Check-In

Your Visit

In order to maximize your experience, your visit is divided into different stages so that each team member can specialize and improve the clinic's efficiency. After checking-in with the front desk, you will be called by a technician to escort you to a room and start your eye exam. Technicians check your vision and put eye drops in your eyes to measure eye pressure and dilate your eyes. If you need additional testing, a medical photographer will call you to take photos while you wait for the dilating drops to work.

You may encounter a resident or fellow along the way, which is a doctor enrolled in our extensive training program. This doctor will examine you with a microscope and come up with a diagnosis and plan. He or she discusses your case with the attending physician (your doctor), who confirms and explains the treatment plan with you. After you complete your discussion with the team of doctors, you will check-out with a receptionist, who will schedule follow-up appointments and print a summary of your visit.

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Prescriptions

Eyeglasses

  • We are happy to provide eyeglasses prescriptions for our patients but cannot order or manufacture spectacles.
  • The eye doctor will determine the best measurements for you by doing a test called a refraction. Once you have your new prescription, you must go to a local optical or optometrist's office to purchase glasses.
  • If you plan to use your insurance to buy glasses, please call your insurance company to find out who accepts your plan.

Contact Lenses

  • As of January 2021, the University of Chicago cannot provide contact lens prescriptions or fittings. We also cannot order supplies of contact lenses for you.
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What to Bring

  • Current glasses and previous prescriptions
  • Medications, such as eye drops
  • Records of past eye exams
  • Someone to drive you home in case we dilate your eyes, as the drops may make your vision blurry
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Visit Length

How Long Will I Have to Wait?

All patients are seen in order of appointment time. Please do not worry if someone who has arrived after you is called before you, as there can be up to 9 doctors working at any one time and you may be on a different doctor’s schedule. Because of the time it takes to dilate eyes and perform testing, including diagnostic imaging, please be mindful that your visit can take up to two hours.

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What to Expect

Dilation

Dilation is an essential part of your medical eye exam. This makes the pupil (the black window of the eye) wider so that the eye doctor can see everything inside of your eyes. A small amount of dilating eye drops are given. It usually takes about 25 minutes for your pupils to fully open.

While your eyes are dilated, your vision may be blurry and you will have trouble focusing on objects close to you. You may also experience extra sensitivity to light, so we provide disposable sunglasses for you to wear after your visit.

On average, the effects of dilating eye drops last for several hours, but every person is different. To be safe, you should make arrangements to have someone drive you home after your appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Clinic Location

  • The eye clinic is located on the first floor of the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine (DCAM) outpatient building on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. As soon as you enter the building from the street, through the valet traffic circle, we are directly adjacent to the welcome desk. 

Parking

  • The closest parking lot for patients is Garage A on 58th Street and Cottage Grove (open-air, sheltered parking structure). To enter, you must take a ticket and pay for parking when you leave. We have parking discounts available for patients, including valet services and self-parking in the garage.
For more information, visit Directions and Maps.

Parking Garage Entrance

 

Spectacles or Eyeglasses

  • Our eye doctors are able to measure and print an eyeglasses prescription for patients, but they cannot make or order glasses because the University of Chicago does not have an optical. 
  • A refraction is the test your eye doctor will perform with you to determine your prescription for eyeglasses. A glasses prescription is necessary to ensure that you have the proper measurements to see clearly and comfortably through your new lenses. 
  • Once you have your prescription, you can order glasses through a local eye center that has an optometrist or a business called an optical.
  • The refraction service is not typically covered by your medical insurance. For example, patients with Medicare often must pay a small fee to receive a glasses prescription because Medicare does not cover the refraction test. Please contact your insurance provider if you have questions regarding your specific plan benefits and where to go to have your glasses made. 
  • We do not have tools to fix or adjust patient's glasses.
  • Glasses prescriptions typically expire after 1 year.

Contact Lenses

  • As of January 2021 the University of Chicago does NOT provide contact lens fittings or prescriptions, but we are happy to refer you to local eye care professionals who can help you find the best contact lenses for you.
  • Keep in mind that contact lenses require a separate eye exam with different measurements than your glasses prescription. You cannot order contact lenses using the numbers from your glasses prescription.
  • Please bring your insurance card(s) and a government-issued form of identification (e.g. Driver's License, Passport) with you to each visit.
  • All eye exams at the University of Chicago are billed medically.
  • The University of Chicago Medical Center does not accept vision insurance. If you want to use your vision benefits towards your eye exam, you must submit all insurance claims on your own. 
  • Click here for more information.

Eye Clinic #

Phone Number: (773) 702-3937

Fax Number: (773) 702-0830

Clinic Address

The Eye Center

Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine (DCAM)

University of Chicago Medical Center

5758 S. Maryland Avenue | Suite 1B

Chicago, Illinois 60637

Mailing Address

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science

University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences

5841 S. Maryland Avenue | MC 2114

Chicago, Illinois 60637

Medical Campus Map