Frequently Asked Questions

Adults and children should have their eyes examined once a year. Contact lens patients should have a complete eye exam once a year and a quick follow-up at 6 months.

A dilated eye exam is when the doctor uses eye drops to make the pupil stay open wider than it normally is. She can use bright lights to see the entire back of the eye, look at the retina and make sure the eye is healthy.

Many diseases can be detected in the eye before they are detected elsewhere in the body, such as diabetes and hypertension. A complete eye exam every year is an important part of maintaining your health.

A routine eye exam is when the doctor evaluates your eye health and checks your vision to determine whether or not you need a prescription. This is similar to a routine physical, there is no specific medical complaint, however you may have blurry vision or problems reading at distance or near.

A medical exam is when the eye evaluation is directed toward a specific complaint or problem, such as dry eye, allergies and floaters. Vision evaluation may be part of this exam and billed to insurance if it is related to the cause of the medical diagnosis, otherwise it would be a separate non-covered fee.

Vision plans are separate forms of insurance which cover your routine wellness visit. Sometimes they have their own name, such as VSP and EyeMed and sometimes they are carved out of your medical insurance. In some cases, vision Insurance may provide discounts for the cost of materials such as glasses or contact lenses.

An Optometrist is a Doctor of Optometry who specializes in the eye. An Optometrist examines patients for eyeglasses, contact lenses and diagnoses, and treats and manages eye diseases and any other disorder affecting vision. An Optometrist prescribes glasses and fits contact lenses, manages and treat conjunctivitis, allergies, dry eye, glaucoma and much more. An Optometrist can diagnose many eye diseases, but Optometrists do not perform eye surgery.

An Ophthalmologist is a Medical Doctor who specializes in the eye, diagnosing, treating and managing eye diseases. Ophthalmologists perform eye surgery including cataracts, LASIK, glaucoma and retinal detachments.

Optometrists and Ophthalmologist work together taking care of a patient and referring back and forth as needed.

Opticians are technicians who make eyeglass lenses, cut, shape and construct glasses. Opticians adjust and repair glasses. Opticians and Optometrists work together as needed.

There is no specific age guideline for wearing contact lenses. Your doctor will evaluate and determine whether or not contact lenses would work well for you.

Contact lenses sit on the cornea and can effect your overall eye health. It is important to have your eyes evaluated every year to make sure the cornea is getting enough oxygen and that your eyes are healthy enough to continue wearing contact lenses.

Contact lenses are medical devices that can cause serious consequences, such as infection, inflammation, permanent damage and loss of vision if not fit and taken care of properly. Examining a contact lens patient takes additional time and expertise. For that reason there are separate, additional charges for contact lens examinations that patients without contact lenses do not pay.

In addition to your regular eye examination, there is a fitting fee associated with trying new contact lenses. There are thousands of types of lenses, and the doctor will need to take special measurements and determine which lens type will work for you.

Your initial design fee will cover ocular surface evaluation, diagnostic lenses, lab or shipping fees, fitting analysis and any follow-up visits necessary to obtain a satisfactory fit. If you have never worn contact lenses before, your fitting will include instruction on insertion and removal of the lenses and proper care and cleaning techniques. The fee depends on the type of lens you wear; for example, bifocal contact lenses are more difficult to fit and take longer to adjust and fine-tune than standard contact lenses. Your initial fitting fee also includes follow up visits for the next 6 months.

Annually, there will be a refitting fee, which covers the cost of new trial lenses, examination time and follow-up appointments for the next 6 month period.

After you have been fit with a contact lens, you will have the option of buying a supply of lenses that will last up to 1 full year. You should be replacing your contact lenses as directed, which can range anywhere from daily, to every 2 weeks, monthly or quarterly, depending on the kind of lens worn. Buying a year's supply of contact lenses at one time is beneficial because discounts or rebates may be available and because you have the convenience of having new lenses on hand when you need to replace them, so that you are not tempted to wear old, dirty or damaged lenses.

Once finalized, per New York state regulations, your contact lens prescription will be valid for up to 1 year. This means you can purchase enough lenses to last for 12 months. After 12 months, the prescription expires.

If you want to continue to wear contact lenses, you must return for a comprehensive eye examination and contact lens evaluation. The doctor will verify that your eyes are responding well to contact lens wear, check the ocular surface for any damage and make sure the lenses are still fitting properly and are the correct prescription for your eyes. This type of examination is necessary if you wish to continue wearing contact lenses. The doctor will not renew expired prescriptions without first making sure that your eyes are healthy enough to wear lenses.

To avoid any inconvenience, make sure your annual examination is scheduled on time so that you do not run out of lenses before you are seen. If you wear contact lenses, this examination must be done annually, even if your insurance only allows for a 2-year examination interval.

No, Squint's pricing is the same as on-line vendors and most contacts arrive the next day. Additionally, Squint does not charge you for shipping and can provide you with company rebates to reduce the cost of your supply.

• If your prescription changes, we can exchange unopened boxes for your new prescription.
• If you run out of lenses, we can provide you with trial lenses to hold you over until your appointment or your supply arrives.
• You can place your order with SQUINT by email, phone or directly at the office.
• If you buy from us, you are supporting your local economy.
• Most importantly, we are here for you in case you ever have a problem with your eyes or your contacts.

Most children have their first eye exam around 5 years old, when they start kindergarten and begin to learn how to read. There are many reasons to have your child evaluated earlier. If you notice an eye turn, squinting, headaches or a child complains about his or her vision, you should bring them in for an eye exam.

Carrots supply the provitamin A beta-carotene which is essential for night vision. However, spinach and other dark, leafy greens are thought to be the healthiest foods for eyes because they naturally contain large amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin.

The American Optometric Association recommends the following foods, which contain the key nutrients for eye health:

• Lutein and zeaxanthin:
  Colorful fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, corn, green beans, peas, oranges and tangerines
• Essential fatty acids:
  Fatty fish like tuna, salmon, or herring, whole grain foods, chicken and eggs
• Vitamin C:
  Fruits and vegetables, including oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, papaya, green peppers and tomatoes
• Vitamin E:
  Vegetable oils, such as safflower or corn oil, almonds, pecans, sweet potatoes, and sunflower seeds
• Zinc:
  Extra-lean red meat, poultry, liver, shellfish, milk, baked beans, and whole grains

The AOA lists the following signs that parents and teachers can look for to help identify a vision problem. If you notice any of the below please schedule an appointment right away.

• An eye turning inward, outward, upward or downward frequently
• Bumping into objects
• Red eyes or eye lids
• Frequent rubbing of the eyes
• Excessive tearing
• Turning or tilting head to use one eye only
• Encrusted eyelids
• Frequent eye styes
• Avoiding coloring, puzzles, or detailed activities
• Difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination
• Avoiding close work
• Holding reading material closer than normal
• Headaches
• Making frequent reversals when reading or writing
• Using a finger to maintain place when reading
• Omitting or confusing small words when reading
• Consistently performing below potential
• Behavioral problems

One of the most important things a parent can do to help their children succeed in school is to take them for a comprehensive eye exam. Vision screenings are not diagnostic and typically can only find a small portion of the vision problems in children. Comprehensive eye exams are necessary to detect problems that a simple screening can miss, such as eye coordination, lazy eye, and near and farsightedness.

Visual acuity measurements evaluate how clearly each eye is seeing. As part of the testing, you are asked to read letters on distance and near reading charts. The results of visual acuity testing are written as a fraction such as 20/40

When testing distance vision, the top number in the fraction is the standard distance at which testing is done, twenty feet. The bottom number is the smallest letter size you were able to read. A person with 20/40 visual acuity would have to get within 20 feet of a letter that should be seen at 40 feet in order to see it clearly. Normal distance visual acuity is 20/20.

A polarized lens is a sunglass lens that reduces glare. It has a special filter that blocks highly reflected light. A polarized lens is a great overall sunglass and especially great for outdoor sports, water sports , snow and for all who are light sensitive. It blocks UV rays and provides excellent sun protection for the eye. Occasionally, a polarized lens is not desired, such as with downhill skiing, where it is important to see shadows in the snow and for someone who needs to view LCD displays which can look distorted with a polarized lens.

We are happy to adjust your frame, however, all adjustments are at the patient's own risk. Sometimes there are hairline cracks in a frame and it breaks when heated. There is no way of knowing this in advance.

Yes, however it's important to note that a frame can break when heated at the lab. SQUINT would not be responsible for breakage on a patient's own frame, especially an older one. We would be as careful as possible, but occasionally frames do break.

Lenses are custom-made to order based on your specific prescription and frame design. Once these are made, if you are not satisfied and bring this to our attention within thirty days, and we can re-make them at no additional charge. However, we cannot refund lens payments or insurance copays once an order has been processed.

We do not accept returns on frames that have been worn or have had lenses put into them, unless there is a manufacturer's defect in which case we will happily replace or repair them. Of course, patient satisfaction is our highest priority so please talk to us about any issues you are having. As to a frame that has not been worn and has not had lenses put into it, we will honor a return within ten days.

Most manufacturers have a 1-2 year frame warranty. If your frame is out of the warranty, parts such as broken temples can usually be ordered for a fee.

Unopened boxes of contacts, purchased at the time of your annual supply, may be exchanged for a new prescription within a year of the purchase date. There would be no extra charge, unless the new lens costs more than the old then you would just pay the difference.

All insurance information must be presented prior to your visit in order to authorize benefits with your insurance or vision plan. We use this information to properly calculate your exam and eyewear charges. If something changes or you find out new information, we can provide you with an itemized bill for you to submit directly to your plan for reimbursement, but Squint cannot postdate and submit a claim for you if we were not aware of your plan at the time of your visit.