Can I still get eye care without going to the hospital?
Yes! And we strongly recommend that you stay away from the hospitals for eye issues right now so that our health care workers can focus on infected patients and other patients that require emergency treatment for life threatening conditions like heart attacks and strokes. Many ophthalmic practices are open and able to treat a wide variety of problems from minor issues to very severe problems that require surgery. Our office is open Monday through Friday 8AM-5PM and can generally get you scheduled the same day for an eye emergency as we are closed for all non-emergency issues like cataract surgery or LASIK.
What kind of urgent problems have you been managing during the coronavirus shutdown?
Dr. Swanic is a Cornea and Refractive UCLA-trained subspecialist so he has been primarily seeing issues related to the cornea and front of the eye. We have been able to manage infections related to contact lenses and other causes, inflammation inside the eye (called iritis or uveitis), cornea transplant issues (such as rejection), and of course are able to evaluate other issues such as red eyes or people who are seeing flashes of light or new floaters (signs of retinal tears or retinal detachments.)
If I need a glasses or contacts prescription can you do that?
Unfortunately, we generally do not provide glasses or contact lens prescriptions, as we focus on medical, refractive (ie LASIK), and surgical issues of the eye. We recommend contacting an optometrist (O.D.) if you need a new glasses or contact lens prescription.
Do you take insurance and if so what kind?
Dr. Swanic takes Medical insurance. As he does not provide prescriptions for glasses or contact lenses, he does not take Vision insurance. However, we do take a wide variety of medical insurances including Medicare, Medicaid, Sierra Health and Life, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UMR, Culinary, and many more. We unfortunately are not providers with the large HMO plans in Las Vegas which are HPN and Humana. If you have any question as to whether we take your insurance please call our office.
Are you offering any cash pay discounts to help with the current Covid Crisis?
Yes! Dr. Swanic was born in Las Vegas and wants to be able to help out. As such we are offering non dilated office visits for only 120 dollars and dilated visits for only 150 dollars.
What if I just need my eye medication refilled and I am currently a patient at Las Vegas Eye Institute?
We are now offering telemedicine consultations for non-urgent issues such as the above. With our software if you have access to a computer or phone with a video camera you can schedule a telemedicine consult with Dr. Swanic and we can electronically send your prescription directly to the pharmacy for pickup.
What steps are you taking to help prevent the spread of COVID-19?
First, we have ceased all of our non-urgent office visits and are only seeing a very limited number of patients in our office per day. Dr. Swanic loves performing cataract surgery and LASIK but they are not urgent except for in extreme circumstances. We do not want our elderly patients leaving the house and risking infection for these procedures that we will be here to help with once we get through the COVID crisis.
Second, we have implemented many office policies to keep ourselves and our patients safe.
- We are now wearing face masks during all patient encounters.
- We run HEPA filters not only in our waiting rooms but in our exam lanes as well to remove micro droplets from the air.
- We clean all exam equipment including computers/door handles with medical grade cleaning supplies after EVERY encounter.
- We have outfitted all of our slit lamps with large breath shields
- We only allow one visitor to come with our patients to their visit and we request that they stay in the waiting room during the exam.
- If you must bring more than one person to your appointment please leave them in your vehicle if at all possible.
I think I need to see you guys! What should I do?
Call our office at 702-816-2525 where our knowledgeable staff will be able to tell you over the phone whether or not we think an in person or telemedicine consult is right for you.