Eye Exams

Comprehensive Annual Eye Exams
Regular eye exams are an important tool in eye health for detecting and preventing eye diseases and evaluating the overall health of the patient. Some diseases, such as glaucoma, develop gradually without symptoms or vision loss, so patients may not notice that anything is wrong until significant and irreversible damage as been done. Early detection of eye diseases allows for a better choice of treatment options and a reduced risk of permanent damage.

If we suspect an ocular condition or disease,
we will immediately schedule or perform
diagnostic tests to determine our next steps.

Regularly Scheduled Comprehensive Eye Exams
Patients should schedule a comprehensive eye exam every year. Children should also have annual eye exams to ensure proper development of their vision and prevent any interference with academic achievement. Older adults are often at a higher risk for eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts.

Even if your eyes are healthy, a regular eye exam will allow the doctor to view the blood vessels in the back of the eye. With information obtained during an examination of the eyes, our doctors have been able to detect chronic conditions such as cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The early detection of these conditions can lead to early treatment.

The Comprehensive Eye Exam
An eye exam is different than a vision screening, which only tests visual acuity, and is commonly performed by a school nurse or other health care provider. Only your eye doctor can perform a comprehensive eye exam to evaluate the overall health of your eyes and detect any changes that may indicate a vision disorder.

We all want to to protect our eyesight and that is why it is important to have annual vision tests. This allows us to detect changes in the front of your eye so that alterations can be made to your eyeglass or contact lens prescription. We also need to inspect the retina to check if it is healthy, damaged, or showing signs of disease.

In addition to caring for your vision and eye health, we make every effort to explain your condition to you and encourage you to ask questions. We value our relationship with you and look forward to helping you maintain good vision and healthy eyes.

We all want to to protect our eyesight and that is why it is important to have annual vision tests. This allows us to detect changes in the front of your eye so that alterations can be made to your eyeglass or contact lens prescription. We also need to inspect the retina to check if it is healthy, damaged, or showing signs of disease.

EYE EXAM FAQs

What is a routine eye exam?
- A routine eye examination is much like a routine physical, but for the eyes. Typically, there is no specific problem with the eyes other than the need for lenses to correct your vision. The insurance companies consider the need for corrective lenses to be routine.
  
  A complete examination includes a glaucoma pressure check, a muscle evaluation, observation for external eye disease, examination of the retina and refraction..

What's the difference between a routine and medical exam?
- These two terms refer to the way an examination is billed out by the office. Both examinations are performed the same way by the doctor. The diagnosis, which is billed out by the office, depends on the chief complaint of the patient, as related to the doctor or technician.
  
  Scenario #1 The patient comes to the office with a history of diabetes. He/she is healthy and has no eye problems, but wants his/her eyes examined. This is considered a medical examination because the patient has a disease which can affect the eyes and the physician needs to evaluate the patient's eyes in light of this disease.
  
  Scenario #2 The patient comes to the office with a complaint of difficulty seeing the newspaper, but no problem with distance vision. This would be considered routine in nature because there are no medically related problems.
  
  Scenario #3 The patient comes to the office with pain in the eye and tearing. These complaints are considered medical symptoms and the eye examination would be billed as a medical exam.

If my eyes are to be dilated, how long will my eyes stay blurry after the exam?
- After your eyes have been dilated, the blurriness may last from 2 - 4 hours, with vision improving every hour. This blurriness is for close-up vision, but you will be light sensitive for distance as well. Please bring your sunglasses with you to the office.
  
  You may want to consider bringing someone with you to drive you or help you navigate to where you want to go when you leave our office.

Will my insurance cover my eye exam?
- It is the responsibility of the patient to know his/her benefits. Most insurance plans will differentiate between a routine eye exam and a medical eye exam. You must decide if the reason you need an eye exam is because you have a specific complaint or just because you would like your eyes examined.
  
  Any examination that takes place as a result of a patient's complaint or symptoms (ie: dry eyes, headaches, eye infection, etc.) would be considered medical in nature and should be covered under your medical insurance. Any eye exam conducted at the patient's request without a specific complaint would be considered routine. This type of exam would only be covered if your insurance contact specifically states routine eye coverage is a benefit.

Medical vs Vision Plans - What's the difference?
- It is important that you understand that your Vision Plan covers ROUTINE eye care only (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and normal astigmatism). You will be receiving a comprehensive medical eye exam from one of our fine doctors who are committed to giving you the highest quality eye care. We will examine you for many conditions such as glaucoma, dry eyes, cataracts, retinal holes or tears, diabetic and hypertensive eye disease among many others. If your eye exam involves a medical condition related to your eye that requires specific counseling, documentation, follow-up care, regular monitoring or referral to a surgeon, then your visit is NOT COVERED by your Vision Plan. Unfortunately, the doctor cannot tell if medical eye conditions exist before you are thoroughly examined.
  
  The good news is that your Medical Insurance can be used with an eye-related medical problem, such as cataracts, dry eyes, complicated from diabetes or high blood pressure (among many others) if found during the course of the eye examination. You do not need a vision benefits rider on your medical insurance to be covered for a medical eye condition. In these cases, your Medical Insurance will be billed for the eye exam even though a Vision Plan may also be in effect. Your Medical Insurance co-pays and deductibles must be paid at the time of your exam.
  
  More good news! If we do file the exam with your medical insurance, you can still use your Vision Plan benefits towards the purchase of glasses or contact lenses based on your plan’s allowances. If you elect to have refractive services done to establish what prescription you need for glasses, please be aware this will NOT be covered by your medical insurance and a $40 fee will be due at the time of the visit.

EMERGENCY

OFFICE HOURS

Mon

Closed

Tue

10:00 - 5:00

Wed

10:00 - 5:00

Thu

10:00 - 5:00

Fri

10:00 - 5:00

Sat

9:00 - 1:00

Sun

Closed

16111 San Pedro Ave. Suite 123
San Antonio, Texas 78232
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PHONE
(210) 729 0544

Holistic Eye Center 16111 San Pedro Ave. Suite 123 San Antonio, TX 78232 Phone: (210) 729-0544 Fax: (210) 729-0545

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