AEC office hours are 8:30 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday.

After your veterinarian recommends a referral, appointments should be made in a timely fashion as it may be several days to a couple of weeks for the next available scheduled appointment. If your veterinarian feels the current ocular condition cannot wait for the next available appointment, the AEC will see your pet on a work-in emergency basis (including an additional emergency fee). Emergency appointments are worked into the already full schedule and will be seen as promptly as is possible.

CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation) Exams are ophthalmic screening tests for pure bred dogs. The CERF Exams are to identify if the patient / candidate has any hereditary ocular diseases (i.e. corneal dystrophy, cataracts, PRA). These patients are usually show or field trial dogs and/or are going to have an upcoming breeding. CERF Exams do NOT require a referral. CERF Exams can be scheduled during our weekday medical appointments or preferably for a Saturday CERF Clinic appointment. The AEC offers the Saturday CERF Clinics (8am-11:30am) approximately every 3 months. They are usually January, May, August, and November. CERF Exams performed during our weekday medical appointments have a higher fee than the Saturday CERF clinics.

If surgery is recommended for your pet's ophthalmic condition, a pre-surgical estimate will be provided. In addition, if your pet is scheduled for surgery, a pre-surgical CBC/Serum Chemistry Panel (blood test) should be performed approximately 2-6 days prior to the scheduled surgical procedure. This test can be performed either by the AEC (Animal Eye Clinic) or by your regular veterinarian. If your regular veterinarian performs this lab work, the results will need to be faxed to the Animal Eye Clinic prior to the scheduled surgery.

Many ophthalmic surgeries are completed on an out-patient basis. The day of surgery, drop-off is 7:45 - 8:30 and discharges are usually 3-4pm the same day.
For non-diabetic patients, no food is allowed after 8pm the night before (water is ok).
For diabetics, no food should be given the morning of the surgery, but half the normal insulin dose should be administered. The pet's food and insulin should be brought with to the office the day of surgery.
Bulldogs are an exception to the rule, and should not be fed after 12:00 (noon) the day before surgery.

Fees:
Payment is due at the time the medical service is provided (no billing). The AEC accepts cash, checks (w/ valid ID), Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. If the patient is going to have a procedure / surgery, then a deposit of approximately ½ of the estimate is required prior to the surgery. The balance is due upon discharge from the hospital.

After Hours Emergencies:
After hours and weekend emergency situations will be handled by the Veterinary Emergency Clinic (412-366-3400) which is located within the same building as AEC and Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists. The Veterinary Emergency Clinic is open weeknights (after 8pm), weekends, and holidays. If the emergency doctor feels the ocular condition(s) merits the attention of a specialist, then they will attempt to contact the veterinary ophthalmologist.

There will be infrequent times when the AEC ophthalmologist will be unavailable / out-of-town due to speaking engagements, medical conferences or family vacations. If this situation arises, and your pet cannot wait until the AEC ophthalmologist returns, then your pet will need to see the Veterinary Emergency Clinic (412-366-3400) or another veterinary ophthalmologist. Listed below are ophthalmic emergency options:

1. Ohio State University--Columbus, OH 614-292-3551
2. Dr. Cawrse-Foss--Akron, OH 330-666-2976
3. MedVet--Columbus, OH 614-846-5800
4. Akron Eye Care For Animals--Akron, OH 330-670-1300
5. Dr. Stanz--Buffalo, NY 716-608-7700
6. Dr. Champagne--Buffalo, NY 716-833-5345
7. Dr. Smith--Gaithersburg, MD 301-990-6373
8. Dr. Gross--Norristown, PA 610-666-1050
9. Veterinary Emergency Clinic--Pittsburgh, PA 412-366-3400