We’d love to hear from you!
Give us a call, send an email, or visit us today in West Kelowna. If you have an eye emergency, please call to ensure that you are seen in a timely fashion. If it is after hours, please proceed to the emergency department at Kelowna General Hospital.
We’re only 13 minutes from Kelowna, 28 minutes from Summerland, and 11 minutes from Peachland.
Frequently Asked Questions
- A child’s first eye exam should be at the age of six months and then a second exam should be completed between the ages of 2 and 5.
- Exams should be annually during school years until the age of 19.
- Healthy patients aged 19-64 should be seen at least once every two years.
- Seniors age 65+ should be seen annually as they are higher risk for eye disease.
- Contact lens wearers of any age, are to be seen on an annual basis.
- Patients with certain systemic or ocular disease, on certain medications or with elevated risk factors are often recommended a more frequent recall. This is determined after discussion with your doctor.
A number of optical stores offer what are called “sight tests” which use automated machinery to determine a patient’s prescription. The accuracy of these tests is limited and there is no evaluation of eye health. Many serious problems and diseases do not affect vision until the condition is more advanced. Some of these include glaucoma, diabetes, brain tumors, eye cancer and retinal holes. Early detection of any of these conditions is important to be able to protect not only the health of the eyes and the clearness of vision, but also the individual’s overall health and maybe even their life. Having a sight test without an eye health examination presents a serious risk.
An eye exam performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist looks at the entire eye and vision system and is an important part of preventative health care.
Most jurisdictions in North America forbid sight testing, but it is permitted in British Columbia.
- First Nations Health Authority
- Blue Cross (includes RCMP, Ministry of Human Resources, Ministry
of National Defence, Veteran’s Affairs) - SunLife
- Great West Life
- Standard Life
- Industrial Alliance
- Johnson Chambers of Commerce
- Johnson Group
- Maximum Benefit
- Manulife
- SSQ
- Greenshield
Children should be seen by the age of six months, again between the age of 2-5 and then every year afterward until the age of 19. There are many visual disorders in children that can affect their visual development, their speech recognition and can potentially render them blind in one or both eyes if not detected early. Do not assume that if your child can “see well” that both of their eyes are healthy and developing properly.
We offer examinations free of charge to children under the age of three with a BC Care Card.