Happy Birthday COA!

March marks the eighth year anniversary for Carolina Ophthalmology Associates. Wanting to provide a more personal hometown feel for their patients, Drs. Mark Scroggs and James Bryan left their positions at NC Eye and Ear Hospital in 2001 to open their own private practice that was located on East Franklin Street.

Since then, we moved our four employees from an office with two exam rooms to the Boyd Hall Building on VilCom Circle that we are currently located in that entails six exam rooms, an expanded optical shop, a laser suite and 12 employees.

The physicians have been careful to balance growth without compensating the patients’ personal experience. Dr. Scroggs explains, “We have an emphasis on the patient’s care and continue to build and improve upon their satisfaction whether they are here for a routine exam or a complex ocular condition.”

As with any anniversary, the family at COA must also look to the future while reflecting on our past. Dr. Bryan adds, “We are constantly focusing on creating the best possible eye care practice that the people in our community and their families can trust and want to refer others.”

If there is any area of our practice that you feel could improve, please let us know by sending an email to want2see@carolina2020.com. We do value your comments and suggestions.

Where Are You Going to Buy Your Glasses?

The bargains you can get online can be tempting, especially during this unstable economy, but how much does it really save you? Here are some things to consider before you go online to make your purchase. It takes a good bit of time and educating oneself to get a pair of glasses online that you’re going to really love and you’ll need to be comfortable making the following decisions for yourself.

So you want to know how a pair of glasses looks on you, simply try them on if you’re at The Vision Place. Optical websites offer creative solutions to address this important issue, but is it really the same? Online you may not be able to see the small details and you won’t know how they’re going to fit or feel until they arrive at your door step two weeks later.

In many ways, it is easier to select glasses if you have an optician helping you. Every frame is a custom job, so when you visit the optician, it is their job to take various measurements to ensure a proper fit that is specific to the size of your head, the distance between your pupils and that fit the bridge of your nose properly. Other wise, you may end up with a frame that is either too snug and pinches your nose and behind your ears or too loose and slides down your nose every time you lean over.

Another issue is measuring your own pupil distance (PD). If you don’t measure the distance between your pupils properly, then you may end up getting headaches if you're not looking directly through the centers of the lenses. Bifocals are especially tricky and are often avoided altogether by these types of web-based optical sites.

You will also need to educate yourself with everything that the optician usually guides you through such as deciding what lens material to use, which tint you may want and don’t forget about ultraviolet, crizal, anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings… When making each decision on your own, what one may have thought would be a “fun” process can soon become overwhelming.

Last of all, beware of the various return policies. What if the prescription is wrong due to a doctor error or your vision changes in a month? Is there a warranty on the frame or lenses and if so, for how long? Our optical shop offers a 12 month manufacturer’s warranty and a 1 month money back guarantee for prescription changes/errors. If you can’t see properly out of your new glasses, bring them back.

At The Vision Place, you will have a qualified optician that is certified and available to assist you during each step of your purchase, making recommendations that will be best for you and your lifestyle. What’s more, UV protection, anti-scratch coating, a case and cleaning cloth is included with every purchase at no extra cost!