FAQs

• Always use a good quality lens cleaner – one specifically designed for anti-reflective lenses. Generously apply the lens cleaner to the lenses before wiping with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth.
• Do not use fingers to spread cleaner around, especially if hands are rough or callused – this can cause scratches.
• If lenses are very dusty, oily or linty you can rinse them with lukewarm water and use a little Dawn dish soap or other liquid soap (make sure it does not contain lotion, lanolin or any sort of abrasives) on them.
• Dry with a soft 100% cotton towel such as a flour-sack dish towel, cotton handkerchief, bandanna, or an old T-shirt used just for your glasses.
• Do NOT use: Kleenex, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, terry cloth towels, or the shirt you are wearing. These CAN scratch lenses.
• The micro-fiber cleaning cloths should be washed frequently. You can just wash them out in the sink and hang them up to dry. Avoid using fabric softeners – it causes streaking on the lenses.
• Nose pads can be gently scrubbed with an old soft toothbrush and soap to help keep them clean. Wiping the pads with some rubbing alcohol on a cloth or cotton swab will clean and rejuvenate the silicone surface, just be careful not to get the alcohol on the lenses.

• Use both hands to put on and remove your eyewear. Grabbing a temple with one hand and pulling them off your face can cause the frame to bend out of shape.
• Never set eyewear down with the lenses resting on a hard surface. Never set them on a bed, chair, or floor. Remember, if someone steps or sits on your glasses, it is not their fault (unless they’re on your face at the time).
• Frames are not meant to rest against your forehead or eyebrows – skin oils & acids can harm the frame and lenses.
• Keep them away from small children, dogs, cats or any other animals – they love to chew on them.
• Avoid getting hair sprays, toothpaste, and other chemicals on them. Wash the lenses immediately if this accidentally happens.
• Rubbing or wiping your eyes with your glasses on can scratch the lenses with your fingernails – even if they’re short.
• It is normal for any screws in your frames to work loose over time. Periodically check them to see if they need tightening.
• Never use super glue or epoxies on your frame or lenses. In an emergency, hot glue is a better choice for temporary repairs.
•  We do adjustments and most minor repairs at no charge. Stop for an occasional “tune-up” to keep your glasses fitting perfectly.

20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.

20/20 does not necessarily mean perfect vision. 20/20 vision only indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. There are other important vision skills, including peripheral awareness or side vision, eye coordination, depth perception, focusing ability and color vision that contribute to your overall visual ability.

Some people can see well at a distance, but are unable to bring nearer objects into focus. This condition can be caused by hyperopia (farsightedness) or presbyopia (loss of focusing ability). Others can see items that are close, but cannot see those far away. This condition may be caused by myopia (nearsightedness).

Mild twitching of the eyelid is a common phenomenon. Although these involuntary contractions of muscles may be annoying, they are almost always temporary and completely harmless. They are most often associated with fatigue and/or stress. Gently massaging your eyelids and, most importantly, getting enough rest should cause any twitching to stop.

Good vision is essential to learning. 80% of what your child learns is through his/her vision, and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems.

What about “Vision Screenings” performed by a school nurse or a pediatrician? Vision screening methods detect only 40% of children with vision problems. A comprehensive eye exam can reveal problems that would go undetected in a screening.

According to the American Optometric Association, infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade – at about age 5 or 6.

An eye exam can vary greatly from one place to the next. There are differences in the types of tests that are included in the exam as well as variations in the technology and equipment used. Differences in exam prices are usually a reflection of these differences.

Our Total Eye Care Exam has two parts. The doctor does an Ocular Health Evaluation where she/he will check for signs of any eye disease, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or vascular disease. Visual field screening and retinal photos (pictures of the inside of your eye) are included in this part of the exam. For the other part of the exam the doctor will complete a Vision Assessment to determine the strength of correction you’ll need, if any. The fee for this Total Eye Care Exam is $272. We do file claims to most insurances on behalf of our clients. This price is reduced for returning patients and those who pay for their services on the day they receive them, since there is less administrative work involved in these circumstances.

Fitting contact lenses requires the doctor to perform additional tests and procedures and can include additional office visits to see the doctor. It is for these reasons that contact lens fittings have additional fees.

If you are requesting contact lenses for the first time, the doctor will evaluate whether or not you are a good candidate for wearing contact lenses. You will be interviewed to determine your individual and personal vision goals. You may only want to wear contacts for occasionally for specific activities, or perhaps you’d like to wear them daily for reading and close-up tasks. Because there are so many lens choices, our doctors will listen closely to your goals and choose the lens that best suits your lifestyle.

Next, the doctor performs several tests to evaluate your tear film, the size and shape of your eye, as well as determining the prescription of the contact lenses. Because the lens rests on the surface of your eye instead of several millimeters in front of it like an eye glass lens the prescription is often slightly different than your glasses prescription.

After these tests and evaluations the doctor will choose actual diagnostic contact lenses and place them on your eyes. Another slit lamp evaluation will be performed to determine if the lens fits correctly and a visual acuity test will be performed to ensure the contact lens is correcting your vision.

If you’ve never worn contact lenses, you will be taught the proper way to insert, remove and disinfect them. You will then be allowed to wear the contact lenses for a week or two before returning for a follow-up visit. At the follow-up visit, the doctor will reassess the contact lenses and solve potential problems. Either a new lens will be tried or the prescription will be finalized. If your vision and comfort is not satisfactory, additional follow up visits may be ordered. Some types of lenses, such as toric lenses for correcting astigmatism or multifocal lenses for correcting presbyopia, tend to take more time to achieve a perfect fit.

Even if you have worn contact lenses for many years, an annual contact lens evaluation is essential to maintain good eye and corneal health.

Fitting contact lenses is both a science and art that requires a certain level of expertise. The additional time, tests and follow up visits are not usually part of a regular comprehensive eye health and vision examination, but are included in the contact lens fitting fee.

From Uptown, Minneapolis to Monticello, Minnesota: read the full story here.