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Need eyeglass prescription and consult on condition that prevents night driving.


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Looking for recommendation for eye exam for update on my prescription. Hopefully this optician can also include an examination to give me advise on a condition that I have had for some time that prevents night driving because of any outside light source (approaching headlights, street lights, etc.) essentially blinding me. I know that this condition is not unusual for older folks and some recommend some sort of yellow glasses but want to know if there is a procedure to correct this. If not, no problem...I do not need to drive at night anyway but it would be nice. Gracias. 

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IMO if you are over age 40, you should be seeing an ophthalmologist, not an optician. We use Dr. Avalos in Guadalajara--the best IMO. One does not want to take any chances with matters concerning eyesight!

I would be interested in learning more about what you see as ongoing headlights approach at night. I have seen rays of light coming out from ongoing headlights since I was 40--no cataracts, and glasses do not correct this--FOR ME. Everyone is different. Is it possible that you are developing cataracts?--common as dirt among us older folks.

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I usually get tested at Costco, but the closest Costco is more than 60 Km away. I have had good luck with Doctor Pinto, whom I presume but do not know is a ophthalmologist. His offices are on the West side of Chapala near the Telecable, (IZZI) office.

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Optometrists kept telling me I just needed a new prescription, no cataracts. 10 minutes with an opthalmologist and she said I have them in both eyes. Surgery in the next couple of weeks and she expects I will be able to drive at night. Been 4 years since that was doable. One eye needs more corrections than the other so $24k for one and $30k for the other and she expects I will only need reading glasses. No pun intended but we shall see! She said she just operated on her mom's eyes so I guess at least her mom thinks she's competent. I may be wrong but I don't think they do that in the US.

Monica Orozco from Guadalajara, practicing here in PV if anyone is interested.

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Should mention that she requires you go for complete pre op testing including blood, urine, EKG, and see a cardiologist. I passed, un milagro. Also to another opthalmologist who has the special machine to calculate the actual measurements. She is now treating me for a minor eye infection before she will do the surgery. Comes recommended and seems very competent.

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Before I pay for a visit to an ophthalmologist I want to visit a local optician here to get an new eyeglass prescription combined with an examination for other problems. Surely a good optician is trained to spot this and give a diagnosis and possible referral for any condition spotted. There was one recommendation for Dr. Pinto here and I will consider this along with others that folks here have used and have good things to say about. Gracias.

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I suggest that you go straight to the oftalmologo and pass the vastly less qualified opticos.   You will be glad you did & should not consider new glasses until you have; as the oftalmologo will prescribe at the appropriate time after diagnosis and/or treatment.

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Went to 3 "very competent" opticians including Costco and a guy in Houston who has a 2 week wait for an appointment. All said I didn't have cataracts.

YMMV

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Thay could be right, Pappy, but at our age a good exam of the entire eye, especially the retinas, is a good idea.  Dr. Avalos is very good, and if a retinologist is needed, he will probably send you to Dr. Roig.  Use them with confidence. They saved my sight !

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Be sure to get AT LEAST 2 opinions before you have ANY surgery. You may be surprised and very thankful that you did.

 

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2 hours ago, gringohombre said:

Before I pay for a visit to an ophthalmologist I want to visit a local optician here to get an new eyeglass prescription combined with an examination for other problems. Surely a good optician is trained to spot this and give a diagnosis and possible referral for any condition spotted. There was one recommendation for Dr. Pinto here and I will consider this along with others that folks here have used and have good things to say about. Gracias.

Good grief! An Optician is merely a tech that makes eyewear and cannot provide you with what you want legally or otherwise. See an Ophthalmologist or at the very least an Optometrist. An Ophthalmologist will charge you about 600p for PROPER testing like Dr. Claudia above the immigration office in Chapala who uses state of the art equipment  and attends at seminars in Europe, US and Canada. Just got back from one in Austria. Her English is perfect.

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2 hours ago, RVGRINGO said:

I suggest that you go straight to the oftalmologo and pass the vastly less qualified opticos.   You will be glad you did & should not consider new glasses until you have; as the oftalmologo will prescribe at the appropriate time after diagnosis and/or treatment.

Maybe I am confusing the terms. I was probably thinking about optometrist not optician. Is Dr. Pinto an optometrist? The point is that for now I need a new prescription for glasses. If the person doing the examination (optometrist) spots something like cataracts I will then make an appointment with the VA in Phoenix to get the work done there. I am not a rich man but will explore all my options here at this point also.

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" Surely a good optician is trained to spot this and give a diagnosis and possible referral for any condition spotted "

Surely as in you are 'assuming'?  You know what they say about 'assuming'.   Do yourself a favor and heed the recommendations you have been given about seeing a true oftalmologo. You are talking about your eyes, hombre. This is NO time to cut corners and.... assume.

BTW, pappy, the average cost per eye for IOL in the States, without any insurance, is over $3500! Average.

BTW2, pappy. Does your Dra. also do Presbyopia-correcting IOLs .... those lenses will give you near vision and eliminate the need for reading glasses.

 

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In my last post I was trying to respond to Ned Small not RVGRINGO. I will get the hang of this someday

here is his post that I was replying to:

Good grief! An Optician is merely a tech that makes eyewear and cannot provide you with what you want legally or otherwise. See an Ophthalmologist or at the very least an Optometrist. An Ophthalmologist will charge you about 600p for PROPER testing like Dr. Claudia above the immigration office in Chapala who uses state of the art equipment  and attends at seminars in Europe, US and Canada. Just got back from one in Austria. Her English is perfect.

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28 minutes ago, gringohombre said:

In my last post I was trying to respond to Ned Small not RVGRINGO. I will get the hang of this someday

here is his post that I was replying to:

Good grief! An Optician is merely a tech that makes eyewear and cannot provide you with what you want legally or otherwise. See an Ophthalmologist or at the very least an Optometrist. An Ophthalmologist will charge you about 600p for PROPER testing like Dr. Claudia above the immigration office in Chapala who uses state of the art equipment  and attends at seminars in Europe, US and Canada. Just got back from one in Austria. Her English is perfect.

Most Optometrists around here use antique equipment but hey,it's your eyes not mine. I will say no more on this subject.

 

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I've been going to Opthamologists since I was five. Not Optometrists and Not Opticians.

Dr. Pinto checked for glaucoma using the backs of his thumbs on my eyelids... DUH!

I've been going to the Opthamologist named Dra. Monica at the Dermika Clinic for five years. She has ALL the correct equipment to thoroughly test your eyes AND she writes the prescription for the glasses which you can have filled anywhere. Her expertise lies in caring for your eyes not selling you glasses.

And btw, night blindness does not have to be caused by cataracts since I don't have them but have always been night blind.

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Macular degeneration?

You need to be checked out by an  ophthalmologist. Don't waste your time with an optician. You eyes are too essential.

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