Our Services and Exam Fees
Our Insurance and Payment Policy
We are a SELF-PAY OFFICE and DO NOT BILL INSURANCES. We are happy to provide you with a paid invoice to submit to your insurance so they can reimburse you personally. The only exception is for Costco employees and their dependents.
FOR ALL OTHERS YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT. That means if you have VSP, Spectera, Davis Vision, Eyemed, Avesis, MetLife Vision, UHC, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, or any other vision or medical insurance you will pay out of pocket for your visit (please see exam prices below). Please let us know if you need the itemized, paid invoice and we will gladly provide that to you.
Comprehensive Eye Exams
Regular eye exams are an invaluable tool in maintaining healthy eyes by detecting and preventing disease in both adults and children. Some diseases develop slowly without causing pain or vision loss. Early detection of any problems can reduce the risk of further harm and allow for a choice of treatment options. The regular exam includes the following procedures: vision check, refraction for a new glasses prescription, eye pressure check, slit lamp examination, and careful examination of the optic nerve and macula, to the extent they can be seen through undilated pupils. The regular eye exam is $80. For new patients to our office and all patients that are 65+ years old we also perform wide-field retinal imaging (Optos), which is an additional $20 (for more information please read the next section), bringing the total to $100.
Optos Wide-field Retinal Imaging VS Pupil Dilation
A full evaluation of the peripheral retina will sometimes reveal problems that are not seen by just examining the optic nerve and macula (central retina). The peripheral retina should be evaluated as a screening every 2-3 years for healthy patients under 60-yrs-old, and every 1-2 years for healthy patients over 60-yrs-old. IT SHOULD BE DONE YEARLY for anyone with diabetes, autoimmune disorders, a history of cancer, or a history of other retina problems. OPTOS IMAGING is retinal photography and DOES NOT REQUIRE DROPS. Therefore the vision is unaffected and we still get a great look at your retinal health, including very large portions of the periphery. The imaging also gives us a view of a very large portion of the retina all at once. Pupil dilation also gives us a great view of your retina, but only smaller areas at a time, and it also requires drops that leave you more light sensitive and with blurrier vision for 4-6 hours. For these reasons, WE RECOMMEND OPTOS IMAGING FOR THE MAJORITY OF OUR PATIENTS. We do this AUTOMATICALLY for ALL NEW PATIENTS and for all of our patients that are 65+ YEARS OLD. For returning patients, when you arrive in our office, we will give you a form that allows you to choose Optos imaging instead of pupil dilation, or pupil dilation, or to decline these services if you recently had it done. There is a $20 fee for Optos imaging or pupil dilation.
Contact Lens Examinations
At Excel Eye Care of Texas, we enjoy helping people wear soft contact lenses, including astigmatism-correcting (toric) lenses, multifocal or monovision lenses, and lenses for post-surgical corneas. We are dedicated to your eye health and an enjoyable, comfortable contact lens experience.
There is a SEPARATE FEE FOR THE CONTACT LENS ASSESSMENT, which is typically $65 to $95, depending on the complexity of the assessment. The charge for this assessment is for the extra time, resources, expertise, and final decision making by the doctor. We must make the necessary measurements, analysis of your vision needs, the effects of contact lenses on your eye health, and only then do we make recommendations tailored to you from the most up-to-date technology. Contact lenses fit different people's eyes differently and the way they fit can change their effective power. This is one reason why the numbers for your contact lens prescription often do not exactly match those for your glasses. WE ONLY USE SOFT CONTACT LENSES IN OUR OFFICE and are happy to refer you to someone who still uses the rigid, plastic lenses for correction.
Soft Contact Lens Instructions
Follow-up Visits With The Doctor
Changes in your glasses or contact lens Rx can take some time to get used to. Care and time is taken during your refraction and contact lens assessment to get your Rx just right for you. Please allow at least 2-3 weeks to adjust to the new Rx, including changes to frame size and shape of the glasses. If you have trouble with your new glasses, feel free to bring them in for the front desk staff to verify they're made correctly and trouble-shoot at no charge. If you still feel like your Rx is not working right for you, we are happy to schedule a follow-up visit with Dr. Hopkin. There will be a $60 fee for follow-up checks with the doctor for glasses or contact lenses.
Pediatric Eye Care
We take pride in maintaining the vision of our younger patients in an environment that is lighthearted and fun. We want to ensure the good sight, vision, and eye health for the rest of your child's life and take a preventative approach to their general health and eye health. We will work with your child's primary care physician to help keep their eyes healthy. It is important that all of our pediatric patients have healthy and efficient visual systems to help make the visual demands of learning in school easier. All eye exams for children 12 months and under are free.
Diabetic Eye Care
Dr. Hopkin has extensive experience evaluating and treating patients with diabetic eye disorders. Diabetic retinopathy is a disorder of the lining of the back of the eye called the retina. The retina functions like the film of a camera and allows images to be focused and transmitted to the brain. The vasculature is affected by diabetes and can result in blindness if retinopathy goes undetected. Two types of retinopathy develop form diabetes, background and proliferative. The background type results in swelling of the very center of the retina and can lead to loss of sight. Proliferative retinopathy is a more serious condition which may require laser and/or intraocular treatment.
Glaucoma Diagnosis and Management
Glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the United States, is an eye disease that can lead to a permanent loss of vision. We provide diagnostic and treatment options for glaucoma care. Glaucoma generally provides no warning signs or symptoms of disease, making testing an important part of a full vision exam. For those who require treatment options, there are many, including topical eye drop self-administration, laser treatment, which can be utilized for precise, quick healing, and more advanced surgical options, for those difficult and advanced cases of glaucoma.
Treatment of Eye Infections and Trauma
Eye trauma and infections are conditions which need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid further injury or complications. It is our goal to diagnose and treat these injuries, provide home care instructions and follow up visits to ensure proper healing and proper restoration of function and vision.
Dry Eye
The usual symptoms of dry eyes include stinging or burning, scratchiness or gritty and sandy feeling, stringy mucus, excess irritation from smoke or wind, discomfort when wearing contact lenses and even tearing.
Dry eye may be caused by decreased tear production which often happens as we age and is most common in women especially after menopause. Poor quality tears due to an abnormality of any of the three layers of the natural tears can cause symptoms of dryness.
It may also be associated with many of the autoimmune or collagen vascular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or Sjogrens syndrome. It may also be present in some types of thyroid disease and as side effects of some common medications.
Diagnosis of the condition is made by taking into account both the history and findings on the exam. This may include measuring the tear production or looking for signs of dryness on the surface of the eye. Treatment may include replacement of the natural tears with lubricating artificial tears or prescription drops which help to produce more and better quality natural tears. Other treatments may include methods to keep your own tears in contact with the eye for longer periods of time, adding certain supplements to your diet and avoiding certain environmental situations which can worsen the drying effects of the tears.