Moving?

Due to our very dynamic times, people are move more than ever. Sometimes it’s just across town. Other times, it’s across the country for work, for family, fulfilling a retirement dream, or sometimes just for a change. Our office has been part of a study group that meets twice a year and we have friends all over the country who we know will give you excellent care for you and your family. If you don’t see the area you’re going to be moving to, we’ve included a few tips to help you find someone.

Moving soon? Here’s your guide to finding a new eye doctor

The best way to find a great new eye doctor where you’re moving to is to ask your current one for a recommendation. Often times, patients will let us know they are move before the next time we recommend seeing them and we look into professionals in their new area.

If you don’t feel like you have a great relationship with your current eye doctor or feel awkward asking them for a recommendation in person (it can be intimidating letting them know you won’t be there next year), you can ask the staff to ask for you after you leave, or send them a note via the “contact us” part of the website.

If your current doctor knows where you’re moving too, 2 awesome things happen that will save you lots of headaches:

1. Your doctor can evaluate potential doctors at your new location with your needs in mind
   • They know if you like short explanations or want all the details and need a bit more time
   • They can find specialists for your needs, like doctors who work with scleral lenses, or manage retinal issues or glaucoma
2. Your current doctor can send copies of your records to the new place. This way they know exactly what’s going on!!
   • This lets your current doctor know they are leaving you in good hands to continue your care, which is especially important for those with chronic issues like glaucoma or diabetes.
   • The new doctor will know exact what conditions you have as well as how they are being treated and even if they are well controlled or not.
   • Also, your new doctor will have your current doctor’s recommendations of potential future treatments like new dry eye treatment or cataract surgery in the future.
   • The new doctor will know what didn’t work so you don’t have to try treatments that failed in the past, leading to wasted time and lots of frustration.

Check Reviews

Good way to check if a new doctor will meet your needs is to read reviews from current patients. Using reviews is another way to find someone if you don’t want to ask your current doctor.

Making the most of reviews:

• Read a few of the longer positive reviews to see what patients are saying they do right
• Read a few of the negative reviews; it’s helpful to know they aren’t perfect and that their reviews aren’t fake as everyone misses the mark occasionally
• Look for random things that upset people rather than a consistent theme like poor customer service or surprise billing
• Look for your condition if it’s a common one like dry eye or glaucoma; if they treat that regularly, it should come up
• Trust your gut: if your general vibe is good, give them a try

List of our favorite colleagues

You don’t have to leave us!

Also know, that we are happy to see you even if you don’t live around Kansas City anymore. Join our growing list of patients who visit from out of town, some as far as Japan, China or Switzerland! We also see patients from all over the Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma area and are happy to work with you to ensure your visit meets your expectations. (Reminder of what we evaluate.)

Tip: One of our favorite local places to stay is Unity Village which is just up the road and has reasonable weekday rates.

Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, we wish you luck in your future endeavors and know we’ll be there for you to make your transition easier.

Last updated Jan 2022 by Laura Nennig, OD, a transplant to Lee’s Summit from Wisconsin; she is an owner and doctor at Eyecare Associates.