Microcell said:
Ask about payment arrangements. I work for an Ophthomologist (who is an MD instead of an Doctor of Optometry- which is really not a doctor at all- just four years of schooling).
Ophthomologists are more expensive, but they are an actual doctor. Some exams are covered under medical insurance if your friend has that, if they have a strong family history of Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Diabetes. If they are Diabetic, it is instantly considered by insurance to be medical and can only see the MD.
I cannot tell you how many panic stricken patients call because an Optometrist has "diagnosed" something that turns out to be wrong. We rush them in and low and behold, it is not at all what they were told. Then there was the guy who lost vision in one eye because he went to an Optometrist after a sudden loss of vision and was mis diagnosed. He came to us a week later and our doctor had to tell them that he would never regain sight in that eye because if you have a retinal detachment it must be operated on within 48 hours of loss of vision. I could go on.
Ophthomologists are willing to work with you on payment, I strongly suggest your friend see an actual honest to goodness MD.
Stepping off soapbox!
Optometrists spend an additional 4 years in optometry school following their undergraduate work, just like an MD spends 4 years in medical school. They are doctors in the same sense as a osteopath, dentist, chiropractor or podiatrist is considered to be a doctor. They do clinical rotations and a residency to earn their degrees. They are required by most states to attend continuing education courses in order to maintain their license.
Most optometrists in private practice that I know are better at doing a routine eye exam and contact lens fitting than an opthamologist. Perhaps this is because this is their area of expertise, while the opthamologist is more focuses on eye diseases. Many optometrists also do the follow up exams for cataract and vision correction surgeries. They are not the charlatans that you make them sound like.
A comprehensive eye exam with a competent optometrist can be less expensive and every bit as thorough as an exam done by an opthamologist. And those in private practice are just as likely to work on a payment plan for their patients.
Just as you have seen some disasterous misdiagnoses by ODs, I can also relate some horrendous clinical mistakes by just about anyone in any area of medicine. I wouldn't paint them all with the same brush because of this.
Okay, stepping down off of my soap box.
To the OP, have your friend check with their college to see if there is a student program. Sometimes the school will have an agreement with local doctors for their students. If there is a medical college or optometry school near your friend, there are clinics that are staffed by both the students and their instructors (real, honest to goodness doctors). The fees are minimal at those places and the care is excellent (although the choice of eyewear is very limited).
Good luck regardless of where they decide to go. You only get one set of eyes, so you need to take care of them.
I didn't really like the doctor and the exam took an hour (lots of waiting as the doctor kept leaving the room).
Optometrists are the ones you want for routine eye care, contact lens fittings etc. Most optometrists now can prescribe meds and treat most eye diseases. It does vary some state to state. Today's optometry training is much much more advanced than it was years ago.
