Frequently Asked Questions

When you need eye care, it helps to know who does what. Think of it like a team: each expert plays a different role in helping you see clearly and stay healthy.

Optometrist (OD)

Your optometrist is your primary eye doctor. We’re trained to provide comprehensive eye exams, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, diagnose and treat many eye conditions, manage dry eye and myopia, and monitor your long-term eye health. Most patients start with an optometrist for their routine and medical eye care needs.

Ophthalmologist (MD or DO)

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specializes in eye surgery. They can do everything an optometrist can, but they also perform procedures like cataract surgery, LASIK, and other surgical treatments. When a patient needs specialized or surgical care, we coordinate closely with trusted ophthalmologists.

Optician

An optician is the expert in eyewear. They help you select lenses and frames, ensure your glasses fit comfortably, and make adjustments so your vision is as clear as possible. Opticians don’t perform eye exams or diagnose conditions, but they play a key role in making sure you love how you see… and how you look.

Your eyes tell a story…. and the retina is where the most important chapters live. Retinal imaging is a quick, comfortable, high-resolution photo of the back of your eye. It lets us see the health of your retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels in incredible detail. Many eye conditions, like glaucoma, diabetic changes, retinal tears, and macular degeneration can begin silently, without any symptoms. Retinal imaging helps us catch those changes early, before they affect your vision.

Because your eyes deserve more than just a quick check, we’ve made this advanced retinal imaging a standard part of every eye exam because your vision is too important to leave to chance. It gives patients a safe and complete eye health evaluation and it helps us track even the smallest changes year after year. Patients love that it’s fast, non-invasive, and provides comparison photos year after year.

How retinal imaging is billed

We want the process to be simple and transparent:

• For prompt-pay routine eye exams, retinal imaging is already included in the exam cost. No extra fees, no surprises.
• For exams billed to insurance, there is a $39 copay for this advanced retinal imaging, though some insurance plans may help cover part of the cost. It’s a small investment for peace of mind and a clearer picture of your long-term vision.

Contact lenses do more than correct your vision… they sit directly on the surface of your eye. That means they require extra care, precise measurements, and ongoing monitoring to keep your eyes healthy. This is why a contact lens evaluation is a separate service from a routine eye exam.

During your routine exam, we check your overall vision and eye health. But a contact lens evaluation is different. It includes:

• Specialized measurements of your cornea
• Assessing how your eyes respond to your current lenses
• Ensuring the lens material, curvature, and fit are still safe
• Updating your contact lens prescription based on any changes
• Recommending better or healthier lens options if needed

This additional testing, time, and expertise is why the evaluation has its own fee, it’s a specialty service focused entirely on safe, comfortable contact lens wear.

Why it’s required every year

Just like glasses, contact lens prescriptions expire every 12 months, but for a different reason: contact lenses interact with the eye in a way glasses never do. Even small changes in lens fit, dryness, allergies, or corneal health can affect how safe they are for you to wear.

A yearly evaluation ensures:

• Your lenses are still fitting properly
• Your eyes are staying healthy
• We catch early signs of contact lens-related complications
• You have an active, up-to-date prescription on file so you can order your lenses anytime

Without a current evaluation, we legally can’t release or refill a contact lens prescription, not because we want to create hurdles but because your eye health depends on it.