Is this just the way eye doctor's offices are?

[Globetrotter]

Our optometrist visits can take time if I get dilated, but I've learned that the hard way. It also takes time to pick out frames, but that's more my issue because I have trouble finding anything that works for my prescription!

[TwinFoxes]

That's never been my experience. I had an eye appointment 2 weeks ago. I was in and out in about 80 minutes. And that's with me picking new sunglass frames (and I tried on a lot of them!) I had very little time just waiting around.

ETA: I see an optometrist.

[Gena]

DS goes to an ophthalmologist (multiple times a year). DH and I go to an optometrist. They are totally different experiences. The ophthalmologist is like you described, with the very long appointments, running behind schedule, and just generally a lot of waiting. A lot of times DS will have the first appointment of the day (7:45am) and when we check in, they will tell me the doctor is already an hour behind schedule. He's often at the hospital early in the morning, doing surgery or rounds or whatever, so if that runs long, then all his appointments at his office are behind schedule. Really, I always feel like we are setting up camp in the waiting room. But DS has complex eye issues and there are only 2 ophthalmologists in the area who see kids, so we deal with it.

The optometrist, on the other hand, runs like clockwork. Appointments are on time, you're in and you're out.

[mackmama]

My eye doc is like this too... very nice but long waits. Same thing at our derm.

[kellij]

I have an eye disease, so I have spent a lot of time with drs and other eye-related people. My experience is that it varies. Just like it varies with regular dr visits. I think it has more to do with the dr and the location than with the specialty. With eye dilation, an hour is really short. They usually do all of checks, dilate my eyes, send me to the waiting room, (I assume see another patient while I wait the 30 minutes or so for dilation) and then they have me go back to be checked out by the dr. I've waited 3.5 hours in the waiting room at times. I also have seen a contact lens care specialist many times at the same place and it can often take a very long time with her as well. I went to an optometrist in Dallas Wednesday and it was awesome, in terms of time. I arrived at my appointment a little bit early, which was at one and she was in my room at 1:05. It costs more than the other place that I was talking about before though. Also, I was with her until 2:00. That's with no dilation or any other checks, just contact lens fitting for one eye.

I've found the way to get in and out the quickest is to get the first appointment of the day, the one right after lunch or the last one of the day. They start to hustle when it gets close to 5. I wouldn't call to complain. What are they going to do? If it bothers you excessively I think you should find a new dr to try out in two years, or if it doesn't bother you too much, just take a good book and allot plenty of time.

[waitingforgrace]

No that hasn't been my experience. I would say an hour and fifteen to hour and a half is about average for me when I see the ophthalmologist. Fortunately the practice I see now runs like a well oiled machine, so barring a true emergency that sends them off schedule it's pretty good.

[daniele_ut]

The last time we visited my optometrist we were in and out in an hour for THREE appointments (me and 2 of the kids). I have amblyopia but have no need to see an opthamologist for it.

[sarahsthreads]

You know, a couple of days later to think about it (sorry I didn't get back to this sooner!) I've realized that it was mostly the expectation they set up for me that it would only be an hour that was the problem. If it had been a normal school day and I hadn't needed to catch the kids' bus, I wouldn't have cared at all about the long appointment time. (Though I would definitely have brought my knitting!)

I guess what we'll see is whether my new prescription works better overall than the glasses that I got the last time at the optometrist that never seemed quite right. Obviously *now* they're not right at all, but even when I first got them they just weren't great. Like I said, I do feel that I got a thorough exam (much more thorough than at the other office - they haven't dilated my eyes in probably 10 years) and the doctor and all of his staff were very nice. So I'd like to give them another try, just most very definitely not on a day where I have anywhere else to be.

Sarah