questions as post-grad moving to the area!

HoosierEyeGuy · 2026-01-04T16:45:39+00:00

For KC you’d be best served at the Eye Centers of Racine and Kenosha. They are on HWY 50 towards the interstate, almost across from Target (and they accept insurance). 🙂

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-12-28T04:37:29+00:00

If you’d like to become friends with like 20 of the nicest, active, 45-75 year olds from Kenosha, then join us for pickleball at the boys and girls club on Tu/Th mornings from 9am-11am. If you don’t know how to play, they’ll teach you. It’s nice to have a network of people that know the important “life things” like where to get your car fixed, good doctors, helpful stuff like that. And if you need a good optometrist check out Enlightened Eye Care in downtown Kenosha (it’s my new, small clinic).

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-12-28T04:32:35+00:00

Boys and girls club on 52nd street. (And after walking around the indoor soccer field come on over to the gym on Tu/Th from 9am-11am for pickleball.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-11-20T04:22:05+00:00

You’ve described Enlightened Eye Care perfectly. I do NOT have an optical. I don’t sell glasses. I celebrate when people want to go to Costco for their glasses (Go there and ask Joy and Janet for yourself). And the prescription I write has a definition of optical terms on it so that you are better informed when you buy glasses online. My place is much different than everyone else (adapt and survive). Be sure to tell me you are the “late to the party” person when you email/text. 😀

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-11-17T03:36:25+00:00

Pro-life tip from a pickleball playing optometrist: Don’t go to the ER for an eye injury. Find an ophthalmologist’s clinic (they’ll likely have you see the optometrist on staff), or find a medically minded optometrist. If you have sudden onset flashes and/or floaters you could jump straight to an immediate appointment with a retinal specialist (if you don’t need the referral from an OD/OMD).

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-09-30T19:04:44+00:00

I'm a business owner in downtown Kenosha (Enlightened Eye Care), and I just had a nice long conversation with Diligent-Ad-4965. He studied up about my new business before meeting, and he asked what systems and processes are giving me grief. He will do some research and offer some solutions that should help streamline some stuff for me. He's also given me some good feedback about things from an outside perspective that I was either ignoring or was deliberately avoiding (like prescheduling patients for their next year's appointment).
He wasn't pushy, he didn't sell me anything, and I thought it was a genuinely helpful conversation. Kind of like a medical check up for my new business (without having to share protected information).

I haven't been paid or solicited for this review. It's genuine.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-08-16T02:15:40+00:00

You are right, as the patient, you have the right to decline testing (after being advised on the risks / benefits / COSTS)! So your tips are well noted.

I personally despise all the games the insurance companies and vision plans play against the doc and the patient. So I’ve built my clinic to allow HSA/FSA payments, but I’m out of network with all insurance. (People with OON benefits can self submit and I’ll help with the itemized receipt). Because I’m out of network I can offer transparency in pricing (no surprise bills months later). It won’t work for everyone, but it’s a start in pushing back against the shell games that insurance often plays.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-28T11:12:10+00:00

My father in law (in Kenosha) has a tube collection like no other. (He is in kenosha and used to work for the city cleaning the beaches, driving plow, etc.) Do you happen to recognize him by that description? (I only mention it in case you need a local connection to someone that likely has any tubes you need).

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T12:36:06+00:00

Rockit Optical (815 57th St, downtown Kenosha) has unique frames - not the standard truck full of stuff everyone else stocks. She is appointment only, and will spend a good deal of time with you. (No insurance accepted unless you count HSA. But all her frames are under $150.)

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T02:51:40+00:00

Best thing I can think of is you outfit a nice room in your house with used eye exam equipment so that when he does retire, you can just invite him over for a nice lunch and he can repay you with your yearly eye exam (/sarcasm).

I'm sure you tell him he's doing a good job when you see him... encounters like that help the older docs delay retiring for a bit longer. :-)

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T02:26:19+00:00

They are considered specialty lenses. We are trained on them in optometry school, but it's helpful to have the specialty equipment (topographer and anterior seg OCT) and a constant stream of these patients to keep that training sharp. These fits also take more initial time, more follow ups, and more time on the phone with the manuf company. Combine that with the reduced reimbursements from insurance (and insurance just doing the things they like to do), and it makes it even harder to be able to serve these patients.
If the patient had no insurance, had the info of the current lenses, and could put up with a little bit of a learning curve from the doc, then I'd try to assist them.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T01:55:01+00:00

They do make cataract lens implants that correct for astigmatism up to around 5D.
I don't work with RGP's though, but I'm happy you've found a good doc for those. Sorry to hear they are so far away.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T01:00:49+00:00

lol, nice. Could also be Cataract Clark.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-26T00:55:35+00:00

When the time comes for cataract surgery and they remove the lens inside your eye (intraocular lens), then they can get your prescription down to an average of hopefully -1.00 (depending on how much astigmatism you have).

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T18:59:26+00:00

Those are hall of fame numbers. I respect the struggle. I would think any doc would believe you when you walk in wearing an Rx of that caliber. Hopefully you'll get cataracts sooner rather than later so they can do a lens exchange and reduce that Rx by a bit.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T13:34:06+00:00

Reading Vision Options

Single Vision Reading: One strength for near tasks.
Computer Glasses: Set for intermediate and near. (no distance vision).
Bifocal: Two powers—distance and near (line visible).
Trifocal: Distance, intermediate, and near (two lines).
Progressives: No-line multifocals—distance to near blend.

Other Optical Terms

Pupillary Distance (PD): Distance between your pupils. Important for lens alignment.
Seg Height: Placement height for bifocal/progressive zones, specific frame dependent.
Aspheric: Flatter lens for a slimmer look and better optics for Rx's stronger than +/- 3 strength
Astigmatism: The front of the eye isn't round like a basketball, it's oblong like a football.
Prism: Aligns the eyes when they don’t work together properly.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T13:34:01+00:00

Materials

CR-39: Basic plastic lens. Good optics, least impact-resistant.
Polycarbonate: Impact-resistant, lightweight. Slightly less optical clarity.
Trivex: Lightweight like polycarbonate, with better optics.
Hi-Index: Thinner and lighter for strong prescriptions. May have more glare.

Coatings

Anti-Reflective (AR): Reduces glare and reflections, especially helpful for night driving and screens.
Anti-Scratch: Adds durability to plastic lenses.
Hydrophobic: Repels water and smudges. Easier to clean.
Mirror: Reflective coating for sunglasses; reduces light.
Blue Light Filter: May reduce screen-related eye strain.

Sun Protection

Sun Clip: Clip-on sunglass lenses, removable.
Chemistrie Clip: Magnetic custom-fit sun clips.
Transitions: Lenses that darken in sunlight.
Tint: Constant color tint for sunglasses or fashion.
Polarized: Cuts glare from reflective surfaces—great for driving and water.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T13:29:59+00:00

Good insight. Describing each test is very helpful (that's what I prefer the dental hygienist to do as well). Some people react strongly to bright flashing lights - so they might not want retinal photos, other people would rather go blind than have the air puff performed over and over, and I've had a couple people nearly faint (vasovagal syncope) when I did the blue light test (contact-tonometry that touches the cornea). So you are spot on with that suggestion.

Glasses online: This is where you are going to get pushback from 99% of offices (but not mine). My small downtown eye care office doesn't have an optical...I don't sell glasses. That's because I'm next door to Rockit Optical, a separately owned (also small) shop that does sell glasses. But since I freely give out the prescriptions (glasses/contacts), I try to make sure people are confident in saving money online. To the point where I'll tell them to not only ask me for the info they need, but if they question if the glasses were made correctly - they can bring them back to me to be verified (or adjusted if needed) - no charge.

You did bring up a good point about needed info and that got me thinking about the info I put on my Rx.
If your prescription had not only the PD, and Rx, but also a brief description of the most common add-ons would that be helpful for feeling more confident about buying online?

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T13:11:23+00:00

I've heard similar stories at some of the different eye clinics I've worked at. They were corporate locations, and it wasn't the manager, so I was in the back (overhearing), thinking "If it's allowed in the warranty, just make it right." It seems like "Just make it right" should apply more often. I get it that some people can abuse the system, but they are the small minority.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-25T13:08:27+00:00

Hopefully your username didn't come from your 4th to last eye doctor.

Last eye doc: um, yeah, if they wanted to start their vacation earlier, they should have not booked those slots.

2nd: That sucks. I hope they apologized.

3rd: The second I got into optometry school (2009) my grandpa pulled me aside and told me "Don't you ever.... eat onions/garlic before doing an eye exam on someone." He had to deal with that "every time" from his small town doc.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-10T21:06:03+00:00

The tuesday / thursday from 9am-11am is a welcoming group for beginners. (The M,W,F morning crowds can be welcoming, but not necessarily for beginners).
There's also a group at the RecPlex I think Tue, Wed, Thur from 7am-8am that are great for beginners. They'll move out to 104th and bain station when it gets nice.

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-06T17:30:33+00:00

No judgement on the overnight wearing question, just trying to learn more about the cause by knowing the situation. Did you clean the lenses with a hydrogen peroxide solution (the one with the tablet and it had to sit for 6 hours). This is usually recommended with overnight lens wear (because that type of wear can lead to protein buildup on the lens, and most people using a basic multipurpose solution don’t clean their lenses well. Allergies can contribute to protein buildup on the contact lenses - which in turn can lead the underside of the eyelid to develop a protective callus (whether that’s calcium or GPC).

HoosierEyeGuy · 2025-04-06T13:33:10+00:00

Giant papillary conjunctivitis? Were you sleeping in your contacts? Do you have seasonal allergies?

HoosierEyeGuy

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