Patient Center

Welcome to our Online Patient Center! Here you can get information about what to expect during your visit with Dr. Richardson, as well as payment and insurance information.

We want your visit to be as stress-free as possible. Our staff will do everything we can to make sure your experience is pleasant and convenient. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Dilation Explained: To provide patients with the best care, your doctor will use drops to dilate your eyes on a routine basis. Dilation allows your Doctor to better assess the health of the inside of your eyes. In some cases, it also allows the Doctor to more accurately prescribe your glasses prescription. This has the effect of temporarily increasing sensitivity to light and causing “fuzzy vision” at near (reading) distance. Therefore, if you want new eye wear or feel you may need to select new eye wear, please come 15 to 20 minutes before your appointment time in order to look at our frame selection.

Eyeglasses: Please bring ALL pairs for eyeglasses you currently use, including prescription or non prescription reading glasses, sunglasses, etc. We have instruments to compare the optical power of your old lenses with your new exam findings, thus enabling us to determine and explain how your vision has changed over time. We can also evaluate the condition and fit of your current eye wear.

Contact Lenses: If you wear contacts, it is best to wear your current lenses to your appointment. It is also very helpful if you bring along your cartons or lens packets that indicate the lens series, power, manufacturer, etc.

Payment Options

Richardson Eye Clinic believes in providing the best value for you and your family. We have products and pricing that aims to accommodate all budgets and our office participates in most insurance programs. For patients who have little or no vision insurance coverage, flexible payment programs may be arranged. To learn more about our payment options, please call our office directly.

Our office accepts cash, check, and major debit and credit cards including MasterCard and Visa, as well as Care Credit.

Care Credit

The Care Credit card is available to help people pay for health care expenses, often with an introductory period that is interest-free. We accept Care Credit for all of our services. To learn more or apply for the card, visit Care Credit here.

All of the above plans can be used for all your eye care and eyewear needs, including eyeglasses, contact lenses, routine office visits and medical office visits.

Medical Eye Care vs. Routine Vision Care

Today’s health care environment has become more confusing and complex. Understanding your vision and medical benefits can be a challenge. Our practice is providing this information to clarify many misconceptions about third party insurance and your vision. In order to understand the complexities of your coverage, it helps to understand that there are two distinct sides of vision care. The first is medical eye care which covers all testing, diagnosis, and treatment of eye disease. The second is routine vision for those with healthy eyes. Third party payers usually reflect that difference. As a general rule, medical insurance pays for medical eye care and Vision Plans deal with routine vision, the exception being that some medical plans will pay for routine eye care. What many consumers don’t realize is that by virtue of the medical nature of eye care, MOST eye exams are covered under their regular medical insurance, and that you don’t need separate “vision insurance” to be covered.

Understanding that there are two distinct and important elements of every visit to our practice may help you understand the role of your medical insurance. Because many eye diseases that affect your vision will have little or no symptoms until the problem has become sight-threatening, all eye exams have a medical component. In fact, the most important goal of your visit today is to ensure quality of life by providing you with a comprehensive, thorough medical examination of your visual system. Regular eye health examinations are critical to prevent debilitating eye disease, and can include the use of cutting edge technologies designed to take the guesswork out of disease detection. The second component of all comprehensive medical eye exams include a routine vision component to analyze and prescribe, if necessary, eyewear or contact lenses to correct your vision. Our insurance billing specialists will contact your insurance company before your visit is completed to verify your eligibility and coverage to maximize your insurance benefits.

Our doctors participate in the Medicare program and accept assignment on behalf of each eligible patient. The eye health examination is a fully covered service under the Medicare program when there is a medical condition, dry eye, cataracts, allergies, glaucoma, etc. However, as mandated by Federal law, the refraction part of the vision section of your exam is a non-covered benefit. There are many new Medicare Advantage plans with private insurance companies that we participate in.

Flex-spending plans are an option that your employer may offer which allow you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for your medical expenses such as eye exams, glasses or contact lenses. Please contact your employer to take advantage of this option.

Our billing staff are always available to contact your insurance company before your appointment is made to check your benefits for you. We are here to help you with all your insurance needs until your claim is completely processed.