February 21, 2022
Some updates…
First the bad news…
Due to rising costs on pretty much every product and service that we use we have made the difficult decision to also raise some of our prices. These include prices for contact lens services, and some contact lens and eyeglass products. Our fees for eye exams have not changed since 2017 and we have no plans for raising those. We are committed to being transparent on all pricing and are happy to answer any questions you have about your coverage/copayments at any time.
We have also made the difficult decision to leave a couple of vision plan networks.
These DO NOT include any VSP plans or EYEMED Access plans. If you are in any of the affected networks we will be happy to discuss details options for payment if you choose to stay with our practice. Please have all of your insurance and vision plan information handy when you call to schedule your appointments so we can verify your coverage ahead of time.
We are continuing to require masks at all times in the office. This is currently the CDC guidance for health care setting and we feel it is the most prudent choice at this time.
And some good news!!
We are adding in more Saturday exam spots and optical shop hours. They will still vary so please double check before you come in if you don’t have an appointment. We will also have a new staff member coming on board full-time and are excited about her bringing her extensive experience and skills to the optical shop!
Spring is the season for new eyeglass fashion and we are working hard to constantly freshen up the inventory and offer something for everyone. Appointments are no longer for frame shopping so stop by during office hours and see what’s new in the shop!
August 9, 2020
As of June 2 we are back to our "new normal". We are open with all services (eye exams, eyeglass sales, repairs, adjustments) by appointment only. We are continuing to offer direct shipping for contact lens orders. August office hours are:
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-6:30
Wednesdays & Fridays 9:30-5:00
Please call 781-665-0897 to book appointments or with any questions.
Stay healthy!
Friday May 1, 2020
To all of our patients and customers,
First of all we miss you so much and hope you are staying safe and healthy. We have been working hard to decide when we can get back to business as usual. We know it is not going to happen all at once. We also know that anything can change at any time but for now, this is the tentative plan.
We will still be closed to the public until at least May 18. We are taking our cues from local and state government and our professional organizations. At this time we are unable to do routine care or open the retail shop. Over the next couple of weeks we are reconfiguring the office to ensure proper social distancing. We are making plans for how we will be cleaning and sanitizing the office when we do reopen and trying to secure all of the necessary PPE and equipment shields to keep the doctors and staff and patients safe. (Anyone who has leads on hand sanitizer or cleaning wipes we would love to talk to you!) Our first priority as health care providers is everyones well being and safety.
Starting next we are increasing the hours that someone will be answering phones to make arrangements for contact lens orders (still direct shipping) and emergency eyeglass repairs and replacements. Unfortunately the practice of optometry does not translate well to telemedicine but we are always available to talk and discuss any issues or concerns with our patients. We have had to cancel many eye exam appointments since March 17 and will continue to have to do so. We know how frustrating this is for everyone. We are reaching out to the vision plans we work with to see if they will be extending vision benefits for people affected by this situation. We will be extending lens and frame warranties for those whose ended while we were closed.
At this moment we are hoping to resume direct patient care in June. If we feel it is prudent to open our doors sooner we certainly will. Mass Eye and Ear in Boston continues to be an excellent resource for eye emergencies. They are set up for virtual visits 7 days a week from 9:00am-5:00pm. Call 617-573-3500. Outside those hours the number for the emergency department is 617-573-3431.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay well.
Wednesday April 8, 2020
Good morning all!
We hope you are all well and getting through these difficult times. Here are some updates:
We are still closed and will be at least until May 5. Someone is checking messages at least once a day and returning calls. 781-665-0897.
We are still able to order contact lenses to ship directly to patients from our distribution center. Leave your name and date of birth on the voicemail and someone will call you to confirm address and payment. We can also look up vision plan benefits for you to use for payment.
We are very limited with how much we can do right now for eyeglass repairs and replacements for glasses but we will try our best!
The CDC is restricting us from doing all routine care at this time so we will continue to cancel any scheduled eye exam appointments. We will not start rebooking or adding new appointments until we are back to a normal schedule. People who were canceled will have priority over new bookings. Thank you for understanding.
Mass Eye and Ear is an excellent resource for ocular emergencies. They are set up for virtual visits 7 days a week from 9:00am-5:00pm. Call 617-573-3500. Outside of those hours, the number for the emergency department is 617-573-3431. Their website has a lot of very helpful information as well: masseyeandear.org
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May 28, 2020
Just like everyone we are excited to get back to "normal". But as health care providers we know that it is in everyone's best interest to take it slow with reopening.
We are planning to go week by week and continually reassess how we can take care of people's needs in the safest way possible.
Starting on Tuesday June 2, we will be in the office but still behind closed doors. While still in Phase 1 we will be doing medically necessary optometric visits and taking care of optical emergencies (repairs and replacements if you have broken your only pair of glasses) all by appointment only. At this time the only repairs we can do are for glasses purchased from us after March 1, 2017. If your glasses are broken beyond repair and an exact replacement pair is unavailable we can have you try on a limited amount of frames to choose a new one. Disinfecting frames properly after they are handled and tried on without damaging them is a tricky endeavor. Even though our doctors and opticians are wearing full personal protective equipment, we want to do everything we can to minimize close contact at this time.We will continue to be able to order contact lenses for either curbside pickup or direct shipping. If you have a simple eyeglass repair we will arrange for curbside drop off and pickup once they are ready.
Once we are sure we have entered Phase 2 and able to resume routine care, we will be reaching out to the many patients who had appointments canceled. We will call everyone in order starting with the schedule from March 17. Once we have contacted and attempted to rebook those patients we will be able to start booking new appointments. At this time we regretfully won't be able to take new patients (unless they are a family member of an established patient) for eye exams. Through Phase 2 we will also be scheduling appointments to buy new glasses. It will be at Phase 3 that we hope to have our shop start to fee more like it was with full "browsing" allowed.
Thanks to all our loyal patients and customers for being patient with us. Please don't hesitate to call with any questions or concerns. We expect the phones to be busy so if you get the voicemail please leave a message and a contact number and you will receive a call back as soon as possible.
Tuesday March 17, 2020
Last night the Massachusetts Society of Optometry strongly recommended all optometry practices in the state close until April 6. We are still absorbing this information working on how we are going to still be there for our patients and optical customers. Today we are organizing glasses and contacts already in the shop to arrange delivery. There are a number of orders still in transit from our labs so we will be dealing with those as they arrive. We will be calling reschedule patients booked during the next 3 weeks. We are still hoping to be able to order and direct ship contact lenses to patients and working hard to figure out a way to triage and help with eye health emergencies. For now the best way to contact us is to leave a message on the office voicemail. We will check it and get back to patients regularly. Bear with us, most of our patient records are still on paper so we have no way to access them remotely.
Sunday March 15, 2020
We are monitoring the current situation closely. Our priority is the health and well-being of our patients and staff. Please check back here for updates and take care of yourselves.