Best Optometrist in Lee County
When you are looking for the best optometrist in Lee County, FL, consider the experience of the optometrists at Elmquist Eye Group.
Elmquist Eye Group has served Cape Coral, Fort Myers and all of Southwest Florida since 1992, providing a complete range of eye care services.
Our board certified ophthalmologist and optometrists and caring, professional staff offer an exceptional patient experience by using the most advanced testing and diagnostic equipment available today. This enables us to provide you with thorough preventative care, treatment, and management of eye disease, such as cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and dry eye syndrome.
What Optometrists Do
Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry (OD), provide primary vision care that ranges from eye tests and vision correction to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases, injuries, and disorders of the eye. They can prescribe medications, counsel patients about surgical and non-surgical treatment options, and perform certain surgical procedures.
To learn to diagnose and treat eye diseases and vision problems, doctors of optometry attend college for four years and then attend four more years at a college of optometry, where they study the eyes and their relationship to the rest of the body. The education is very similar to that of other health care practitioners such as dentists, podiatrists and physicians.
Kate Wagner, OD, and Nina Burt, OD, part of the Elmquist Eye Group team, are both board certified by the State of Florida Board of Optometry and the National Board of Optometry.
Family Eye Examinations
Many eye and vision problems have no symptoms, so periodic eye exams are an important part of maintaining healthy vision. Even if you have naturally good vision, you and your children still need regular eye exams.
The American Optometric Association recommends that children who have no symptoms of eye or vision problems should have eye examinations according to the following schedule:
- Birth to 24 months: At 6 months of age
- Age 2 to 5: At age 3
- Age 6 to 18:Before first grade and then every 2 years
Children who are at a higher risk of developing eye and vision problems may need additional testing or more frequent exams. The risk factors include premature birth or low birth rate, family history of congenital eye disorders, high refractive errors, strabismus, or central nervous system dysfunction.
Adults between the ages of 18 and 60 should have routine eye exams every two years, and those 61 and older should have them every year. However, a comprehensive dilated eye exam, one where the doctor applies eye drops to widen the pupil for a closer look at the inside of the eye, should be done according to the following schedule from Prevent Blindness America:
- Age 20-39: Every 3 to 5 years (If African-American, every 2 to 4 years)
- Age 40-64: Every 2 to 4 years
- Age 65 or older: Every 1 to 2 years
Adults with special risks, such as diabetes, a previous eye trauma, surgery or a family history of glaucoma, may need more frequent eye exams.
If, at any age, you experience symptoms of eye trouble, it is important to see your eye doctor immediately.
We are confident that you will find the best optometrists in Lee County at Elmquist Eye Group. Call us today at (239) 936-2020 to schedule an appointment.