When shopping for prescription eye care, such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, there are many options. You can visit an optometrist’s office, or you can visit a practice run by two, three, or more eye doctors. These offices will tend to offer a high level of personal service, but they usually come along with high prices. Another option is to go to a small, community optical shop that may only employ one doctor, and is not part of a chain. With these shops, the practicing eye doctor usually does not own or manage the store; rather, he or she is simply an employee. Many people like these local shops because they are familiar with both the doctors and the management, and they like supporting local businesses. One of the drawbacks to these practices can be a limited selection; being smaller, the shop may only carry a few brands of frames to choose from, for example.
Still another option for an optical shop is to visit a larger office, with more doctors, more assistants, and more choices. Usually, these businesses are owned and operated by a corporation that runs several offices, usually by the same name, and in multiple locations. These shops are not unlike chain retailers or franchises, to make one comparison. Generally, these shops have more options, sometimes have lower prices, and may be affiliated with more insurance plans than a smaller outfit would. However, some people do not like the large, impersonal nature of such shops, even though they may offer a superior selection and greater convenience of scheduling due to the greater number of available doctors. Some of these shops are regional or even national chains that can offer great discounts, although they are also subject to higher doctor turnover rates than a private practice or community shop might be. You might have seen these type of chains advertised on television, for example.
No matter what kind of optical shop you go to, be prepared to make a few visits for follow up. Especially if you are a new patient, the staff should take some extra time to make sure your prescription is correct and that your glasses and/or contacts fit correctly and are not causing secondary vision problems such as straining, squinting, or headaches. Sometimes it can take a few visits for even the best staff to dial in the needs of a patient. It’s also worth your time to take a few moments to make sure that your insurance plan is accepted at the shop of your choice in order to avoid last-minute billing surprises.
