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Q: What is ophthalmology?
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A: Ophthalmology is the medical specialty concerned with the diseases and surgery of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who has completed medical school plus three years of ophthalmology residence training. As eye physicians and surgeons, we evaluate you for such diseases as cataracts, glaucoma, crossed eyes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other eye disorders.
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Q: What is the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist?
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A: An ophthalmologist is a Medical Doctor who has an M.D. degree. Ophthalmologists must complete four years of medical school and at least one year of post-graduate general medical and surgical preparation. Ophthalmologists are fully qualified physicians who have further continued to specialize in treatment of eye diseases by doing at least three years of extra training in ophthalmology. An ophthalmologist is, therefore, wholly trained in all aspects of surgical and medical diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and has a complete background in general medicine.
An optometrist, or D.O., has a Doctor of Optometry degree from an optometry school which is usually four years of education in examining the eyes and treating certain types of visual and eye disorders. Optometrists do not have any background in general medicine, nor do they have any training in surgical treatment of eye diseases. They generally have some training in medical treatment, but it varies a great deal.
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Q: When can I reach a person at the office?
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A: Office hours at Bohn and Joseph Eye Center are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, except for holidays. At all other times, emergency eye care is available as soon as possible.
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Q: How long does my contact lenses or eyeglass prescription last?
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A: It is essential that you have had a recent refraction in order to catch all vision changes so that we may provide you with lenses that will serve your present vision needs. By law contact lens prescriptions are valid for at least one year, or the minimum required by state law, whichever is greater.
Our physicians write contact lens prescriptions that are good for 18 months but may need to be updated more frequently if the wearer notices a change in vision before 18 months. When your prescription expires, you won't be able to buy more lenses until you get an updated prescription. Eyeglass prescriptions are generally good for one year.
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Q: How often do I need to come in for an eye exam?
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A: It is recommended that everyone have an eye exam at least every 1-2 years, and in some cases more often. Regular eye exams help your doctor find eye problems early, when they can be easily treated. If you know that you have a family history of eye disease or if you have other health problems such as diabetes or glaucoma you may need to have your eyes examined frequently in order to maintain good health and prevent further deterioration of your eye health.
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Q: What can I expect when I get a complete exam?
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A: Your complete eye examination will evaluate the health of your eyes. It will include a thorough microscopic examination of the eyelids, cornea, and the interior of the eye. Everyone is checked for glaucoma, cataracts, crossed eyes and other eye disorders. Drops may be given to dilate the pupils so that we may perform a detailed examination of the retina and optic nerve. Since drops may blur vision temporarily, we recommend that someone accompany you to help with driving.
Professional Ophthalmic assistants and technicians will participate in gathering information about your eyes, but all information will be reviewed and interpreted by your doctor. At the end of the examination your doctor will discuss the results with you and your family, answering your questions fully. We request that you call us and reschedule an appointment, after your initial visit, for exploring your problems if you remain confused, puzzled or anxious.
Your ophthalmologist may decide that additional tests are needed. These may include blood tests, specialized x-rays, photography, fluorescein angiography, visual fields, or ultrasound examinations. We offer a broad range of such sophisticated diagnostic tests directly through our office.
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Q: What is a refraction?
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A: A REFRACTION is the process of determining the best eyeglass prescription for your eyes. This is not only to allow us to prescribe glasses, but MORE IMPORTANTLY to determine how well you can see. This helps us to separate GLASSES problems from EYE DISEASE problems that can make you go blind or systemic diseases that can cause severe illnesses.
A REFRACTION may or may not be performed at the time of your visit, depending on the doctors' judgment of its necessity. This service is usually NOT covered by health insurance policies and is never covered by Medicare. Therefore, if a refraction is performed and your insurance company classifies a refraction as a non-covered service, the receptionist will request payment for this service as well as any deductible, co-pay or co-insurance at the end of your visit.
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Q: What is dilation and why do I need one?
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A: Dilation is a procedure performed with complete eye exams. Dilating drops enlarge the pupil allowing the physician to perform a more thorough exam. This may reveal the presence of a serious systemic condition as well as eye conditions. Dilating drops causes the eye to be more sensitive to light. Sunshields are provided at checkout if needed. If you have prescription eyewear, wear the m with the sunshield provided over the. We recommend that you either have someone com e with you to your appointment or you remains in the office lobby until your eyes have adjusted enough to drive.
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Q: How do I pay for my visit?
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A: We recognize the need for a definite understanding between the patient and doctor regarding financial arrangements for medical and surgical care. The patient is responsible for payment of all fees. Any financial benefits that you receive from your insurance carriers are matters of settlement solely between you and the insurance companies involved. Please know what your insurance policy covers. You may call your insurance company’s customer service number, located on the back of your card, with questions about your benefits. If you have difficulty filling out your medical insurance forms, we will gladly help. Our professional insurance and financial counselors are always available to assist you in any way. However, the responsibility for payment remains with you. Since the billing process is a very expensive one, we ask that routine office fees be paid at the time services are rendered. We are sensitive to special situations that make payment at the time of service difficult and are willing to make special arrangements in such cases.
Check our Participating Insurance carrier list.
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Q: What is the difference between medical and vision insurance?
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A: Medical eye care involves the care of a physician who provides his or hermedical knowledge to resolve a complaint related to the health of your eyes. Complaints such as red, itchy eyes, blurry vision, headaches and pressure in eyes, scratches/infection, etc. These types of conditions are considered medical conditions especially as they can signal other medical problems. Therefore, they are covered by most insurance companies. It is very important that you understand what kind of services your health insurance covers. Our office handles hundreds of patients a month and as much as we would love to know what each individual patient's arrangements are with their own health insurance, it is not possible with our current staff. To add additional staff would mean we would have to increase our fees to cover their pay.
Vision care involves the care of a physician or trained optometrist who provides his or her knowledge to determine how well you can see and what is needed by way of glasses or contact lenses to improve your vision. This type of care is considered vision care and normally is not covered by health insurance but is usually covered by a vision plan with a participating optometrist. If you have a vision plan, it is important that you understand what it covers and what it does not cover.
It is every patient's responsibility to know what their policy covers.
Vision plans do not cover medical care. Likewise, health insurance plans do not cover vision care. However, some health insurance plans allow one vision care visit periodically under the Wellness or Preventative Benefits. If your plan has this, only you can determine it by knowing your plan benefits.
Your plan benefits can be found in your policy benefits book or by calling the number on your insurance card to inquire about your benefits. For your sake, please know your coverage!
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Q: Why did I receive a bill when I gave the office my insurance information?
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A: We at Bohn & Joseph Eye Center are committed to working with you and your insurance company to provide you with quality care that is affordable for you and your family. We do accept many insurance companies, but please call your carrier to verify as the exact dates that contracts begin or are terminated will not always coincide with updates to this list.
We do not participate in any Vision Plans.
It is very important that you understand what kind of services your health insurance covers. As some insurance companies do not cover routine eye exams, you should always check your insurance policy manual or call your insurance company. Our office handles hundreds of patients a month and as much as we would love to know what each individual patient's arrangements are with their own health insurance, it is not possible with our current staff.
Your plan benefits can be found in your policy benefits book or by calling the number on your insurance card to inquire about your benefits.
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Q: Why do I have to pay for my contact lens fitting?
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A: For a complete contact exam patients can expect to return for a minimum of 3 visits to the office. Fitting fees include the initial assessment of prescription and lens type evaluation, keratometric readings, slit lamp evaluation of lids, tear film, corneal diameter, and follow-up lens checks until fitting is completed. It takes a great deal of time, knowledge, and expertise to find the most clear, comfortable, and safe contact lenses for your eyes. Most mediacl insurance plans will cover a routine exam but generally do not cover refractions or contact lens fittings.
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Q: Is my information protected?
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A: We at Bohn and Joseph Eye Center do our best to insure the privacy of our online visitors. Information gathered is voluntarily submitted by the patient and is used only to complete the task indicated by the form. We ask only for the information absolutely necessary to insure a competent assessment of your needs. Any information gathered is not transferred to third parties except as medically or legally necessary. As these policies may change at any time, please check this page periodically for updates. We are committed to protecting any information transmitted through this website, although confidentiality of information on the Internet cannot be guaranteed. Potential risks to users’ privacy exist due to technology allowing some persons or organizations to be able to gain access to protected materials without permission. We cannot be held responsible for the content or privacy policies of any links found on this website. Please refer to our Privacy Policy to further review our privacy practices.
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Q: How early should I schedule an appointment for my child?
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A: It is never too early for a child’s first eye examination. An ophthalmologist can even examine a newborn infant’s eyes. If an eye problem is noted or if there is a family history of amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes) or hereditary eye disease, then the child should be seen when very young. We prefer to examine infants and young children early in the day when they are more alert and cooperative.
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Q: How long will it take for get a complete exam?
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A: Most eye exams take 20-40 minutes. However, because our physicians provide care for emergencies and/or acute infections and injuries wait times may vary. It is strongly recommended that you schedule an appointment for your exam. If you have a scheduled appointment and expect to be late please call our office as soon as possible.
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Q: What do I do if I can’t make my appointment?
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A: Should you be unable to keep a scheduled appointment, please inform our office at least 24 hours ahead so that we may give your appointment to another patient. Rarely, emergency surgery may require us to reschedule your appointment.
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Q: What is the best way for me to schedule my appointment?
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A: Appointments may be scheduled by calling 1-800-543-3798 or (337) 981-6430 or filling out our online appointment form for routine appointments. All patients are seen by appointment only except in cases of emergencies. Routine visits may be arranged a month or more in advance.
Please inform the secretary if you have reason to believe a condition such as cataract, glaucoma, crossed eyes or diabetes is causing problems, since problems have priority. Please also indicate whether you wear contact lenses or desire contact lens fitting. Because the examination process is complex and may involve waiting for eye drops to act, your complete examination may require are least two hours.
Emergency problems will be handled as quickly as possible. Although we allow time for unexpected emergencies, it is very difficult to anticipate all emergencies. Also, some routine visits may be unexpectedly prolonged due to unforeseen conditions requiring extra time and attention. For these and other reasons, our schedule may occasionally run late. We ask for your understanding if you are inconvenienced because of such a delay.
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