04/09/2026
There have been a number of questions about the records for patients having any of the Medicaid-type insurance coverages. There are no private practices in Lorain servicing those plans at this time.
Lorain County Health and Dentistry is the primary office providing coverage for this population. I hauled 19 boxes of records over to them so they could access the records as patients came in. Health and Dentistry refused to take the records, saying they had no room. I reloaded the boxes and had them placed in a secure storage facility, as required by state law.
I spoke with the State Board regulating Optometry a number of times and then law requires that the records be safely stored and preserved, not that they be accessible. There is no way to fund a phone line for inquiries, or pay someone to answer questions about the records. So the law has been followed and the records will remain safely stored.
I would like to editorialize a bit. I was in practice for nearly 44 years. I never found it necessary to look at old records. Optometrists have the knowledge, training and instrumentation to evaluate and examine a patient for refractive and eye health issues. Reading a “book” from another office is not really very useful. There are some systemic conditions where old records can be helpful, but this is not the case for most patients having refractive difficulties. So, at least for the most part no old records are needed at all.
Old glasses can be read to replace a pair. Refractive testing is easy and quick. Children are eligible fir new glasses every year and should get them regularly. Adults are eligible every two years and should also get glasses regularly.
Best wishes and a good life to all.
