Letter from school about DDs vision

[lovin'fl]

I'll get all my kids to an eye DR. I called one, yesterday, that is next to their Ped. but they don't take our insurance, so I'll call around on Monday. My DD told me that she does have trouble seeing the board at school, but she does NOT want glasses. I noticed that she was squinting at the 3rd base coach last night, at their softball game, when she was at bat and he was giving her signals. No wonder she missed some signals this past summer. My other DD told me that they tested her too and hers was 20/70 in both eyes. Thanks for all the info. I freaked when I saw those numbers.

 

[Patience]

OP, if your daughter is 13 and reluctant to wear glasses for sports or other reasons, she CAN go straight into contact lenses. My daughter was a competitive gymnast and needed glasses at age 10. Glasses and gymnastics don't really go together so her eye doctor put her straight into contacts with a pair of glasses just for back up. Even though she was only 10, she quickly learned to put the contacts in and take them out by herself. She did great with them and never had any problems. She's 18 now and wears the kind you can sleep in for 30 days.

 

[luvmy3]

You're right. That was a gross oversimplification. Obviously ophthalmologists don't just do eye surgery. And now that I thing about it, of course they'll give you an appointment (and accept your money if you ask!). But, my point (obviously not well stated) was that an optometrist is usually the starting point for *most people's* eye care. You don't typically *need* an ophthalmologist unless you have a disease or disorder beyond what an optometrist covers. And ophthalmologists sometime charge more, but this may not be the case in all areas. It boils down to specialization and focus. But perhaps the fact that my optometrist is my BIL and my best friend is also one has clouded my judgment. It's actually a hotly debated topic in certain circles! So really, what do I know?

I got what you were saying. I just made an appointment for my dd for an opthamologist and was told that my insurance wouldn't cover the eye exam unless there was a medical diagnosis for it. She does have one, but if she didn't they would have most likely suggested she see and optometrist for vision problems.

 

[bdcp]

We have always gone to Opthamologist's as they are medical doctors. Optometrist's are not.

My oldest son's vision went from 20/30 in second grade to 20/100 in third. He's now 28 and his eyesight hasn't changed that much, but it has changed some. He inherited his dad's eyesight. Mine is 20/25 at 52 yrs old, but I also have monovision. Anyway, point is, we all still see the opthamologist every year or two. I also have to go for visual field tests every year because where the optic never enters the back of my eye is larger in one eye than another. He's pretty sure it's just a genetic anomaly since my numbers are always good and my visual field is actually larger than average. Fortunately we have a vision plan that covers exams and basic glasses/contacts as long as the doctor is in the network. He was the only opthamologist on the list. My visual field tests are covered by health insurance.

Kids vision can change quickly as they grow.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They did a vision screening at school and her left eye is 20/200 and the right is 20/100. OMG, is this really bad? She is 13. I had to wear contacts and had Lasik but I think my vision was more like 20/80. I had no idea she had any trouble with her vision. All my kids went to an opt. a few years ago and they had no problems (had like 20/40 and the DR said that might adjust to 20/20 as they got older). They were also checked in elementary school and we were never notified of any problems. She has an identical sister and they did not send us a letter on her vision (could come just come in the mail late though).

20/40 is not that great but doable of course. Not sure why the doc said her vision would get better? That is just odd to say. Vision usually worsens in childhood & rapidly. Now when you get older in your 40's it can improve. Mine did however I need bifocals.

Don't go back there.

I take my kids for reg. checkups before school starts each year because we have "bad vision" in the genes.

 

[design_mom]

20/40 is not that great but doable of course. Not sure why the doc said her vision would get better? That is just odd to say. Vision usually worsens in childhood & rapidly. Now when you get older in your 40's it can improve. Mine did however I need bifocals.

Don't go back there.

I take my kids for reg. checkups before school starts each year because we have "bad vision" in the genes.

I don't think that's necessarily true. Both my eyes and my son's eyes got better as we aged. My son's pediatric ophthalmologist said that kids' eyes change rapidly at several points during their childhood (I think he said it was around age 2, around age 6, and at puberty). However, they can go either way -- better or worse.

I started wearing glasses when I was 5 and wore them all the way till high school and then I didn't need them anymore. I'm now 40 and still don't wear glasses, although I expect I probably will have to in the next few years (aging).

My son started wearing glasses at 14 months of age. By the time he was 3 he was in VERY strong glasses with bifocals. He had two eye surgeries, at age 4 and 8. At his last checkup (he just turned 12) the doctor took him out of the bifocals and he's in a much more "normal" prescription. We're hoping it "holds", or even improves, through puberty.

 

[Coconut36]

20/40 is not that great but doable of course. Not sure why the doc said her vision would get better? That is just odd to say. Vision usually worsens in childhood & rapidly. Now when you get older in your 40's it can improve. Mine did however I need bifocals.

Don't go back there.

I take my kids for reg. checkups before school starts each year because we have "bad vision" in the genes.

I have never heard it generally gets worse, much less that it does so rapidly in general. For some yes..but just as easily for some it doesn't or it self corrects. I can't remember the exact discussion with my Ped but she said something similar about their vision not being 20/20 and it commonly self correcting as they got older.

My Mom for example her vision was bad and remained so..her sister on the other hand hers improved to the point she no longer needed glasses.

 

[Janepod]

I am 43. I started with glasses in 3rd grade, then contacts in 7th grade. I've never seen anyone but an ophthalmologist. And while possibly when I was a child a tech in the office handled portions of the visit, over the last 25 years it has been exclusively the ophthalmologist. NYC.

 

[spacemountainmom]

I have worn glasses since I was 18 months old. I am far-sighted and have strabismus and astigmatism in the left eye. My ophthamologist told me that my eyes would improve over the years, plateau in my late teens/early 20's and then start to worsen again. That is precisely what happened. I had a good long stretch in my 20's and 30's where my vision didn't change much. I am now in my 40's and I am really noticing changes in my vision. In fact I am due for my check-up. I should get that scheduled.

 

[PigletsPal2]

Just to clarify, take her to an optometrist, not an ophthalmologist (an eye surgeon). If you call an ophthalmologist, they'll just tell you to call an optometrist

That's not always the case. My ophthalmologist does routine eye exams and screenings in addition to surgery. Also, some insurance carriers (like mine) won't pay for an optometrist but will pay for an ophthalmologist because s/he's an MD and it's considered a medical visit.

Queen Colleen

 

[Ceila]

Not misleading at all. I've done this for over 20 years and well aware of how it works. Are all ophthalmologists bad at refracting? Of course not. Many are fabulous (as are many technicians). I've worked for two small privately owned practices and both MDs were great at refracting. I've worked for two large clinics and wouldn't trust most of the doc's with checking a prescription at all. They are more concerned with medical issues and have technicians to refract for them (Again...many technicians are great. This is why we have certifications. But it's not required and not all clinics care about it.). The OP can certainly see an ophthalmologist if she wants to. Doesn't mean the doctor won't know what he's doing, it just really depends on the clinic. An optometrist is not a technician. They are DOCTORS and are trained to spot problems (and even treat certain issues). Ophthalmologists are surgeons. It's overkill to tell the OP she should bypass the optometrist. They will likely be cheaper and she will have someone evaluating her prescription that does it everyday. I don't want to sit here and argue, but I did feel the need to respond since you stated I was misleading. By all means, see who you are comfortable with seeing. But knowing what I know, if it were MY kid and I was able to do it, I would send my child to an optometrist (unless my child was very young, the OPs child is a teenager).

For those that have never been refracted by a technician at an ophthalmologist's office, you are in the minority. At least is the US. Most ophthalmologists hire either technicians or optometrists to refract for them.[/B] A privately owned small clinic that does not see high numbers of patients may be an exception. Optometrist assistants/technicians are different. They usually just use an autorefracter to get a baseline and an air puffer for glaucoma and then an optometrist fine tunes it. There are always exceptions to the rule, but this is how the majority of it is done.

Are you talking about clinics? Because I have only ever gone to doctors in private practice, where the doctor, not a tech, does the refracting. As you can see on this thread, many of us have not had the experience you have had, and I've lived in several different states and had the same experience in each. Honestly, I don't know anyone who goes to a clinic for regular medical services (off-hours clinics would be an exception). Seeing a doctor in a private practice is the norm everywhere I have ever lived.

 

[Bonniec]

Are you talking about clinics? Because I have only ever gone to doctors in private practice, where the doctor, not a tech, does the refracting. As you can see on this thread, many of us have not had the experience you have had, and I've lived in several different states and had the same experience in each. Honestly, I don't know anyone who goes to a clinic for regular medical services (off-hours clinics would be an exception). Seeing a doctor in a private practice is the norm everywhere I have ever lived.

That would make sense. If a private practice is small and not busy there is no point in paying a technician's salary to do that. It's also a lot cheaper to pay someone to do a few simple tests verses someone who does the refractions or assists in surgeries. I would be very surprised to find a larger practice that has MDs refracting patients themselves, though I'm sure it may happen. Heck, the last clinic I was at had us refracting for their optometrists too which was something new for me.

Anyway, I don't want to make it sound like it's bad to have a technician refract you either. It certainly isn't, and small private practices use them too. It all comes down to the clinic and what they do.

I just get annoyed when people act like an optometrist is not a doctor. They ARE doctors. They can prescribe medication, they can treat and monitor most eye diseases. It's like seeing your family doctor for your eyes. When you need surgery or when your eye problem becomes more complex, they refer you out.

A small, private practice is really the best way to go imo, no matter which type of doctor you see.

 

[aprilgail2]

That's not always the case. My ophthalmologist does routine eye exams and screenings in addition to surgery. Also, some insurance carriers (like mine) won't pay for an optometrist but will pay for an ophthalmologist because s/he's an MD and it's considered a medical visit.Queen Colleen

Exactly- my medical insurance is much better than my opitcal insurance so I go to an ophthalmologist and it covers the visit in full, even for a routine eye exam.

 

[Piper]

When I was 10, I was tested by an optometrist and told my vision was fine. I continued to have problems and was tested 1 month later by an ophthalmologist. My vision was 20/200 in one eye and worse than that in the other. To make matters worse, I had a stygmatism in both eyes. They also found lisch nodules (a marker for neurofibromatosis...which I didn't know I had...other markers developed a little later.) The optometrist missed all these signs.

I never took my children to an optometrist--always a pediatric ophthalmologist. My daughter had vision problems due to prematurity and oxygen admisinstered at birth (now they know to cover eyes,) but my son didn't need glasses until he was in 5th grade.

Due to my experience, I would never trust an optometrist.

 

[SaraJayne]

My children have only seen an optometrist and he's awesome.

They both have had yearly exams since they started K.

 

[erincon23]

You can't rely on a child to tell you if they aren't seeing clearly -- how do they know that the way they're seeing isn't the way everybody else sees? Both had passed the school vision screenings every year. But since DH and I both started wearing glasses in 3rd grade, I started playing a "game" with my boys early on (preschool). I'd ask them to read things in the distance, or tell me what that picture was -- things that I knew they should be able to see. As soon as they started to not be able to make it out, or I saw them squinting at things, off they went to the eye doctor. For DS20 it was about 3rd grade, and for DS16 it was 2nd (but DS20 is a "young" student -- late birthday, and DS16 is an "old" student -- early birthday). One doctor told us that regular vision issues -- just plain nearsightedness and not some other more serious eye issue -- tend to show up at about 8 or 9, as the puberty hormones start to kick in.

And my 2 cents on the ophthamologist/optometrist debate -- my mom took me to an optho when I first needed glasses -- nobody in her family ever did, so she was a little freaked (and I was the only one of 5 siblings who needed glasses, so I'm the odd one out). Now though, I take myself, DH and kids to optometrists -- Lenscrafters for years and now one we really like at Costco -- and I haven't seen any difference in the quality of the service we receive, just in the cost of the exam and glasses, and the speed we get appointments and glasses.

 

[njcarita]

opthamologist are MEDICAL doctors who specialize in the eye...............optometrists are NOT medical doctors....they go to optometry school...just like chiropractors are NOT medical doctors they go to chiropractic college......so i pick opthamolgist hands down........ and my inusranace will cover my opthamologist visits wont cover my optometrist.............

 

[jahber]

opthamologist are MEDICAL doctors who specialize in the eye...............optometrists are NOT medical doctors....they go to optometry school...just like chiropractors are NOT medical doctors they go to chiropractic college......so i pick opthamolgist hands down........ and my inusranace will cover my opthamologist visits wont cover my optometrist.............

I find this an interesting argument. Kind of like arguing for a psychiatrist over a psychologist, an ob/gyn over a midwife, MD over RNP. I wouldn't go to a psychiatrist or ob/gyn unless I have a pathology and technically I don't need my MD, either (although I have seen her for 12 years and will continue to). Not that everyone feels that way, and I can understand the gravitas associated with an MD. But to argue that an OD isn't qualified to provide eye care is ridiculous.
And not ALL medical insurance covers routine eye care...because they don't consider it a MEDICAL issue.