Choosing an optometrist for yourself and family is no easy task. Unlike a doctor, here in Victoria you can take your pick from the dozens of offices welcoming new patients. With the freedom to choose, you can decide what’s important to you and your family. But if you’re struggling where to start, this article will help you out.
Here are 5 things to watch for when choosing an optometrist:
Service Offerings
Not all optometry offices are the same. Some shops focus on standard eye examinations while others bring in cutting edge technology to service all kinds of needs.
The core service for most optometrists is the standard eye exam. But what exactly is being tested for? For a child’s appointment, you’ll want to make sure common conditions like myopia, hyperopia, lazy eye and strabismus are being tested for. In adults and seniors, the optometrist will be watching for glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts, among others.
To catch eye conditions before they become damaging, optometrists rely on high-power equipment. At the centre of it all is imaging. Imaging is a standard part of any optometrist office, but you’ll want to make sure they have access to Optical Coherence Tomography, advanced diagnostic tech for retinal imaging, and Optomap, another piece of diagnostic tech with the ability to detect a variety of issues.
Neurolens is a service that not all optometrists offer here in Victoria. Neurolens is a new technology that targets eye strain and binocular vision dysfunction, ultimately reducing the need for vision correction and corrective devices down the road.
Location
Location is one of the most important factors to consider for many – in some cases, location is the only factor that really matters to people. Understandably, nobody wants to go out of their way too much when visiting the optometrist, especially if there are offices in every Victoria municipality. It’s worth your time to find an optometrist that’s up to your standard with a welcoming environment.
If you live or work in downtown Victoria, choosing an optometrist that’s also downtown Victoria should be top priority. That way, you can walk to appointments and make frequent trips when necessary.
Inner Harbour Optometry has two locations in downtown Victoria. One is found at 1411 Cook St, in the new 4-level mixed-use building on the corner of Johnson St and Cook. The entrance is found on Johnson St, right next to the IDA Pharmacy. Our other location is found at near the Victoria Public Market at the Hudson Building, Unit#3 at 1701 Douglas St. This office can also be entered from Fisgard St.
The Optometrists
Perhaps the most important part of choosing an optometrist is the optometrists themselves. Not to be confused with opticians or ophthalmologists, an optometrist must attend optometry school to complete doctorate level education. Their job is to examine, diagnose, and treat eye injuries and conditions. In the event you need a surgical procedure done on your eye, that’s when the optometrist will refer you to an ophthalmologist.
At Inner Harbour Optometry, we’re home to 3 extremely talented optometrists. While some offices have just one optometrist, having 3 allows us to offer more bookings and treat emergency patients.
Dr. Balraj Sharma is the lead optometrist and owner of Inner Harbour Optometry. Born and raised just across the pond in Abbotsford, he went to school at the University of the Fraser Valley before completing his doctorate degree at the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Sharma moved back home to BC in 2011 and take over the practice three years later.
One-Stop Shop
Upon completing a comprehensive eye exam and realizing you need to pick out some new glasses and frames, having an eyewear shop attached to the optometrist’s office is hugely beneficial. But not all optometrists sell glasses. This convenience eliminates the need for you to take another trip, but it also makes the process a whole lot smoother.
At Inner Harbour Optometry, you can leave your eye exam with prescription in-hand and head over to visit our optical specialists. Choosing the right pair of glasses isn’t all about the prescription – your lifestyle and face shape play an important part. We’ll help you pick the best fit, with a range of designer brands to choose from.
Reputation
The 5th and final consideration to make when looking for a new optometrist is their reputation. Word of mouth is a great way to source opinions, but the best source of first-hand experience at scale is the internet.
When you Google a business, the Google Business Profile that appears on the right-hand side of the screen is where you’ll find their Google reviews. The first thing to watch for is how many they have. If the business has just a few reviews (or none at all), it’s a sign that either the business is new or people weren’t willing to share their experience. Take from it what you will, but in today’s day and age, no reviews are no good.
The 5-star rating assigned to each business in Google is an average of all Google reviews received. Inner Harbour Optometry is proud of the hundreds of 5-star reviews we’ve received over the years, which has resulted in a 4.9 star rating in Google.
Experience 5-star service in action and book your eye exam appointment today. Don’t want to book yet? Drop by one of our two downtown Victoria offices and chat with reception about your options. We look forward to seeing you soon!