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For Appts Call San Ramon Office (925) 244-1400 or San Mateo Office (650) 349-5733

FAQ

  1. What is Myopia?
  2. What is Hyperopia?
  3. What is Astigmatism?
  4. What drops should I use when my eyes are red?
  5. What is a flexible spending account?
  6. What age should my children get their first eye examination?
  7. Why should I get my eyes dilated?
  8. What is Vision Therapy?
  9. What is a contact lens evaluation?
  10. What is the importance of sunglasses to the eyes?
  11. How often should I get an eye examination?
  12. What should I bring to my eye examination?
  13. What is the cancellation policy?
  14. Is my examination covered by insurance?

What is myopia?
Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. If you are nearsighted, objects at a distance will look blurry while near objects will appear clear. This can be treated with glasses, contacts or laser surgery. Myopia can also be slowed down by medication or special contact lenses.

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What is Hyperopia?
Hyperopia is a medical term for farsightedness. If you are farsighted, objects at near will look blurry while distant objects will appear clear. This can be treated with glasses, contacts or laser surgery.

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What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a mild imperfection in the curvature of the eye. If you have astigmatism, both close and distant objects look blurry. Often times with astigmatism, you are also nearsighted and farsighted too. This can be treated with glasses, contacts or laser surgery.

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What drops should I use when my eyes are red?
Redness of the eyes can be caused by many different factors. In most cases, redness is caused by dryness of the eyes and using artificial tears such as refresh tears or other non-preservative eye drops will treat the cause. Many people use Visine which does “get the red out” by making the blood vessels in the eyes smaller. However, these drops do not treat the cause of the problem which is why the redness will still persist. If the eyes are red with pain or discharge, it is best to make an appointment with an eye doctor to receive the appropriate treatment.

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What is a flexible spending account?
Many companies offer this pre-tax medical expense (or flexible spending) account which allows the employees to set aside funds from their paycheck and place them in these special accounts. The monies from these accounts can then be used towards healthcare related expenses. Most purchases from our office qualify as an expense for these accounts. All you need is an itemized receipt. Call our office for more information.

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What age should my children get their first eye examination?
The American Optometric Association and the American Medical Association recommend that a child should get their first eye examination by age 9 months. It is important to detect any vision disorders or eye diseases early to prevent any developmental problems.

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Why should I get my eyes dilated?
Eye doctors dilate the eyes via eye drops that relax the muscles around the pupil, thus causing the pupils to enlarge. This allows the doctors to have a full view of the retina and determine if there are any ocular diseases or systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The doctors will also detect any holes or tears in the retina or any other pathologies and recommend treatment if necessary. Your vision will be temporarily blurry for close-up work for 2-4 hours, but your distance vision will not be affected.

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What is Vision Therapy?
Vision therapy -- a type of physical therapy for the eyes and brain -- is a highly effective non-surgical treatment for many common visual problems such as lazy eye, crossed eyes, double vision, convergence insufficiency and some reading and learning disabilities. Many patients who have been told, "it's too late," or "you'll have to learn to live with it" have benefited from vision therapy.

In the case of learning disabilities, vision therapy is specifically directed toward resolving visual problems which interfere with reading, learning and educational instruction. Optometrists do not claim that vision therapy is a direct treatment for learning disabilities.

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What is a contact lens evaluation?

A contact evaluation is performed for all first time wearers and existing contact lens wearers. It is medically necessary to perform an evaluation annually to ensure the eyes are healthy, the vision is good, and the contact lenses are fitting properly. Without a consultation, the contact prescription cannot be renewed.

Since the technology of contact lens is constantly changing, so does our contact lens fitting. Our goal is to make sure your eyes are as healthy as can be. So even though you may have had no problems with your existing lenses, we will often times fit you with newer generation lenses so that your eyes will see better, feel better, and be healthier too.

Contact lens services and materials are not included in the comprehensive examination fee. Our staff will be happy to discuss the range of fees that apply to your level of service and the cost of the lenses that best meet your needs. Many insurance plans cover some, but not all, contact lens service and material fees. You will be responsible for any fees not covered by your insurance.

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What is the importance of sunglasses?

Ultraviolet light (UV) exposure is increasing throughout the world due to the thinning of the Earth’s protective layer, the ozone layer. The sun is the major source of UV radiation. However, UV light is invisible to the human eye, which is why people underestimate the damage it can cause to our eyes, skin, and immune system.

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How often should I get an eye examination?

We recommend a comprehensive examination annually. Since many of our patients use the computer on average 8 hours/day, their eyes are more likely to change because of their visual demands. We believe in preventative eye care.

Patients generally prolong seeing an eye doctor until they suffer from bad headaches, eyestrain, watery eyes, tired eyes, or other symptoms. By this time, not only is the work negatively affected, the patients lifestyle is impacted too. So, why wait until you have a problem when it can be fixed today. Call our office to make this important appointment today.

Our comprehensive examination includes:

  1. Complete evaluation of visual symptoms, visual requirements, diagnosis, and treatment
  2. Refraction for glasses prescription
  3. Contact lens evaluation, performed as needed
  4. Ocular motility testing
  5. Automated visual field testing
  6. Eye balance testing
  7. Color vision
  8. Glaucoma testing
  9. Cataract testing
  10. Diabetes testing
  11. Blood pressure
  12. Complete eye health assessment
  13. Retinal examination

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What should I bring to my eye examination?

Please bring your vision and medical insurance information as well as a list of any medications you take, including over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements. Bring your current eyeglasses and/or contact lenses, even if they do not work, since we can collect valuable information from them.

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What is the cancellation policy?

Please contact us 24 hours in advance if you need to reschedule your appointment.

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Is my examination covered by insurance?

In many cases, your routine comprehensive eye examination will be covered by your vision insurance plan, such as VSP (Vision Service Plan). A visit for a medical problem, such as an eye infection, may be covered by your medical insurance. We will help you determine your level of coverage, if we can, but since there are many insurance plans with many different levels of coverage, we advise you to contact your Human Resources department, or plan provider if there are questions about your coverage.

For more information on insurances accepted click here

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