Is There an Eye Doctor in the House?

[Chattyaholic]

I went to see an opthalmologist at my family doctor's urging, to get an extensive eye exam because I have Type II Diabetes. All tests turned out great, except for my pressures. They have been "a little high" for many years and I've been told to keep an eye on them. Well, my pressures were too high so he prescribed Xalatan drops (1 per eye each night) and wanted me to come back every 4 months to have the pressures re-checked. He charges $90 to re-check my pressures. My old insurance paid $40 and I had to pay the balance. I was then without insurance for a little while, have it now but I don't think they will pay anything.

So, I had my pressures checked today at the Wal-mart vision center and it was 22 in each eye (had been 18 a year ago, after I was on the drops awhile) so I know that is too high. I need a new prescription for Xalatan, but Wal-mart can't give me one unless I have a complete exam. I'm debating calling the opthalmologist's office to see if they will write me a new prescrip-tion but I'm doubting they will without "seeing me first."

Should I just go ahead and schedule an exam with the vision center at Wal-Mart, or "bite the bullet" and stick with the opthalmologist? I just HATE paying $90 for something that only takes a couple of minutes though...Wal-mart does it for FREE!!

 

[Andrea]

my advice would be to just call the first place what's the worse they will say no you have to come in... you might be suprised and they will call it in for you.

 

[mickeymousemom]

Hello...ophthalmic tech here....the thing is...high pressure in the eyes is glaucoma. If you've been using your Xalatan drops faithfully and your pressure is still 22 then you might need to try a different med. IMO, with your high pressure and diabetes you should be seeing an eye MD regularly. I certainly wouldn't trust WalMart with any medical problems involving my eyes. 20 or below is a safer number as far as pressure goes and some glaucoma patients can't even tolerate that. You need a Visual Fields test every six months to make sure that no damage has been caused by the glaucoma and you should be dilated AT LEAST once a year for your diabetes. This stuff is not anything to mess around with. I know it may be hard to afford, and if you get your pressure under control then seeing an optometrist might be something acceptable, but make sure you keep seeing your ophthalmologist yearly. For right now, you should see him every four months at least until you know this med will work...otherwise you really should be seeing an MD for these problems. If WalMart did the "puff of air" to check your pressure, then it's possible your pressure really isn't that high. Most ophthalmologists around here use a different machine, with no puff..an applanation tip with a blue light is used...this is much newer and more accurate.

Good Luck with whatever you decide...maybe you should talk with your ophthalmologist about the expense...he should be willing to work with you, and may okay in-between visits to Walmart....


ETA: $90 is an incredible amount to pay just for a pressure check(they should also check your vision and a couple small things). The doctor I worked for charged half that. It might be worth it to call around.