Patient Resources
Eye Care Specialists
How it Works
Take these three steps to achieve your contact lens goals:
- Schedule an Appointment – Get the process started by calling or requesting an appointment online.
- Meet with Dr. Bauer – It all starts with a comprehensive dilated eye-health evaluation where we work together to determine what lenses are best for you.
- Get your lenses – Once we know what lenses are best, we special order your lenses to fit your eyes.
The Process:
Make an Appointment:
Start by requesting an appointment. We get records from your primary eye care provider so we can see what lenses you’ve tried in the past and determine if specialty lenses are right for you. Then, we schedule your first appointment.
The first visit:
Expect the first visit to take about an hour. We do a comprehensive dilated eye-health examination for everyone new to our office. This exam determines if there are any underlying eye-health conditions that may affect our lens fit. After the exam is complete, we come up with a plan together to meet your visual goals. By the end of this appointment, you’ll know what lenses would be best for you and have a good idea on what to expect for the rest of the process.
The Lens Evaluation:
The lens evaluation takes about 30 minutes. We put the plan we made during your first visit into action. We take some additional measurements based on your experience of trying on different lenses. After this visit, we’ll order your contact lenses, which will be available for pick up in about one to two weeks.
The Lens Dispense:
You try on your custom lenses for the first time. We make sure they fit well and that you’re seeing clearly. At this visit, we review how to care for your lenses and teach you how to apply and remove them. This can take some time, especially with first-time lens wearers. We plan an hour for these appointments and allow patients to schedule additional practice time if necessary. As long as you’re able to put lenses in and take them out, you get to take them home and start the two-week trial run.
The Follow Ups:
Each follow up takes about 15 minutes and are scheduled two weeks after picking up your new lenses. We check the health of the eye, the lens fit, and your vision. If everything is good, you’re done! If we need to make adjustments to improve eye health, comfort, or vision, we order a new lens (don’t worry, it’s covered under the lens warranty) and see you again two weeks later. We want to make sure we get the best fit possible for you!
Record Sharing:
We send our exam notes to your primary eye care provider, so they know what lenses you’re wearing. We work with them to set a follow-up date for your continued ocular health exams. Then, we make sure we check your lenses in our office at least once a year.
Visit our Patient Resources section to learn more about the approach we use to get you in your new custom lenses.
How It Works?
Schedule an appointment
Get the process started by calling or requesting an appointment online.
Meet with Dr. Addie Bauer
It all starts with a comprehensive dilated eye health evaluation where we work together to determine what lenses are best for you.
Get your lenses
Once we know what lenses are best, we special order your lenses to fit your eyes.
West Michigan Contact Lens Specialists – FAQ
Who can schedule an appointment?
Anyone looking for unique contact lenses to meet their visual needs may schedule an appointment. We offer many different varieties of custom-ordered contact lenses, and we fully discuss what types of lenses may work for you during your first visit.
Do I need a referral to make an appointment?
While we don’t require a referral, we do require chart notes from your current or previous eye care provider prior to your appointment so we can better understand your history. We want to know exactly what contact lenses you’ve tried before and why they didn’t work.
What insurance do you accept?
We accept several types of both vision and medical insurance. Prior to your first visit, we will run a benefits check to see if out-of-pocket costs apply. At your first visit, we will discuss whether your insurance covers the costs of the lenses.
How many visits does it take to get fit in lenses?
Because these are custom lenses and made to fit your eyes, it takes several visits to get the proper fit. Plan on at least four visits:
(1) the initial consultation exam to discuss options;
(2) the lens evaluation;
(3) the lens dispense; and
(4) at least one follow up to get the proper fit. We may need more follow ups if additional changes need to be made to the lens to get the best fit for you.
What is ortho-keratology?
Ortho-keratology, or corneal reshaping, is a process where a contact lens is used like an overnight retainer to change the shape of the eye and allow clear vision when the lenses are removed in the morning. It has been shown to be an effective way to control nearsightedness in children.
Contact Us
West Michigan Contact Lens Specialists
At West Michigan Contact Lens Specialists our primary focus is our patients’ vision.
