If you’ve read my post “How Often Should I take My Child to Get an Eye Exam,” you know that the American Optometric Association recommends eye exams at 6 months, 3 years, before first grade, and every two years after that.
So, the natural next question is: How do I choose the right optometrist? Here are our thoughts.
Referrals and Recommendations
Referrals and recommendations from your family, friends, and colleagues should to be at the top of your list of reliable sources. They know firsthand how their medical care professionals treat them and their children. Plus, you trust their judgement.
In addition, reach out to your current pediatrician and ask them if they have recommendations. You’ll often find that they already have a list prepared for just this type of question. After all, they are constantly seeing vision problems and making recommendations. And, they want the best care possible for their patients.
Online Search
Personal recommendations are the tried and true source of trusted information. Even so, our natural instinct in nearly everything is to conduct an online search. One superb source here is the American Optometric Association’s Find a Doctor.
Insurance Coverage
Does your insurance plan have a list of eye doctors who are covered? That’s an excellent place to get started in finding matches with the doctors you’ve found from recommendations and your online search.
Things to Look For
You now have a short list of candidates. But, how do you choose an optometrist for your child? Here’s what to look for. We call it the 3-Es.
- Expertise. Look for an eye doctor who has developed a deep level of expertise in providing pediatric vision care and treating children’s vision problems.
- Experience. That expertise, while it can be learned in schools and seminars, can only be developed with firsthand experience treating children. So review how long they’ve been in practice and particularly how long they’ve been treating children.
- Excellence. Bringing together expertise and experience needs to be buttressed with an on-going pursuit of excellence. That means keeping up with developments in treatments as well as implementing the latest technology.
All those are fairly straightforward things to look for in an optometrist. You should be able to find that information on their website.
You should also review their credentials including certification through an accredited medical institution and license to practice through the state board of optometry. You can confirm their credentials at DocFinder for Texas.
Deeper Insight
For further insight, we’ve produced “The Guide to Choosing the Perfect Optometrist.” It provides deeper background and insight into choosing your family optometrist.
No Need to Look Further
We feel that when you landed on this webpage and this blog post that you’ve already found the right pediatric optometrist for your family. We’ve been providing vision care for every family member for several decades.
Let’s get started. Use our contact form or call us at 972-612-2099.
Disclaimer: The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
