new patients

What to expect

YOUR CHECKLIST

Fill out the patient forms ahead of time.

New patients are required to fill out general patient and insurance information. To save time on the day of your appointment, fill these out ahead of time and bring them with you or we can email you a Docusign that you can complete on your computer at home. If you do not have a computer, we can mail the forms to you, or click here to download the forms to print and fill out.

Arrive 5 minutes before your appointment time.

Our goal is to see you as soon as possible after you come into the office. We ask that all patients arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time if your paperwork is done.
If the paperwork needs to be filled out in the office, please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. This gives our office a chance to get any necessary information and stay on schedule.

Bring insurance, referrals, and co-pay.

We accept most insurances and will do our best to answer your questions concerning your insurance policy. When you arrive, we will ask for a copy of your insurance card and a picture ID. Dr. Pelton is a sub-specialist, and many insurance plans require a referral to see him. You can call us to verify your insurance requirements. Your co-pay is also due at the time of your visit. We also ask you make sure you have any glasses you wear with you and a list of your medications (if it has not been completed on the forms.)

FAQs

We’ve answered the most common questions asked by new patients.

If you still have a question that we haven’t answered here, feel free to reach out to us
using the phone number at the bottom of this page.

  • Oculofacial surgery (aka Oculoplastic Surgery) is a subspeciality of Ophthalmology. After a 3-year residency in ophthalmology, oculofacial surgeons do another 2-year fellowship to learn plastic surgery of the face. We deal with all types of eyelid problems, tearing problems, facial trauma, eye socket problems as well as other issues of the face. We do not do cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, retinal surgery or glasses and contacts.

  • Dr. Pelton graduated from Hendrix College with honors as a chemistry major. He then spent a year in Austria on a Fulbright Fellowship studying Medical Biochemistry before moving to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. After 2 years of medical school at Vanderbilt, Dr. Pelton took a leave of absence for 4 years to get a Ph.D. in Cell Biology. He then went back to finish medical school and then started a residency in Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. He then took a 2-year fellowship in Oculofacial Surgery in Salt Lake City before moving to Colorado Springs. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is also certified by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASOPRS) as well as the American College of Surgeons (FACS). See his full C.V. here (link).

  • Yes he does. Although the majority of the surgery he does is covered by insurance, he does quite a bit of cosmetic surgery of the face and has been doing this for over 27 years.

  • After checking in and filling out the “new patient” forms at the front desk, a nurse will escort you to an exam room and start collecting your history and checking your vision. After she finishes, Dr. Pelton will come in and perform a more comprehensive examination of your problem. If you need a surgical procedure, we’ll start the paperwork to make that happen. The scheduler will discuss times and dates that work best for you. In most cases, we can do a minor procedure that same day. Expect to be here for about an hour for your first appointment.

  • If you have insurance, please bring your insurance card, so that we can find out your level of benefits. If you have any CT scans or lab tests, please bring those. If you use reading glasses, please bring those with you. Also, if you received our new patient packet beforehand, please bring any completed paperwork that you have filled out. If not, don’t worry. You can fill out all the necessary paperwork when you get here. Please make sure you have your medication list if you need to fill out the paperwork in office, we can make a copy if that’s easier.

  • Quality care takes time. Delivery of health care is an inherently difficult thing to schedule – patients often book appointments for “small” problems that turn out to be much more complex and complicated than they thought; other doctors and emergency rooms refer patients that need immediate attention; some patients have a long list of questions that they need answered, etc. Dr. Pelton takes pride in trying to give each patient the time that they need to get their problem addressed. We apologize for any longer-than-expected wait but please know that when it is your turn, Dr. Pelton will spend as much time with you as you need to get your problem addressed. Most new patient visits require you to be in the office for 1-2 hours depending on the issue.

  • We accept most insurances including Medicare Advantage Plans. We are out of network with Humana PPO plans, but call us! You may have out-of-network benefits that we can use. We do not accept the VA insurance.

  • Dr. Pelton’s practice is limited to Oculofacial Surgery. He does all types of eyelid surgery, eye socket surgery, lacrimal system surgery, facial fracture surgery as well as other facial procedures. He does NOT do general ophthalmology procedures such as glasses, contacts, cataract surgery, refractive surgery, glaucoma surgery or retinal surgery.