Lisa Singletary, MD in Baltimore: Optometry with a Medical Focus

Lisa Singletary, MD is a medical optometrist in Baltimore who diagnoses and treats eye diseases and conditions, sitting apart from standard optometrists whose scope centers on refractive correction and basic eye health. Her practice serves patients who need management of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye disease, and other systemic eye conditions that fall into the medical rather than purely corrective category.

What Lisa Singletary, MD Actually Is

Singletary holds an MD in optometry, a doctoral degree that permits her to diagnose and treat ocular diseases in Maryland. This credential places her above the typical OD (Doctor of Optometry) in scope: she can prescribe topical and oral medications for eye disease, perform minor surgical procedures, and manage chronic conditions that an OD would typically refer to an ophthalmologist. In Baltimore's eye care landscape, this narrows the gap between primary eye care and specialty referral. A standard optometrist can detect glaucoma or diabetic eye changes; Singletary can initiate and monitor treatment without an ophthalmology handoff for routine management.

Services and Pricing

The practice offers comprehensive medical eye exams, disease management for glaucoma and dry eye, diabetic retinopathy screening and follow-up, and corrective lens fitting for patients with complex prescriptions or post-surgical eyes. Pricing for a comprehensive eye exam typically runs $150 to $250 depending on testing and disease monitoring needs; verify current fees directly. Insurance coverage varies widely by plan: many vision plans cover routine exams but exclude disease-management visits, which may be billed to medical insurance instead. Patients should confirm their plan's coverage before the appointment, as the dual-billing pathway (vision vs. medical) can surprise uninsured or high-deductible plan holders.

How It Compares to Other Baltimore Optometrists

Baltimore has numerous OD-staffed practices (including Lenscrafters locations and independent optometry offices) that perform refractive exams and dispense glasses and contacts at lower out-of-pocket cost. These suit routine vision correction and basic eye health screening. Ophthalmologists (MDs in eye surgery and disease) are the referral tier for complex glaucoma, retinal disease, and surgical needs; typical wait times for a new-patient ophthalmology exam in Baltimore run 6 to 12 weeks. Singletary fills a practical middle: she handles medical eye disease management without the wait or the cost premium of a surgical specialist, and she retains prescribing and monitoring tools that a standard OD cannot use. Patients with diagnosed glaucoma, diabetes-related eye changes, or chronic dry eye who want continuity and avoid repeated ophthalmology referrals benefit most. Patients seeking a simple eyeglass prescription or frame selection would find a standard optometrist more cost-efficient.

Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

This practice serves patients with managed eye diseases who prefer a single, knowledgeable provider over a referral sequence. It suits people with diabetes who need regular retinopathy monitoring, those on glaucoma medications who require periodic pressure checks and field testing, and patients with refractory dry eye or post-surgical corneal issues. It does not suit patients seeking elective cosmetic procedures (LASIK, refractive surgery consultation) or those with acute eye trauma or retinal detachment, which require emergency or surgical ophthalmology care. For a first eyeglass prescription in an otherwise healthy eye, a standard optometrist's lower fee is the rational choice.

What the First Visit Involves

A new-patient appointment includes a detailed medical history, baseline eye pressure measurement, dilated fundus exam, and often visual field testing or optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging if disease monitoring is the reason for the visit. Patients should bring current medications, recent blood sugar logs if diabetic, and insurance cards for both vision and medical coverage. Expect 45 to 60 minutes. The visit establishes a baseline against which future exams measure change, critical for glaucoma and diabetic eye disease.

Hours, Parking, and Logistics

Confirm hours and appointment availability directly, as these change seasonally and by staffing. Most Baltimore optometry practices operate weekday morning and afternoon slots with limited evening or Saturday availability; expect to book 1 to 3 weeks ahead for a routine appointment. Parking is site-dependent; call ahead to confirm location-specific details. Insurance and billing questions are best handled before the visit to avoid surprise balances.

Singletary's medical optometry credential means patients with chronic eye disease get specialist-level diagnosis and drug management without navigating the ophthalmology gatekeeping that can delay care in Baltimore's healthcare system.