The initial part of the exam is done by young girls who need very little knowledge to do it as it is automated. The Optometrist couldn't use a retinoscope because it was in his pocket and dead. It had to be in it's charger to work. The retinoscope is one of the most important tools of a good optometrist. He had to rely on the measurements of the autorefractor to refine my refraction, and I was not just unhappy with my results, I was saddened that someone who should know how important it is to be able to use that tool couldn't use it. Rather than the more accurate Goldmann Tonometry (eye pressure standard), one of the office girls used a handheld instrument that blew 3 puffs of air to the side of my eyes to measure it. It's not always reliable, and it is antiquated. As I've fumed over this, I received my first bill in yesterday's mail and it shows that it is 90 days old, and I have 4 days to pay it. Same for my husband. I called about it and the lady who answered the phone couldn't answer any of my questions about why I was just now receiving a bill that was 90 days old. On my bill, there was a charge for fundus photography, and I can't recall anyone taking photos of my retina. I know that because as a former technician at Wolfe Eye Clinic, I did everything that was not done here. I saw patients who had healthy eyes, refractive errors that needed some type of correction to see clearly, patients who had glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes, hypertension, retinal tears or detachments. In patients who had some form of retinal disease, not only did I do a photo of each retina, I did angiograms which is a series of pictures as fluorescein dye travels through the vessels of the retina and even developed the film for the doctor see within an hour. In my final 5 years, I was mostly seeing patients above the age of 18 who were there for either Radial Keratotomy or LASIK, (refractive surgery) and the doctors I worked with were authorized to do the FDA trials for both RK and LASIK. Every test I did as a technician had to be spot on, no room for bad measurements which is why everything was done by experienced technicians. Our measurements were very important to the patient having a positive outcome. Wolfe Eye Clinic have been pioneers in eyecare for over a century. I wouldn't send a single person to Eyecare Associates. I don't know about the Marshalltown office, but the Toledo office was an expensive waste of money and I will NEVER return to any of their offices. I am going to return to Dr. Cazett at the Walmart vision center whether my insurance pays for it or not. I get the thorough eye exam that I pay for, they have a very large selections of frames to choose from in a wide variety of prices. The only reason we went to Eyecare Associates is because they were approved by our health insurance. I don't recommend going to Eyecare Associates because like us, you will go to someone who does the job the way they were trained to do.
