About the Doctor

What to expect at your eye exam O'Fallone Family Eye Care 06 (1)

Dr. Joseph Hegyi

I wanted to become an eye doctor because I grew up nearsighted and had to rely on glasses and contact lenses all my life. I still remember walking into my optometrist’s office seeing blurry and then walking out an hour later with great vision with new contacts.

I thought that it was the coolest thing being able to make such a big impact in a person’s life in such a short amount of time. By becoming an optometrist, that’s exactly what I get to do for others nearly every single day.

Even though optometrists are trained to use dilation drops which allows the doctor to see inside the patient’s eyes, I’ve noticed how much patients dislike the side effects of blurred vision and light sensitivity. That’s why I converted to a digital retinal exam which in most cases avoids the need for dilation. This makes the exam so much easier and faster for my patients.

Myopia Control & Contact Lens Specialist

We prescribe a lot of glasses and contact lenses to help our patients see clearly, but these standard treatments do nothing (or very little) to prevent myopia from increasing. I have shifted my optometric career to focus on ways of slowing and preventing myopia so kids don’t have to end up with excessive nearsightedness like I did.

Early in my career I learned a treatment called orthokeratology which not only can allow patients to see without glasses and contact lenses, but can also slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). Since then I have been offering ortho-K services to patients who want to experience visual freedom without surgical intervention.

I also enjoy fitting advanced contact lenses for high prescriptions and diseased corneas such as with keratoconus or Pellucid’s degeneration. Typically these patients have blurry vision that cannot be improved very well with glasses or regular contact lenses, so it is very rewarding to witness the reactions my patients have to seeing clearly for the first time in many years.

Many people are interested in LASIK laser vision correction. Between my private practice and my former employment at a refractive surgery center, I personally have co-managed over 1,200 refractive cases of LASIK and PRK.

“Dr. Hegyi is great!!! All my kids and I loved him and he took care of all us. My kids were never big eye doctor fans, but with Dr. Joe they keep asking when they can go back. If you are looking for a new eye Dr. I would totally recommend Dr. Joe Hegyi”

Lori Young