the Price of an Opthamologist

I was having a problem with blurred vision, gritty-feeling eyes, and dryness in my eyes. I went to my primary care doctor and she referred me to an opthalmologist in my town. I went for an appointment and was seen by the nurse first, who did some simple vision tests, took the information about my problem and then performed a dry eye test as well. The dry eye test was putting little transparent 'strips' under my eyelids for five minutes to determine whether or not I produced sufficient tears. Once the doctor came to see me, he dilated my eyes and examined them. He determined that I had a viral infection called EKC:epidemic keratoconjunctivits. The doctor prescribed eye drops called Tobradex for 10 days. I made a copayment of 20.00 to the doctor.

I was seen in a relatively quick amount of time from the time I walked into the door, about 15 minutes. The cheerful kind nurse that took information, performed the vision and dry eye test was very sympathetic and gentle. The doctor himself was VERY dry in nature. However, he seemed to be confident in his diagnostic skills and did a thorough job of examining my eyes. The waiting room staff was courteous too. Checkout was easy and quick.

My tip would be to go to a doctor that your own doctor refers you to, or go to someone that has a great reputation from others' experience. I was going to go to an optometrist, for example, because I was sure I had dry eye. Turns out I had an infection and was grateful that my primary doctor immediately sent me to an opthalmologist first.