Welcome to Alameda Vision Center! As doctors and staff we thank you for choosing our clinic for your vision care. Our goal is to provide you with an outstanding eyecare experience, from the first phone call (or website visit!) – to the exam chair – to the optical.
To save time and stress when you arrive, please consider filling out our patient information form beforehand. You may print the form or complete and send online here. If possible, please also bring the following to your appointment:
– Insurance cards: Both medical insurance and vision plans may assist with your charges, so please bring the information with you.
– Contact lenses: If possible, please wear your current contacts to your appointment and bring the carton or packet with the lens information printed on it.
– Eyeglasses: Please bring ALL pairs of glasses you currently use, including reading glasses and sunglasses. Knowing what glasses you’ve worn and how well they’ve worked can aid us in giving you the best prescription possible.
– Eye drops: Seeing any eye drops or ointments, whether artificial tears or medications, will give the doctors important information on your recent eye history.
Arrival / Check in: When you arrive at Alameda, our staff will check you in and finalize your paperwork. If you would like to look at our eyeglass frame selection you may want to arrive early to do so; after the exam your eyes may be dilated, which could affect your ability to see the options clearly.
Work-up: Our technician will begin your examination by running some preliminary tests, such as Visual Acuity and Eye Pressure.
Exam: The doctor will discuss any problems that you are having and review your health history. He will take a look at your eyes, checking their vision and function and determining your eyeglass prescription. A thorough examination of the inside of your eyes will also be performed.
Dilation: At some point in the exam it may be necessary to dilate your eyes by putting in some eye drops that will make your pupils bigger. Dilation allows the doctor to more fully examine the health of your eyes, as well as finalize an accurate prescription. This may cause some temporary light sensitivity and “fuzzy” vision, hampering some activities, but driving is usually still okay.
Contact lenses and/or extra testing: Depending on the situation, the doctor may start the contact lens portion of the exam this same day, or schedule for another day. If any extra testing is required (for dry eyes, glaucoma, double vision, etc.), this also could be postponed to a follow-up visit.
Check-out: Once the exam is complete and eyeglass and contact lens orders settled, our staff will check you out at the front desk. Follow-up appointments, if needed, will be scheduled at this time. Total exam time generally runs between 45 and 90 minutes.
We very much look forward to your visit!
