DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF COSTCO TO HAVE AN EYE EXAM WITH YOU?
No. Our office is an independent business from Costco. Our practice is a "small business". The doctor does not make any income from the sales of glasses or contact lenses. You can trust our doctors to give you an honest doctor's recommendation of what is best for your vision or ocular health.
WILL I GET A QUALITY EYE EXAM?
Absolutely. We give complete and thorough comprehensive eye examinations with advanced diagnostic equipment. Our doctors are trained in correcting your visual system to give you the best and most comfortable vision. In addition, our doctors are trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the eyes and the effect your health has on your eyes. An eye examination can also aid in discovering previously undetected systemic health conditions. Many diseases and disorders of the eye have no symptoms and early diagnosis is the key to preserving your vision.
DO I HAVE TO BE DILATED?
No! We offer the optomap® which allows the doctor a comprehensive view of your retina that was previously unavailable with traditional methods of retinal evaluation.
While eye exams generally include a look at the front of the eye to evaluate health and prescription changes, a thorough screening of the retina is critical to verify that your eye is healthy. Many eye problems can develop without warning and progress with no symptoms. Early on, you might not even notice any change in your vision. However, diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal tears or detachments, as well as other health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, impending stroke, and even cancer can be detected with a thorough optomap® exam of the retina. Early detection is vital. The exam is quick, painless, and is done without dilation. This test is important each year for patients of every age. In certain situations, the doctor may still recommend dilation in addition to the optomap.
WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE MY CONTACT LENSES EVALUATED YEARLY?
Contact lenses are medical devices that may cause harm to your eyes if not fitting properly. Annual examinations are important for the health of your eye. The doctor will check for any swelling or irritation in the eye. We will check that the lenses you’re wearing are letting enough oxygen into your eye and make adjustments to the material of your contacts if necessary. There are many situations and conditions that can impact the health of your cornea and an annual exam helps us find them and correct them as soon as possible.
WHAT VISION PLANS DO YOU ACCEPT?
We are currently providers for VSP (Costco affiliated provider), M.E.S. for Costco employees, Spectera, OptumHealth, United Health Vision, and MetLife Vision (Costco affiliated provider). We are limited open access providers for EyeMed, Davis Vision, Cigna Vision, Superior Vision, Blue View, and Aetna Vision. Please call our office and we can assist you in determining your specific eye examination coverage. In addition to the patient info, please have the primary member's name, date of birth, member ID (if applicable), and the primary member's social security number available for benefit verification.
We offer very affordable routine vision examinations starting at $129. We can print you an itemized receipt to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. You can also pay for your exam using a HSA or flex spending card. Please have your insurance information available and call us at (281) 347-9915 so we can help you determine your exact benefits.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEDICAL EXAMINATION AND A ROUTINE EXAMINATION?
A routine examination is an examination to determine an updated glasses or contact lens prescription that includes a complete visual health screening evaluation and retinal evaluation. Our routine examinations start at $129.
A medical examination is when a specific pre-existing disease, condition, or complaint are being evaluated. Some examples of medical eye examinations: Diabetic eye exam, vision loss secondary to cornea/lens/retina problem, floaters, amblyopic examination, dry eye exam, double vision, headaches, ocular allergies, and red eye. Medical eye examinations are more complicated in nature and may require additional testing, monitoring, or referrals. Our medical eye exams start at $149.
It is important that you know the difference between these two types of examinations. Your vision plan DOES NOT COVER medical eye examinations. Vision plans cover only routine examinations of healthy eyes. Additional information is available at the office or you may call and ask our staff should you have any questions prior to your visit.