Tweet
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about researching lots of scleral lens makers, and my resulting trip to try the trial lens at U of I. It was a good experience, but after doing some additional careful evaluation, I decided to get my lens from Dr. G in Coppell, TX at the Coppell family eye center. Dr. G was my first choice just based on all the positive experiences so many people had posted about in different forums, and because of his specialized techniques for measuring and custom fitting lenses. But initially I thought I'd save money if I found someone local I could drive to. And considering these lenses have no guarantees when it comes to working, saving money was important to me. There were a few reasons why I changed my mind:
1. Dr. Gemoules answered all my questions by email, in detail, the same day I asked them. And this was an expensive proposition (I would have to travel to the other end of the USA), so I asked a million questions over the course of a few weeks. He also didn't sugar coat anything - he told me his concerns, and what to expect both good and bad so I had a realistic feel for how everything would work. And it is very obvious how very knowledgeable he is when it comes to dry eye problems.
2. Dr. Gemoules was more affordable upfront. The fitting fee was a fraction of what I would have paid for a Boston PROSE lens from other providers. Actually the fee to stay in a hotel + airfair + fitting + a lens was about the same price as a PROSE lens.
3. The biggest factor for me was the price of future lenses. For the PROSE lens the price was in the thousands. From Dr. G the price was a couple hundred. I knew that if I lost or chipped a PROSE lens, I'd be heartbroken and very hesitant to buy another. But with the price of Dr. G's lenses, I actually bought 2 spares right away to have on hand.
4. Dr. G uses advanced technology to measure each eye in order to create a precise custom fit. This sounded more accurate than the trial and error used by some of the other fitters. I'm not sure why other fitters don't do this, as it really seems to work very well.
5. Texas is nice this time of year. Wisconsin is not. Chicago is not either. Especially this year! I really needed a vacation and was excited to have an excuse to spend a few days in the sun. The thought of having to drive back and forth to Chicago over the next few weeks, or even few months, was very uncomfortable also. The drive is long, the traffic is bad, the parking is tough, and it's not a place I'd feel comfortable driving to alone- and my husband wasn't able to take off that often to go with me.
6. Dr. G is easy to get in to see. He basically said plan to come any day of the week and plan to stay for at least 5 business days. I knew Tue and Wed are the cheapest travel days, so that's what I chose. When I went to look for tickets I realized I already had a layover in Dallas coming up in like less than 2 weeks - so I just asked if I could come then and it was no problem.
7. I couldn't find a complaint about Dr. G's lenses anywhere. I know these don't work for everybody, and sclerals are never going to be perfect. But there were so many good reviews, it make me feel confident that this was my best bet.
So I chose Dr. G, and am going to fly home with my new lens in the next couple days. I'll write more about that in a separate post so this one doesn't get too long.
1. Dr. Gemoules answered all my questions by email, in detail, the same day I asked them. And this was an expensive proposition (I would have to travel to the other end of the USA), so I asked a million questions over the course of a few weeks. He also didn't sugar coat anything - he told me his concerns, and what to expect both good and bad so I had a realistic feel for how everything would work. And it is very obvious how very knowledgeable he is when it comes to dry eye problems.
2. Dr. Gemoules was more affordable upfront. The fitting fee was a fraction of what I would have paid for a Boston PROSE lens from other providers. Actually the fee to stay in a hotel + airfair + fitting + a lens was about the same price as a PROSE lens.
3. The biggest factor for me was the price of future lenses. For the PROSE lens the price was in the thousands. From Dr. G the price was a couple hundred. I knew that if I lost or chipped a PROSE lens, I'd be heartbroken and very hesitant to buy another. But with the price of Dr. G's lenses, I actually bought 2 spares right away to have on hand.
4. Dr. G uses advanced technology to measure each eye in order to create a precise custom fit. This sounded more accurate than the trial and error used by some of the other fitters. I'm not sure why other fitters don't do this, as it really seems to work very well.
5. Texas is nice this time of year. Wisconsin is not. Chicago is not either. Especially this year! I really needed a vacation and was excited to have an excuse to spend a few days in the sun. The thought of having to drive back and forth to Chicago over the next few weeks, or even few months, was very uncomfortable also. The drive is long, the traffic is bad, the parking is tough, and it's not a place I'd feel comfortable driving to alone- and my husband wasn't able to take off that often to go with me.
6. Dr. G is easy to get in to see. He basically said plan to come any day of the week and plan to stay for at least 5 business days. I knew Tue and Wed are the cheapest travel days, so that's what I chose. When I went to look for tickets I realized I already had a layover in Dallas coming up in like less than 2 weeks - so I just asked if I could come then and it was no problem.
7. I couldn't find a complaint about Dr. G's lenses anywhere. I know these don't work for everybody, and sclerals are never going to be perfect. But there were so many good reviews, it make me feel confident that this was my best bet.
So I chose Dr. G, and am going to fly home with my new lens in the next couple days. I'll write more about that in a separate post so this one doesn't get too long.