Eye Examination Services
Quabbin Valley Eye Care provides eye care and optical services to patients (ages age 6 and up), in our family oriented professional and friendly practice.
We specialize in routine eye health examinations, medical eye exams, contact lens fittings and exams, and our full service optical dispensary provides the highest quality glasses and eye wear suitable for any budget.
Also, we accept most major insurances for eye exam visits as well as some major vision care plans for routine, medical, contact lens exams and eyeglasses.
OUR EYE EXAM SERVICES
Where Compassion Meets Care
Creating quality eye care experiences that build trust and confidence for generations to come.
Routine eye exams or “Wellness” eye examinations
- Testing vision and acuity for prescription glasses with computerized auto-refractor and manual subjective refraction done by our licensed optometrists
- Neurological screenings, color vision and strabismus/muscle balance testing
- Baseline Retinal Imaging/OCT also offered (in lieu of dilation when appropriate)
Medical Eye examinations
- Glaucoma evaluation, testing, and monitoring
- Evaluation for Cataracts, Macular Degeneration and other ocular diseases that can affect vision and eye health
- Diabetic Retinal screening, evaluation and monitoring
- Dry Eye evaluation and treatment
Emergency Examinations
- Treatment of miscellaneous eye conditions including but not limited to: Conjunctivitis (or pink eye), and other “red eye” diseases, removal and treatment of corneal foreign bodies due to accidents
Ocular Coherence Tomography or OCT, and Retinal Photography
Visual Field Testing
Corneal Topography
Corneal Pachymetry
Prioritizing Your Eye Care
The Eye Exam Process
Proper eye examinations and management of eye conditions is an essential factor in preventing and treating conditions that can reduce visual clarity or lead to permanent vision loss.
In addition, comprehensive routine examination of the external and internal health of the eyes is necessary to detect problems that may need to be addressed by a specialist.
It is not uncommon for routine eye examinations to reveal systemic issues happening throughout the body, not just in the eye.
Medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes and even high cholesterol can be detected during your annual eye exam, and if left untreated or uncontrolled these medical conditions can negatively impact your overall health and wellness.
Determining Prescriptions
Thorough refractions performed by an optometrist to determine your accurate and up to date eyeglass prescription is also a key component to your routine eye care.
Eyeglass prescriptions are provided by your optometric provider after your refraction and examination is completed to correct myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia focusing errors.
Eyeglass prescriptions can expire every 1-2 years (depending on the patient and provider), so it is important to visit your optometrists regularly to keep your eyeglass prescription up to date.
Remember: Expired prescriptions can not be filled, a new examination needs to be performed if your prescription expires before new glasses can be made, please plan ahead to schedule and attend your eye exams on a regular basis.
A few things to consider as you prepare for your appointment.
Quabbin Valley Eye Care requests that you bring any eyewear, including sunglasses, with you to your scheduled eye and contact lens examination appointments.
This includes non-prescription sunglasses and “over the counter” (non-prescribed) reading glasses.
Additionally, if dilation is required for your examination, disposable sunglasses will be provided to you if you require them.
Contact lenses are prescription medical devices which are strictly regulated by the FDA.
Evaluations for contact lens wearers are not included in regular routine eye exams, separate examinations are required for contact lens wearers.
You ask, we answer
Here are answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding our practice.
Simply click on the question for additional information.
And, if you can’t find the information you are looking for, you can always contact us and just ask.
We are located right in the center of downtown Palmer, MA, across the street from the Palmer Library.
Our address is: 1448 North Main St, Palmer, MA 01069
In accordance with local, state and federal regulations Quabbin Valley Eye Care is required to adhere to all current protocols for medical facilities in regards to the wearing of face masks while in our facility.
- Appointments are required for all exam related visits to the office, walk-ins are not accepted for eye examination or contact lens related visits (Note: Walk-Ins are welcome for Optical Shop services like new purchases, repairs, adjustments, etc. Appointments are required for pick-up of new eyewear).
- We are pleased to announce that as of May 11, 2023 face masks are no longer required in our facility. Face masks are optional in our office, however we encourage our patients that feel more comfortable to wear a face mask to continue to do so. Masks are on hand and available if the need should arise.
The staff at QVEC sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding in regards to the changing guidelines that have been required at our facility.
Quabbin Valley Eye Care is a family friendly practice providing care for anyone age 6 and up.
- Patients are requested to arrive 10-15 before your appointment to fill out or update any required paperwork. New patients are asked to arrive no later than 15 minutes early for their first visit to assure that their New Patient Paperwork is filled out completely and thoroughly (regardless of whether it has been submitted ahead of time or filled out and submitted on-line – we will need to review with you and also get any other insurance and medical information required for the initial visit)
- Visual acuity testing (seeing how well your eyes are currently seeing, either with your existing glasses/contacts, or without correction) and Refraction (measurements done to determine the need for glasses)
- Testing for Glaucoma (Non-Contact Tonometry or “air puff”, or Goldman Tonometry which requires an aesthetic drop)
- Retinal and internal eye health examination, which may require dilating drops that will last 1-3 hours
- OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomography) or Retinal Photographs may be offered or necessary at the time of your visit, or rescheduled to another day
- Visual Field Testing may be necessary at the time of your visit, or rescheduled to another day
- Please bring any eyeglasses you currently wear including sunglasses* (prescription and non-prescription). We also ask that you bring any glasses you’ve previously been prescribed, but can no longer use. These can be used to have your new prescription placed in them depending on their condition, or if you would like to donate them to the Lions Club we will gladly take the donations for you
*Disposable sunglasses will be given at the end of your dilated examination visit if you do not own sunglasses - Patient’s are requested to bring a list of all current medications taken and any allergies to medications or other items/substances (ie. latex, adhesives, peanuts, etc…) so that we can notate this medical information in your chart appropriately.
- Due to light sensitivity from dilation, occasionally patients prefer bringing a driver, although it is not required. QVEC has no restrictions regarding bringing a driver or additional people along with you to your visit, so please feel free to do so. Dilation can last anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on the patients and drops used. Although your distance vision is not generally affected by dilation drops, near vision will be blurred and your eyes will be sensitive to sunlight during this period of time as well.
- It is important that you wear your contact lenses to your routine or contact lens related exam if contact lenses are being evaluated, examined or refit. We can not check them if you don’t have them!
- Please wear your lenses for at least 2 hours before coming in, with them still in your eyes, to your visit. This will assure that they have had time to settle in your eyes and allow us to perform a better evaluation of their fit and visual acuity
- DO NOT wear your contact lenses if your eyes are red, irritated, hurt or have discharge. If this occurs when wearing your lenses, remove them immediately and call the office to be seen. WHEN IN DOUBT, TAKE THEM OUT!
- If you are a previous contact lens wearer and are new to our office, we kindly ask that you bring any boxes, foils, or other files/information about your contact lens prescription with you to your visit, as well with your current eyeglasses
- Please provide us with the brand of contact lens solution you currently use for cleaning, storage and disinfection
- Tufts
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Health New England
- Cigna
- Tricare
- Unicare
- Harvard Pilgrim
- Partners
- United Health Care
- Medicare
- MassHealth
- EyeMed
We also accept CareCredit, FSA and HSA accounts for payment remittance for services and/or materials (as applicable).
*Notice to Medicare Patients: Medicare does not cover the $50 refraction portion of your routine eye examination. Medicare will only cover medical eye health and problem related examinations. Sometimes your secondary insurance will cover the refraction fee, depending on the plan. For any additional insurance questions, please contact the office directly.