Planning Your Eye Doctor Visit

An annual eye exam is a great step in taking care of not only your eyes but your overall health. In fact, eye exams can detect signs of serious conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.  

Visiting the eye doctor doesn’t have to feel intimidating, even if you haven’t been there in a while. Knowing how to prepare for the visit and thinking ahead is an important part of the eye exam process. You and your eye doctor are a team with the goal of keeping your eyes as healthy as possible. Having good communication is a great way to ensure you and your doctor are on the same page.  

Here are some tips to help you make the most of your next visit.  

Get to Know Your Vision Benefits: 

• For personalized information about your benefits, create an account or log in to your vsp.com account. Here, you can see see your vision plan and coverage details as well as easily view benefits for all your covered dependents from your desktop, mobile, or tablet. 
• Once you’re logged in, you’ll also be able to find a VSP network doctor that accepts your vision plan and view how you can save with Exclusive Member Extras.

Think About These Before Your Eye Exam:  

• Have I noticed any eye problems such as blurry vision, flashes of light, poor night vision, or double vision?  
• Do I have trouble judging distances or distinguishing between reds and greens? 
• Is my vision impacting my ability to participate in certain activities?  
• How well am I taking care of my glasses or contacts? Do I take my contacts out each night and rinse them thoroughly?  
• Do I want new glasses or lens enhancements? 
• Have I had any health issues, injuries, operations, or sicknesses lately that my eye doctor should know about?  
• Does my family have a history of eye problems such as glaucoma or cataracts?  

Bring These Things to Your Eye Exam:  

• Your current glasses, sunglasses, and contacts.
• A list of current medications—and not just prescription medications. Your eye doctor can look at the list and determine if your medications could be affecting your vision.  
• The name and address of your primary care doctor.  
• If your appointment includes having your pupils dilated—and most yearly eye exams do—bring a friend or family member to drive you home. Many people can’t see well enough to drive safely after having their eyes dilated.  
• Your vision insurance information. You don't need to have a member ID card, just tell your provider you have VSP and they'll be able to look up all of your coverage information!
• A list of the questions you want to ask your doctor, so you don’t forget them.

Things to Ask Your Eye Doctor:  

• Has anything about my eyes changed since my last visit that I should know about?  
• What are my options for improving my vision?  
• Am I a candidate for laser vision correction? 
• What are the advantages of wearing both contact lenses and glasses?
• How many hours per day can I wear contacts?  
• Should I look out for anything in particular when it comes to my eyes and overall health?  
• How can I protect my vision while staying active?  
• Should I be doing anything differently to care better for my eyes?  
• Can I schedule my next eye exam? 

Be Sure to Follow Up with Your Eye Doctor:  

• If you receive contacts or glasses for the first time, plan to follow up with your eye doctor after about two weeks so you can report back on how well they are working.  
• If your eye doctor adjusts your prescription and your new glasses or contacts aren’t working out, let your eye doctor know immediately.