Frequently Asked Questions

We accept the following medical insurances:

• Aetna
• United Healthcare
• Oxford Freedom, HMO Freedom (not Liberty)
• Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna

Vision Plans we accept:

• Eyemed
• Superior Vision

Call us or schedule on line.  In the PATIENT RESOURCES box, click on SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT.  We use an online appointment scheduler called Genbook.  It is safe, secure and very easy to use.  If you wish, you can create an account with Genbook when you receive email confirmation of your appointment so that your information is stored should you need to cancel, reschedule or make future appointments. Our website is available 24/7 for your convenience.

In the PATIENT RESOURCES box, click on PATIENT FORMS to complete and submit your information to us electronically. 

If you were a previous patient of Dr. Dong, we will email you a passcode so that you can log in, review and update your existing information.

We ask that you complete your forms ahead of your visit.  It will save you time by essentially eliminating any paperwork on the day of your visit.

Your medical and/or vision insurance cards, your eyeglasses, and any information you have about your contact lenses (e.g. the boxes or labels from your contacts).  If you were a previous patient of Dr. Dong, we will do our best to retrieve your previous exam records.

We offer a wide range of eye exam services.  The fees for our most commonly used services are below.  Please call our office if you have any questions or are not sure what services you need.

Please note that Contact Lens Evaluations are not done without a full eye exam so the contact lens service fees listed below are in addition to the fee for the Comprehensive Eye Exam.

All Contact Lens Evaluations include the following: evaluation of your current lenses, adjustments and refit as needed, training if you are a first time lens wearer, trial lenses as available, and any necessary follow up care.

Comprehensive Eye Exam $150

• Full eye examination including an eyeglass prescription if needed
• Eye health evaluation to check for Glaucoma, Cataracts, Macular Degeneration, as well as other eye conditions.  Dilation of the eyes with drops to check the retina (inside lining of your eye) is part of your exam.  If you cannot be dilated on the day of your visit, we can screen for retinal problems with the Optomap Retinal Scan.

Contact Lens Evaluation, Level 1 $70 additional (=$220)

• This is for simple prescriptions (soft contact lenses only, no astigmatism, no bifocal or monovision fits)

Contact Lens Evaluation, Level 2 $120 additional (=$270)

• This is for moderately complex prescriptions (soft and rigid gas permeable lenses, low to moderate amounts of astigmatism that need correction, some monovision/bifocal fits may fall into this category)

Contact Lens Evaluation, Level 3 $170 additional (=$320)

• This is for highly complex prescriptions (soft and rigid gas permeable lenses, complex monovision/ bifocal fits, custom non-standard amounts of astigmatism that need correction)

Emergency Office Visit $125

• Symptoms of red eye, pain, light sensitivity, mucous discharge, floaters, flashes, sudden blurring or loss of vision need immediate attention.  Please call our office and you will be seen as soon as possible the same day.

We also provide Specialty Contact Lens services for patients who have certain corneal conditions such as Keratoconus, Pellucid Marginal Degeneration, post LASIK ectasia, post Radial K, and other types of post surgical corneas.  These are patients who often cannot achieve acceptable vision and comfort with traditional contact lenses.  Some of these specialty contact lenses can also be used to treat patients with severe dry eyes.  The fees for these services are determined on a case by case basis.  Please call our office to speak with Dr. Dong.

Both types of exams are comprehensive eye exams.  We will check the health of your eyes as well as determine your eyeglass prescription.  The contact lens exam costs more because there is additional testing and time involved.  We determine which lenses are best for your needs, train you to insert and remove them if you are new wearer, evaluate the contacts on your eyes, try different lenses to maximize your vision and comfort, as well as provide you with any follow up visits you may need.  Even if you are not having any problems with your current lenses, they still have to be evaluated.  Why?  The explanation can be found in the answer to the next FAQ.

Contact lenses are medical devices regulated by the FDA and as such, have expiration dates to comply with standards of medical eye care.  It ensures that you get routine exams to check the health of your eyes.  Contact lenses have the potential to cause physiological changes to your corneas and eyelids which may or may not be harmful.  Your eyes also naturally change over time.  All this can alter the way the lenses fit and perform.  As a result, lenses that you have been wearing for years may no longer be appropriate for you even if you are not yet having any symptoms.

Patients often don't realize that their vision and comfort can be improved simply by getting their eyes rechecked. Trying "newer" lens materials, making a small change to your current lenses, treating common eye problems such as dry eye or allergies, or simply changing the cleaning solution you use can make a significant difference in how you see and feel.  We have had countless patients thank us for examining and refitting them even when they thought their old lenses were adequate.

Standard of care dictates that contact lens prescriptions expire one year from your last eye exam.  Your doctor can extend or shorten this time period on a case by case basis.  Extending it beyond two years even for healthy compliant patients is not possible and violates medical standards of care.

Ordering through our office is always greatly appreciated as it supports our practice.  We are a small private office so we rely on the loyalty of our happy patients to keep us in business.  That said, once your contact lens fit is finalized, we will gladly provide you with a copy of your prescription.  We understand that convenience and cost are the main reasons why people choose to buy their lenses through the internet.  The biggest misconception is that buying lenses through their doctors’ office is expensive or a hassle.

For your convenience, you can order your lenses 24/7 through our website.  You will find that our pricing is quite reasonable and for many of the most common brands, competitive or even less expensive.  The lenses will be shipped directly to you.  Once your contact lens fit is finalized, your prescription information will be entered into our distributors’ database.  This ensures that the correct lenses will be sent to you and you do not have to wait for verification of your prescription since it is generated directly from our office.  By ordering through our office/ website, it also makes it easier for us to help you resolve any problems you may have with the lenses during the year since we can make exchanges for you if needed.

Internet vendors can be good outlets to order your lenses.  However, there are some irregular practices that go on behind the scenes that consumers are not aware of.  These practices include substituting lens brands, filling prescriptions far past the expiration dates, and questionable prescription verification methods.  There have also been many cases where contacts were ordered by and sent to individuals who have never even worn contacts!  These practices can be harmful to the health of your eyes.  Keep in mind that there are no eye doctors behind the scenes at these internet outlets.

Most common vision problems can be corrected with either glasses or contact lenses.  However, we recommend that all contact lens wearers have a pair of glasses with an updated prescription.  There are times when you will be unable to wear your contact lenses.  If you have an eye infection, dry eyes, allergies, or are travelling on long flights, it will be uncomfortable to wear your contacts and also harmful to the health of your eyes.  Also should you lose or rip your last pair of lenses, having glasses that you can see well with will allow you to function and continue on with your day.

Contact lens patients who do not have updated eyeglasses tend to overwear their lenses since the contacts are their only means to see well.  These patients are also more likely to sleep in their lenses which significantly increases the risk of serious eye infections and corneal problems.

Even patients who have been wearing their contacts successfully for years need to give their eyes a “break” from the lenses.  While newer more breathable materials have certainly made contact lens wear more comfortable and healthier for your eyes, overwearing these new materials are not without problems.  The cornea is highly sensitive to changes in levels of oxygen and hydration.  Long hours of contact lens wear over time can deprive the cornea of oxygen and affect the integrity of its outer layers.  Without a chance for the cornea to “heal” and return to normal, this will eventually lead to increasing discomfort with lens wear and inevitably infection.

Dilating the eyes allows the doctor a better view of the internal structures the eye.  Without dilation, it is similar to looking inside a room through a keyhole.  The view we get is very limited.  Many eye diseases are silent and do not exhibit symptoms until they are in very advanced stages.  Specifically, diseases that affect the outer portions of the retina, such as holes, tears, and even some tumors can occur without symptoms and are difficult to detect without dilation.  These conditions are often discovered when we routinely dilate patients with 20/20 vision.  The side effects of dilation are temporary blurriness (usually affecting reading and close work) and light sensitivity, typically lasting about 3-4 hours.

We also offer the Optomap retinal scan which is a panoramic imaging device.  It provides a wide view of the inside of the eye without the side effects of dilation.  While it does not replace dilation, it is an excellent screening device and can reduce the number of times your eyes will need to be dilated over the course of a lifetime.  

Evaluating the health of your eyes whether by dilation or Optomap is an essential part of every comprehensive eye exam regardless of age.  It is especially important if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, a family history of eye disease, are over the age of 40, or if you are nearsighted as there is a higher risk of eye disease among these groups.

Absolutely! Clear vision without glasses or contacts does not always mean your eyes are healthy.  Many eye diseases have no symptoms until they are in very advanced stages and cannot be detected without an eye exam.  We often see patients with advanced glaucoma who can still read the 20/20 line on the eye chart and have no complaints.  Holes, tears and even tumors that are located in the periphery of the retina do not produce symptoms and are often detected during a routine eye exam.

Checking your eyes even when you see well is really part of your general health exam.  Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are often diagnosed first during an eye exam since the eyes are the only organ in the body where we can see the internal tissue and blood vessels non invasively.  More information can be found in the EYE HEALTH tab above.

Yes. Happily, many of our patients have successfully undergone laser eye surgery and it has been a positive experience for all of them.  However, it is important to keep in mind that the internal structures of the eye are not altered by LASIK.  Patients who were nearsighted (myopic) before the procedure may no longer need glasses or contacts but anatomically, their eyeballs are still myopic and thus, still at risk for retinal problems associated with myopia.  So, post LASIK patients still need to have their eyes examined annually.