Costco eye examination

[cedros]

Some people here have said Costco is a good place to get an eye exam.  Is the examiner an optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist? Can they do anything more than prescribe glasses? Can they check for other things like glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc?

[pappysmarket]

Go to an ophthalmologist for anything other than glasses. Costco is fine for glasses but nothing else. Personal knowledge, they said they couldn't do anything else for my vision. They said I was just old and que sera, sera. A visit to an ophthalmologist revealed I had cataracts and now I no longer do and only need glasses for reading.

YMMV 

[camillenparadise]

I was very unhappy with Costco's eye exam, but it was done in PV, not Guad.

[El Saltos]

Get a free eye test from Luz at LCS.  She's an optician and a very good one.

[kbleitch]

An optician is someone who dispenses eyeglasses. Dra. Luz is either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist (a physician who is an eye surgeon and treats eye diseases).

[cedros]

What about the examiner at Costco? Which one are they?

Does Luz have sophisticated equipment for checking eyes?

[MtnMama]

4 hours ago, cedros said:

Does Luz have sophisticated equipment for checking eyes?

Luz has good equipment for prescribing and fitting eyeglasses. She does a very good job of dispensing eyeglasses. As kbleitch pointed out, she is not a doctor and does only minimal checking for and no treatment of eye disease.

[cedros]

Thanks MtnMama.

Can any comment on what qualfications the eye testers at Costco have?

[tomgates]

Some of the Costco's in the US have a machine that can take a picture of the back of the eye. No dilation needed. You look for the "little green dot". Last year at the Costco in San Antonio, they didn't have this machine. All you have to do is ask them. As for qualifications, at best in the US, you will have an optician. Here, who knows. 

[ned small]

Why fool around with something as important as your eyesight? Costco at very best will have an Optician and at the least a clerk who knows how to use their cell phone all day long and nothing else. See an Ophthalmologist and then give the RX to anyone you want ,even Costco, to have them made.They probably send them to a lab to be made,anyway, like everyone else does, including the person at LCS.

 

[ned small]

9 hours ago, MtnMama said:

Luz has good equipment for prescribing and fitting eyeglasses. She does a very good job of dispensing eyeglasses. As kbleitch pointed out, she is not a doctor and does only minimal checking for and no treatment of eye disease.

Good state of the art equipment is too large to carry around.

[rvanparys]

Ned Small is spot on... See an eye doctor for a check up and get a lens prescription.

[dave0415]

1 hour ago, ned small said:

Good state of the art equipment is too large to carry around.

Luz has a permanent set up at LCS

[El Saltos]

16 hours ago, kbleitch said:

An optician is someone who dispenses eyeglasses. Dra. Luz is either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist (a physician who is an eye surgeon and treats eye diseases).

She is not a Dra.  She is an optician.

[ned small]

4 hours ago, dave0415 said:

Luz has a permanent set up at LCS

The new computerized equipment is not something one would leave anywhere to be used only once a week. the only ones that I have seen here with such equipment are Ophthalmologists. It's a major investment. Optometrists and Opticians around here  use ancient mechanical equipment some could almost fall into the antique category.

[rvanparys]

Luz fits glasses and does not check for glaucoma, cataracts, etc. These tests need to be done by a doctor.

[cedros]

Quote

 

Thanks for all the helpful information.

[losgatos]

Luz  has excellent professional contacts in Guadalajara and will definitely refer you to them if you need more than glasses. She did with me. Also, she is a wizard with fitting glasses. A lady friend had vision problems stemming from earlier operations. No other 'optician' could figure out what to do but she did. and she certainly does check for cataracts and glaucoma and will refer you to a specialist in those cases. She's most professional herself and charges nothing for the exam, only for the glasses.

[idocdan]

I am an Optometrist still practicing NOB (for the next 9 months.....and counting!).  In the States, Costco examiners are optometrists.  Like many chain stores, the doctors are hired without ownership.  The problem is one Costco doc isn't the same as the next, and like anywhere, some docs are better than others.  Doesn't mean you're guaranteed a good exam or bad exam at Costco or from the private practicioner.  Perhaps the chain docs are more concerned about volume, and may result in a less comprehensive exam, but until you've had one, you don't know for sure.  My advice is to ask people you know and trust to give you a recommendation.  There may be a perfectly qualified Costo doc---but he/she may not be there next time around.

[pappysmarket]

3 hours ago, ned small said:

The new computerized equipment is not something one would leave anywhere to be used only once a week. the only ones that i have seen here with such equipment are Ophthalmologists. It's a major investment. Optometrists and Opticians around here  use ancient mechanical equipment some could almost fall into the antique category.

Yeah it must be expensive. My ophthalmologist here in PV said she could not yet afford the piece of equipment that gives the exact measurements she needs before doing the cataract surgery. She sent me over to the Marina to the only doc in town who has that piece of equipment. Get your measurements taken and return to the tailor, LOL. Worked perfectly.

[ned small]

43 minutes ago, idocdan said:

I am an Optometrist still practicing NOB (for the next 9 months.....and counting!).  In the States, Costco examiners are optometrists.  Like many chain stores, the doctors are hired without ownership.  The problem is one Costco doc isn't the same as the next, and like anywhere, some docs are better than others.  Doesn't mean you're guaranteed a good exam or bad exam at Costco or from the private practicioner.  Perhaps the chain docs are more concerned about volume, and may result in a less comprehensive exam, but until you've had one, you don't know for sure.  My advice is to ask people you know and trust to give you a recommendation.  There may be a perfectly qualified Costo doc---but he/she may not be there next time around.

What is relevant where you are is seldom relevant here even though an entity called Costco operates in both countries.

[RVGRINGO]

I am familiar with opticos and oftalmologos in Mexico; nothing in between, as in the USA.