When you visit an optometrist, you may not be aware of anything out of the ordinary, until you visit a vision center. There are some key differences between the two, although you may not notice it unless you have always visited one and not the other. These things will stick out once you visit a vision center for the very first time.
Walls and Walls of Glasses and Vision Products
In a private practice with an optometrist (such as Richards Charles A OD), the optometrist probably did not have wall-to-wall vision products. In a vision center, there are hundreds of eyeglass frames, work goggles, swim goggles, contact lenses and lens care items, etc., such that you do not have to go anywhere else to fill your prescription. You can also select more than one vision care product, e.g., contacts and glasses, glasses and prescription swim goggles, etc., and buy them all in one location too.
There Is More Than One Optometrist and One Optician on Hand
A vision center is abuzz with several worker bees, or in this case, several opticians and more than one optometrist working all at once. If you need help picking out and fitting glasses, one of the extra opticians can help. If one optometrist is especially busy, one of the others will have an opening for you. This guarantees that someone will always be available for your eye exams an available to help you with all of your prescription needs. In a private practice, you may only see your sole optometrist and/or his administrative assistant.
Wait Times Are Much Shorter
Humans spend about five years of their lives in queue, or just waiting for something to happen. Visiting a vision center, you will immediately notice how much shorter your wait time is than it was in your old optometrist's office. Unless there was an emergency that needed to be addressed, the optometrists in a vision center are able to see you within minutes of your check-in. Additionally, if the vision center is not so busy, you can get an appointment just by walking in. It is nearly impossible to do that with a private practice and a single optometrist working on his or her own.
The Prognosis for Your Long-Term Vision Care Needs
So, if you are extremely faithful and loyal to your optometrist because he or she is, in your opinion, the best, then that is the way you should go. However, if you like things to move faster and be more convenient and less time-consuming, then a vision center may be the better choice for you. At least you now know the main differences between the two, and how visiting a vision center over a stand-alone optometrist can benefit you.
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