Having a current eyeglasses prescription is an important part of making sure that you can go about your daily life in safety. This means that you can see better when you drive, take your medication, and even communicate efficiently on your smartphone. For those who haven’t visited an optometrist in White Plains in a while or ever, our team at Raphael Opticians has some tips for finding the right eye doctor for you.

Talk to your insurance

If you have optical insurance coverage, the first phone call that you’re going to want to make is to your insurance company. They can point you in the direction of optometrists who are considered to be in your plan’s network so you don’t have to pay for your visit on your own. You’ll likely have to pay a co-pay, but that’s often far less than what it would be without help from your insurance.

Talk to your friends

Once you’ve narrowed your search to doctors who are covered by your insurance, start asking around to your friends. Many of them likely have an optometrist who they or a family member visits. You can talk to them about what they do or don’t like about their eye doctor so you can start thinking about things that you would want in your optometrist. For instance, your friend might have an optometrist who gets them in and out, while you would prefer a thorough examination.

Read online reviews

You can take your list of preferred optometrists online and look at reviews previous patients have left. Be sure to read both positive and negative reviews as this is a great way to get an idea of what you’re getting into. Keep in mind that like talking with your friend, there might be things that one patient loved about the eye doctor but is not something you want. The same can be true in reverse as well. It’s also important to consider that sometimes emotions are running high when patients leave negative reviews so be aware of what you read with all reviews.

Consider the price

If you don’t have optical insurance coverage, shop around for optometrists in White Plains to find the best price for your budget. Not every eye doctor is going to charge patients the same amount for a visit. This is especially true for cash-paying patients as there aren’t any hoops for them to jump through to get paid by the insurance company.

Check their background

Most optometrists will have a website with information about the doctor and their practice. You can often look into where they received their degree, how much extra training they’ve completed beyond schooling, and how established they are in the community. Unless you have special needs with your eyes like cataracts, macular degeneration, or glaucoma, you likely won’t need an eye doctor with specialized training. However, how well established an optometrist is in your community speaks volumes about the kinds of relationships they develop with their patients.

Come see us after

After you’ve visited your optometrist in White Plains, come by and see us at Raffy’s. We can make glasses for any prescription with lenses that are made from scratch-resistant polymers. Our team will help you get the best price available for your glasses. If we think you can find a better price somewhere else, we’ll be honest and tell you.

If you need to update your glasses prescription or would like to order an extra pair, get in touch with us at Raphael Opticians. You can schedule an appointment by calling 914-949-0575 or drop by when it’s convenient. We look forward to seeing you.