Your eyes are likely the most important component of your body. They allow you to see, read, drive, work, and be able to appreciate the worlds’ pleasures. Just like all other components of your body, though, your eyes must be maintained as well. Which is why eye doctors have such a key role in keeping you seeing.
If you’re in the Lexington, NC area or surrounding communities. And you may be wondering: Where do I go to get an eye doctor? What do the eye doctors do? How much does it cost? We’ve got all the answers to those questions here in this blog and will make it simple so you’ll know what to do when you go to an eye doctor in Lexington.
We will discuss what an eye doctor really does, what they can do for you, common treatments, price, how to find the best doctor, and daily tips on how to best take care of your eyes.
What Does an Eye Doctor Do?
An eye doctor is a medical physician that diagnoses and cures your eyes. They exist in two ways:
- Optometrists – They perform eye exams, prescribe glasses or contact lenses, and treat general eye disease.
- Ophthalmologists – They are medical doctors who treat severe eye disease and perform surgery.
Most people in Lexington go to optometrists for routine care and ophthalmologists for complex problems.
But eye doctors help with:
- Regular eye exams.
- Glasses or contact prescription.
- Disease diagnosis like glaucoma or cataracts.
- Treatment of infection and allergy.
- Eye protection and health counseling.
Why Eye Care Is Necessary
The majority of eye problems are symptom-free in their early stages. For instance, eye conditions such as glaucoma can silently damage your eyes without your knowledge. Short of it being too late, occasional trips to the eye specialist can detect the issues at their infancy and save your eyesight.
Eye specialists assist in:
- Learning problems that are vision-based in children.
- Adult issues such as computer eyestrain.
- Old age issues such as cataracts or macular degeneration.
LITERALLY, not getting eye care is a luxury—not a need.
Lexington NC Eye Doctors’ Services
Eye doctors in Lexington provide different services. The most frequent ones are discussed below:
Routine Eye Tests
Routine eye test checks your vision and overall eye condition. While conducting the test, the doctor can:
- Check your vision with an eye chart.
- Check for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
- Glaucoma test by checking eye pressure.
- Special lights to study the back of your eye.
- Glaucoma screening via monitoring eye pressure.
Glasses and Contact Lenses
Your eye care provider will order glasses or contact lenses if your eye needs to be corrected. Even Lexington clinics have an optical store, where you can shop for frames and lenses in the same location.
Children’s Eye Care
Children can also suffer from vision problems like lazy eye (amblyopia) or crossed eyes (strabismus). Lexington eye doctors basically do something to align children for the sake of good eyesight.
Control of the Eye Disease
Doctors conduct diagnosis and cure of widespread diseases, which are as follows:
- Glaucoma – Raised pressure inside the eye.
- Cataracts – Clouding of the lens of the eye, which blurs vision.
- Diabetic eye disease – Diabetic damage.
- Macular degeneration – a disease that leads to loss of central vision in older people.
Common Condition Treatment
Eye doctors also treat:
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis).
- Eye allergies.
- Dry eyes.
- Eye injury.
Surgery and Specialty Care
When necessary, Lexington eye doctors perform such as cataract surgery or laser surgery.
Emergency Eye Care
In the case of loss of vision, sudden pain, or trauma, emergency appointments are offered by most offices.
Lexington NC Eye Care Cost
Cost will depend on what you require:
- Routine eye exam: $80–$200.
- Glasses: $100–$500 (frame and lens dependent).
- Contacts: $150–$300 per year.
- LASIK eye surgery: $2,000–$3,000 per eye.
- Cataract eye surgery: $3,000–$5,000 per eye.
Most Lexington eye doctors will take insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. And most of the clinics offer payment plans or discounts if you have no insurance.
How to Choose the Best Eye Doctor
Since there are quite a number of clinics and doctors, it can be difficult to select the right one. Some suggestions are given below:
- Verify credentials: The doctor must be board-certified and licensed.
- Verify experience: Some doctors work with kids., elderly folks, or certain illnesses.
- Verify reviews: Reviews online will let you know whether the patients like the doctor and staff or not.
- Request services: If you require spectacles or an operation, make sure they do.
- Check insurance: Make sure they are listed under your insurance policy. Do it before you visit.
- Location and timing: Choose a clinic near home. Or near work with reasonable timings.
Benefits of Regular Visit
Others believe that they should only go to an eye doctor when they have some eye problem. No. There are many advantages of going to an eye doctor on a regular basis:
- Early detection of serious eye disease.
- New eye glass or contact lens prescription.
- Reduced danger of permanent vision loss.
- Advice on how to handle computer use and computer eye strain.
- Assurance of having healthy eyes.
Eye Care Tips
Besides going to see an eye doctor, there is general daily eye care that you can perform. Choose the following simple tips:
- Do the 20-20-20 rule: Staring unblinkingly at something 20 feet away from you. Do it for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
- Use eyeshades: Protect your eyes from UV rays. It harms them.
- Eat healthy foods: Oranges, spinach, fish, and carrots enhance good eyesight.
- Drink lots of water: Lubricate your eyes. So you don’t have dry eyes.
- Don’t smoke: Smoking will double your chance of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.
- Sleep well: Rest your eyes so they don’t get tired.
- Don’t rub your eyes: You will infect your eyes with germs and they will become red.
Symptoms You Should See an Eye Specialist Right Away
You are not even capable of waiting for your appointment sometimes. Meet the eye specialist right away if you notice:
- Sudden loss of vision or vision distortion.
- Flash of light or eye floaters.
- Severe pain in eyes.
- Redness, swelling, or discharge.
- Night blindness.
- Double vision.
They can be symptoms of serious underlying conditions which must be treated urgently.
Eye Care for Children and Seniors of Lexington
The greatest beneficiaries of eye check-up at periodic intervals are children and senior citizens.
- Children – Learning depends on vision. Eyes must be screened in children at 6 months, 3 years, pre-school, and then at an interval of 1–2 years.
- Seniors – Glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration are unavoidable in senior citizens. Eye check-up annually after the age of 60 years is advised.
Lexington clinics would also feature specialists who offer special treatment to patients of such categories.
Lexington Eye Doctors’ Contribution to Society
Lexington eye doctors are not only curing patients. They are also contributing to the health of a community in the following ways:
- They are making eye care more available.
- Helping children with good eyesight to perform better at school.
- Improving workers’ productivity by halting eye strain.
- Halting blindness through early detection.
To others, their eye care provider is also the medical provider and caregiver that they trust with good long-term health.
FAQs
How often do I need to visit an eye doctor in Lexington?
Adults need to see an eye doctor every 1–2 years, while seniors need to visit once a year. Children need to go more as they get older.
Do Lexington eye doctors offer same-day appointments?
Yes, some of them, especially for emergency needs such as infection or trauma. Call ahead always.
Can glasses be obtained the same day?
Yes, most offices have an in-office lab which permits same-day glasses.
Do Lexington eye doctors diagnose eye disease?
Yes. Optometrists do most and ophthalmologists do late disease and surgery.
Is LASIK performed in Lexington?
Some centers perform LASIK, and some will refer you to a city nearby.
The right Lexington eye doctor, North Carolina, is an investment that you should make in order to protect your vision and overall health. Whether an eye checkup, glasses, or complicated surgery, Lexington has the skilled hands at your disposal.
If you have regular visits at your eye doctor, making sure you treat your eyes every day, and also keep a keen eye on problems, you can have healthy eyesight for the rest of your life.
Your eyes are an investment—don’t sell them out. If you reside or work in Lexington or the community, make an appointment today and maintain your vision clear and healthy.
