Frequently Asked Questions

CAN I ORDER CONTACT LENSES AT YOUR OFFICE?

Yes! Most contact lens orders at our offices are also eligible for free shipping and exclusive rebates. We offer competitive pricing on all contacts and many are priced at/or below leading online and retail competitors.

HOW LONG WILL MY EYE EXAM TAKE AND WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

DURATION

Exactly how long your eye exam will take will depend on your individual circumstances, but most patients can expect their appointment to take between 30 and 60 minutes. The length of time can vary depending on what tests are being performed and how many patients are being examined. Factors that affect the length of your exam include contact lens exams, symptoms, family history, age, and prescription changes.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR EYE APPOINTMENT

• Current glasses and contact lens box/blister
• List of current medications
• License, Vision Insurance Card, and Medical Insurance Card
• Questions! We are here to make you feel and see your best so ask our Optometrist any questions regarding your eye health!

WHY SHOULD I PRE-REGISTER FOR MY EYE EXAM?

SAVE TIME

By registering online, you'll skip most of the paperwork that you would normally fill out in the office, or discussing with the staff. This gives you more time to talk about the things that matter most, like your health!

IMPROVE YOUR CARE

Filling out this information privately in your time - without the distractions of a busy waiting room - lets you make sure you don't leave anything out that your doctor may want to know about.

PRIVACY

We do not sell, rent or share your information with third parties. Period. The information is stored securely on our servers, and accessed only by your doctor's office.

WHAT IS THE OPTOMAP AND WHY IS IT REQUIRED?

Many eye problems can develop without you knowing. You may not even notice any change in your sight. But, diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal tears or detachments, and other health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure can be seen with a thorough exam of the retina. Our doctors believe that viewing the retina to assess ocular and general health is so crucial that as the standard of care in our practice, our doctors want a digital retinal image taken at every annual visit.

WHAT IS OPTOMAP DIGITAL RETINAL IMAGING?

Optos imaging is fast, painless and comfortable. Nothing touches your eye at any time. It is suitable for the whole family. To have the scan, you simply look into the device one eye at a time (like looking through a keyhole) and you will see a comfortable flash of light to let you know the image of your retina has been taken. Under normal circumstances, dilation drops might not even be necessary after having an Optos scan taken, but your doctor will decide if your pupils need to be dilated depending on your conditions and exam findings.

DO I NEED IT EVERY YEAR?

Yes. One of the biggest benefits of the Optos retinal scan is that the doctors will have an image of your eye and can reference the image yearly, and compare to previous and future scans to detect changes that may occur. A Clarifye Digital Eye Exam is not considered complete without an Optos retinal scan.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "ROUTINE" EYE EXAM AND A "MEDICAL" EXAM?

An eye exam is typically considered routine if the reason for the visit is to update your prescription for glasses or contacts.

An eye exam is considered medical if the reason is to address a medical condition such as dry eyes, diabetes, cataracts, glaucoma, injury, infection, or any other presenting problem.

Examples of Medical Conditions

• Headaches
• Eye Strain
• Blurry Vision Not Related to Your Prescription
• Dryness & Irritation
• Eye Infections
• Eye Diseases (Glaucoma, Cataracts, Macular Degeneration)
• An Eye Emergency (Retinal Detachment, Eye Injury)
• Dry Eyes
• Eye Allergies
• Diabetic Eye Disease

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VISION INSURANCE AND MEDICAL INSURANCE?

Vision insurance typically covers a routine exam and glasses or contact lenses. While uncommon, some vision plans will also cover a diabetic eye exam.

Medical Insurance often covers routine exams and medical exams, but very rarely covers glasses or contacts.
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VISION INSURANCE

​​​​Vision insurance covers routine eye exams and provides allowances towards new frames, eyeglass lenses, contact lenses, and other vision-related services at a reduced cost.

• Are you considering getting a new pair of glasses?

• Do you need to renew your contact lens prescription/order?

• Do you want to evaluate which pair of lenses will improve your daily activities?

A routine eye exam includes an undilated view of your eye, slit lamp exam, and a refraction test (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and normal astigmatism) to determine your contact lens and eyeglass prescriptions. Certain plans may provide a limited contact lens evaluation benefit while others will not. Not all vision plans cover dilation, so keep this in mind before your optometrist determines that one is required.

If your routine eye exam reveals a medical condition or disease related to your eye, or if the exam is due to a pre-existing condition such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, dry eye, etc., then your visit won’t be covered by vision insurance, but rather medical insurance.

To summarize, vision insurance generally covers:

• New Glasses

• New Frames

• Routine Eye Exams

• New Single Vision or Progressive Lenses

• Blurry Vision Related to Updating Your Prescription

None of these, however, will be covered by medical insurance. Though seeing clearly enables us to enjoy our daily activities, it is not considered a medical necessity.

Regardless of your insurance, most vision plans don’t cover 100% of expenses. You should, therefore, expect some out-of-pocket costs. This may include copays, deductibles or a percentage of costs that you will have to pay out-of-pocket as required by your insurance policy

MEDICAL INSURANCE

Medical insurance, or health insurance, will generally cover eye-related medical problems discovered during an optometrist’s eye exam. Some examples include:

• Headaches

• Eye Strain

• Blurry Vision Not Related to Your Prescription

• Dryness & Irritation

• Eye Infections

• Eye Diseases (Glaucoma, Cataracts, Macular Degeneration)

• An Eye Emergency (Retinal Detachment, Eye Injury)

• Dry Eyes

• Eye Allergies

• Diabetic Eye Disease

​​​​​​​This type of visit should be covered the same way any visit to a medical specialist is covered. Your medical insurance will be billed for the eye exam even though a vision plan may be in effect, since you are being treated for a medical condition.

Expect to pay any medical insurance copays and deductibles at the time of your exam. If we file your claim with your medical insurance, you can still use your vision plan benefits towards the purchase of frames, lenses or contact lenses, all depending on your plan’s allowances.

An often-overlooked benefit of health insurance is routine eye exam coverage. Many plans will cover a routine exam once a year, frequently with better copays than vision insurances.

We collect and verify all the benefits available to you from your insurance coverage, so make sure to submit your plan information when you register!

HOW LONG DOES MY PRESCRIPTION LAST?

Glasses and Contact Lens Prescriptions are valid for 1 year from the date of your exam. The rare exception is when you have a condition that involves rapidly changing vision, in which case your doctor may schedule you back sooner.

WHAT IS THE YOUNGEST AGE YOUR OFFICE WILL SEE?

We see patients of all ages starting from 7 years and older in our office.

I WANT TO BUY GLASSES ONLINE. HOW DO I GET MY PUPILARY DISTANCE?

Atlanta Eye Group requires that a licensed optician make specialized adjustments and take precise measurements before ordering spectacles. These measurements should be taken by the optician involved in manufacturing the spectacles. Providing a pupillary distance measurement only, (horizontal measurement without a vertical measurement) is inconsistent with our mission to provide optimal vision care.