Below are some of the most frequently asked questions patients have about their retina and their appointment with us.
Call the office nearest to you to make an appointment:
Southfield – (248) 356-8610
Warren – (586) 756-3800
Shelby – (586) 522-4256
Retina Consultants of Michigan accepts most major carriers. For those patients with HMO and insurances requiring authorization, it is necessary to call your primary care physician to obtain a referral and to confirm that the doctor you are seeing is in your particular plan. Please call for any specific questions regarding your insurance coverage.
Your primary care doctor or other medical provider has suggested that you make an appointment with us due to either a problem they saw while examining you or a medical condition you have that could potentially cause you to have a retina problem. Early prevention and treatment of these conditions is essential to preserve your eyesight or to prevent loss of eyesight.
Retina Consultants of Michigan is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of retinal conditions. Your primary eye doctor can assist you in obtaining eyeglasses or can assist you as to where to obtain your eyeglasses.
During your visit you will first be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire and will be asked to provide your driver’s license (or state identification), as well as your insurance cards. You will also be asked to provide all of your doctors’ names, addresses and, if possible, fax numbers. Once this information is added into the system, you will be taken to an examination room by a technician. The technician will be asking you pertinent information regarding your eyes, as well as performing appropriate testing to prepare you for your examination with the doctor. Next, your eyes will be dilated and you will be placed in a dilation room while this occurs (typically, it takes approximately 30 minutes to allow for complete dilation). Once proper dilation has occurred, you will be examined by the physician. The doctor may then suggest appropriate testing and/or treatment based upon the findings of the examination.
We ask that you allow 1-2 hours for us to complete your examination, possibly longer if further testing and/or treatment are necessary.
Yes. It is necessary to dilate the pupils to allow the physician to examine the retina. Even if you are having a problem only with one eye, it is necessary (especially with new patients) to look at both eyes for comparison and to determine if any problems or potential problems exist in your opposite eye.
Because your eyes will be dilated, we suggest that you bring a driver with you. This is especially true if you are having any treatments to your eyes.
We ask that you bring your eyeglasses, a list of any medications you take, insurance cards, driver’s license (or state ID), and a list of any previous medical conditions and/or surgeries. In addition, please bring contact information for all physicians who are currently treating you or have treated you in the past.