options, what each one involves and what the FDA has said about each. Results vary from child to child.
What happens at the visit
Plan on about an hour and a quarter.
- 01
Step 1: Your questions
We start with your child's history and what you have noticed at home and at school.
- 02
Step 2: Measurements
We measure the prescription with drops that relax focusing, the length of the eye and the curve of the front of the eye.
- 03
Step 3: Eye health
We look at the front and the back of each eye.
- 04
Step 4: The options
The doctor lays the options side by side and says which fit your child's age, prescription and daily routine, and which do not.
- 05
Step 5: A written summary
You take home the numbers and the choices. Start when you are ready.
- Sudden vision loss, flashes of light, a curtain over your vision, a chemical splash or an eye injury needs care now. Call our office right away or go to an emergency room. If you can't reach us, call 911.
Billing and what to bring
How it is billed
The exam part of the visit goes to your vision plan or, for a visit about myopia, to your medical insurance. Your plan decides what it pays. Lenses and drops are often paid by you, and we give you a written estimate first.
How fees workWhat to bring
Current glasses and contact lenses
Vision and medical insurance cards
A list of any eye drops or medicines your child uses
Your questions, on paper or on your phone
The doctors who do this
Runs the follow-up visits at the Alton Parkway office: reads each set of measurements and compares it with the last visit.
About the evaluation
How old does my child need to be?
We see children of any age for an eye exam. For myopia options, the doctor decides after the evaluation, because age matters for each one.
Does the evaluation hurt?
Most children feel the drops sting for a moment and find the rest easy. The drops make close work blurry and the eyes sensitive to light for a few hours, so we suggest sunglasses for the ride home.
Do we have to start something that day?
No. Take the written summary home and decide when you are ready.
Book a myopia evaluation
Pick a time in our booking system, or call and we will find one with you.