What Should I Expect at My First Visit for a Dry Eye Consultation?
If you suffer from dry, irritated, or burning eyes, you may be dealing with dry eye disease, also known as ocular surface disease. Common symptoms include a gritty or sandy sensation, redness, excessive tearing, or the feeling of something foreign in your eye. Blurry vision that improves with blinking, light sensitivity, or discomfort after extended screen use are also common signs. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and often worsen throughout the day. If this sounds familiar, seeking treatment is important to maintain comfortable eye health.
At Innovative EyeCare, we take a comprehensive approach to dry eye diagnosis and treatment, offering personalized care and advanced therapies tailored specifically to your condition. To thoroughly assess your needs and create the best treatment plan, we recommend scheduling a consultation. Visiting an optometrist for the first time can feel overwhelming, but understanding what to expect during your dry eye consultation at Innovative EyeCare in Scottsdale, Arizona, can help ease any concerns and lead you to lasting relief.
Making the Appointment
At Innovative EyeCare, we strive to create a comfortable space where you can openly discuss your concerns. During your 90-minute consultation, Dr. Leah Johnson will take the time to understand your medical history, lifestyle, and any vision or eye discomfort you’re experiencing. This allows her to personalize your treatment plan. Booking is easy on our website with our online scheduler, or you can call or text us at (480-690-8018) to ask questions or set up your appointment.
What to Bring
When heading to your first dry eye consultation, it’s important to bring a few key items to ensure a smooth visit. Please bring any current glasses or contact lenses you use, along with their prescription, as this helps Dr. Leah Johnson assess your vision and determine if dry eye may be affecting your sight. If you have any relevant medical history or documents from previous eye exams or treatments, those will also be helpful.
Please note that dry eye therapy is not covered by insurance, and Innovative EyeCare is not contracted with insurance providers. The consultation fee is $250, which can be applied toward the cost of any treatment within 60 days.
The Check-In Process
Upon arriving at the clinic for your dry eye consultation, you’ll begin by checking in at the front desk. Prior to your visit, we will send you an intake form that asks about your current medications, previous treatments, and what has or hasn’t worked. If you find the form overwhelming, feel free to arrive a little early, and we’ll be happy to assist you with it. Additionally, we will send you two important questionnaires—the OSDI (Ocular Surface Disease Index) and SPEED (Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness)—to better understand your dry eye symptoms. The OSDI helps assess the severity of your symptoms and their impact on daily activities, measuring discomfort, visual issues, and environmental factors. The SPEED questionnaire focuses on the frequency and severity of dryness and discomfort over time. Both tools are crucial for diagnosing and tracking your dry eye condition, allowing us to develop the most effective treatment plan for you.
Understanding your overall health history is crucial, as dry eye is a complex condition with many contributing factors. This thorough approach allows us to create the most effective treatment plan for you.
The Examination
During your dry eye consultation, you'll receive a thorough and comprehensive examination to pinpoint the root cause of your symptoms. This process includes analyzing your tear film to assess its quality and stability, examining the structure of your eyelids to check for any abnormalities, and imaging your meibomian glands, which are responsible for producing the oily layer of your tears. Additionally, we’ll review your responses to the standarized dry eye questionnaire that captures key details about your symptoms and medical history. These steps allow us to determine whether your dry eye is caused by inflammation, issues with tear production, or meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), so we can develop a targeted treatment plan for lasting relief.
Discussing Your Results
After the examination, it’s time to discuss your results and identify the root cause of your dry eye. Our optometrist will take the time to explain the findings from your tests, breaking them down to ensure you fully understand your condition.
Whether your dry eye is due to aqueous deficiency (when your eyes don’t produce enough tears), evaporative deficiency (when your tears evaporate too quickly, often due to meibomian gland dysfunction), or a mixed type, we'll explain what’s contributing to your symptoms. This is your opportunity to ask any questions about your eye health and get clarity on the diagnosis. Then we discuss the best treatment options tailored to your specific needs, helping you take the first step toward lasting relief.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been struggling with dry, irritated, or uncomfortable eyes, unable to wear contacts due to contact lenses drying out - a dry eye consultation is the first step toward relief. By understanding what to expect during your visit—from the thorough testing to the personalized discussion about your results—you can feel confident that you’re taking the right steps to improve your eye health. Dry eye is a complex condition, and a professional evaluation can identify the root cause to be treated effectively. Don’t wait for your symptoms to worsen—schedule your consultation at Innovative EyeCare today and start your journey to clearer, more comfortable vision.
