Frequently Asked Questions

First-time patients are asked to fill out a questionnaire first. This takes about 5 minutes. The time for the exam and consultation afterward varies depending on your symptoms and the tests needed, so we appreciate you allowing extra time for your visit.

Yes, you can be seen without a referral letter. Please feel free to visit us for any eye concern.

"Further testing needed" doesn’t mean a diagnosis has been made — it means "let’s take a closer look to confirm." Please bring your health check result sheet and insurance card, and come in during consultation hours; no appointment is needed. Show us your result at reception, and we’ll test the flagged items accordingly. The same applies for a child’s school or pre-enrollment vision screening.

Yes, in addition to patients from within Hikone, we also welcome patients from across Shiga Prefecture (Maibara, Nagahama, Higashiomi, Inukami, Echi, Hino, Koka, Moriyama, Kusatsu, Otsu and more), Kyoto City, Takatsuki and Hirakata in Osaka, and the Nagoya area in Aichi. If you’re coming by car, parking (20 spaces) is available in front of the clinic.

Yes, you’re welcome to bring your children along when you come in for your own appointment.

Young children often can’t tell you themselves that something’s hard to see. If you notice them sitting close to the TV or books, squinting, tilting their head, covering one eye, or bumping into things often, we recommend an eye exam. Please feel free to consult us about anything that concerns you.

Yes, we see newborns and infants. We carefully assess the condition of their eyes using methods suited to their age and development, chosen to minimize any burden. Early detection and treatment matters for strabismus and congenital eye conditions. If you notice anything about their gaze, uneven eye movement, or the color of the white or dark part of the eye, please feel free to consult us regardless of age.

Yes, a companion is welcome to join you. We recommend family accompaniment for elderly patients, children, or anyone who feels anxious.

A dilated exam uses eye drops to widen the pupil, allowing a wide view of the back and periphery of the retina that can’t be seen otherwise. This test is essential for examining conditions such as cataracts, retinal disease, and optic nerve disease.

It takes about 20 minutes for the pupil to dilate after the drops are applied, so we ask that you arrive at least 30 minutes before the reception cutoff time.

Once dilated, your eyes will be sensitive to light and harder to focus. The effect lasts 4–5 hours, during which driving a car or motorcycle is very dangerous. Please don’t drive yourself to the clinic — consider public transport or a ride from family. Reading books, documents or computer screens will also be difficult, so please plan around any work commitments after your visit.

Eye fatigue and shoulder stiffness can be caused by an incorrect glasses or contact lens prescription, dry eye, or long hours on a computer or smartphone. An eye condition can sometimes be involved as well. If symptoms persist, we recommend an exam to identify the cause.

Glare sensitivity can be caused by various things, including dry eye, cataracts, or corneal injury or inflammation. If it’s accompanied by reduced vision or pain, or persists, we recommend an eye exam.

This can sometimes be an age-related change, but "floaters" can occasionally be a sign of a more urgent condition, such as a retinal tear or retinal detachment. If the symptom suddenly increases, you see flashes of light, or part of your visual field goes missing, please seek care promptly.

Reduced vision in just one eye can be caused by cataracts, macular disease, or retinal or optic nerve disease. A sudden change in vision, distortion, or difficulty seeing the center are reasons to seek care promptly.

The main causes are eye fatigue, stress and lack of sleep, which make the muscles and nerves around the eye overly sensitive.

One thing to watch for in particular is a poorly fitted glasses or contact lens prescription. If your glasses prescription is off, or your contact lens power or base curve (BC) doesn’t match your eye, your eyes are constantly straining to focus, placing significant strain on them. This chronic eye strain is a major contributor to eyelid twitching.

Why it causes twitching

• Incorrect prescription (too strong or too weak): straining to focus clearly overworks the muscles and nerves around the eye, leading from fatigue to twitching.
• Incorrect base curve (BC): a lens that presses too hard on the cornea, or shifts too easily, causes physical strain and discomfort, tiring the muscles around the eye.

What you can do

• Re-fit your lenses (the fundamental fix): have your glasses prescription re-measured at an eye clinic or optician, and your contact lens base curve and prescription re-measured at an eye clinic, then switch to lenses that suit your eyes.
• Rest your eyes and improve your habits: reduce digital device use to let your eyes rest, and address sleep deprivation or stress to ease nerve tension around the eyes.
• See a doctor: if twitching doesn’t settle after a few weeks despite a lens change and adequate rest, or if it spreads to other parts of your face, see an ophthalmologist or neurologist.

How eye drops feel varies by condition. For example, conjunctivitis requires different medication depending on the cause (viral, bacterial or allergic), so even if it looks like "it’s not working" based on appearance alone, it’s often actually the right treatment for the cause. A "stronger" medicine isn’t necessarily faster-acting; for children especially, we adjust prescriptions to minimize strain on their body.

Even if symptoms don’t clear after one or two uses, please don’t adjust the frequency or stop on your own — follow the duration and frequency your doctor prescribed. If symptoms worsen, or you experience strong pain, swelling or reduced vision, consult us before continuing.

On the other hand, some medications — like glaucoma eye drops — show little noticeable symptom change and can only be confirmed effective through test data. If there’s no improvement after several days, or you’re concerned, please don’t stop or change it yourself — bring it up at your next visit.

Many eye diseases can’t be identified by appearance alone, and many progress without symptoms. Glaucoma and retinal disease in particular have almost no symptoms — no vision loss or pain — in their early stages. Even when symptoms seem mild, testing can reveal changes you wouldn’t otherwise notice. We recommend the tests appropriate to your symptoms and exam findings, and explain the purpose of each.

Yes, it’s possible. This website can be added to your smartphone or computer’s home screen (or Dock) like an app, letting you access it going forward with a single tap or click. The steps differ by browser, so please see below.

iPhone (Safari)

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3. Scroll down the menu and tap "Add to Home Screen"
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Android (Chrome)

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PC (Chrome / Edge, Windows & Mac)

1. Open our site in your browser
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Mac (Safari / macOS Sonoma or later)

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Menu wording ("Install app," "Add to Home Screen," "Add to Dock," etc) may vary by device, and this option may not appear on some older browser versions.