Eye exams? Differences between prescription places?
I got a prescription at my health provider and they charged me an insanely high amount of money, so I filed a dispute with them.
They replied and said, "you can't compare our clinics to
Vision World or Target as you are getting a comprehensive
Eye exam with a doctor"
Can you please interpret their response and explain it?
Thanks!
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Was your health provider an MD? In that case, he shouldn't have been giving you an eye exam at all. If you go to Target, the price would be lower, and the person doing the eye exam would be an OD - still a doctor - an optometrist. Optometrists always do a comprehensive eye exam - that means checking your prescription as well as checking the health of the eye - your cornea and retinas.
The only reason they would charge a crazy amount would be if the doctor was an ophthalmologist, which is a doctor (MD) with post-graduate work specializing in eyes.
I work at a private practice, and an exam is $115. I've also worked at a Costco optometry practice with a doctor with the same credentials as the one I work for now, who charged $45 for an exam. If you got a contact lens exam, it would be more. I still don't understand why your physician would be giving you an eye exam though.
There are two types of professionals who might examine your eyes.
1) An ophthalmologist -- Eye doctors that specialize in the medical and surgical care of the eyes. They can be either doctors of medicine (MD) or doctors of osteopathy (DO).
2) An optometrist -- A person who is trained and licensed to examine the eyes for visual defects and prescribe corrective lenses. Optometrists have not attended medical school
I'd expect to pay more for a real doctor (ophthalmologist) than a person who's basic training is fitting you with glasses or contacts.