Eye Care Information

This was at the Gailey Eye Clinic, which has offices in northern Illinois. They have ophthalmologists and do eye surgery, but I was seen by an optometrist. I would expect that Gailey's fees to be higher than, say, Walmart.

The eye exam was $563 which included $318 for Fundus photography, which required dilation of my pupils. Medicare paid it all except for $41 for refraction.

The glasses themselves (one pair) were $436 (I used my old frames). The lenses were polycarbonate, bifocals, progressive, with Crizal Avance coatings (UV and anti-reflective). Medicare pays nothing for the glasses themselves.

So, my total out-the-door cost was $41 + $436 = $477.

$245 for a basic eye exam seems pretty steep for that area. Did that also include an exam for contacts? I have no idea what the typical cost is for fundus photography as I haven't come across it before. I know non-dilated fundus imaging like optimap usually costs around $65 I think, but that isn't usually covered by insurance. Standard dilated fundoscopic exams are usually $15-20 and are typically covered by insurance.

I thought fundoscopic photography would usually only be covered if you have some kind of eye disease which needs to be monitored - such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or cancer. From what I found on the web, it looks like Medicare usually only covers up to $79 of the cost for retinal photography. $44 after insurance seems very reasonable though.

As for the cost of glasses, that seems pretty typical for a private practice, which is a lot more than places like Walmart or Costco. Do you know what brand progressives you bought? And how do you like them?

george wrote:$245 for a basic eye exam seems pretty steep for that area. Did that also include an exam for contacts? I have no idea what the typical cost is for fundus photography as I haven't come across it before. I know non-dilated fundus imaging like optimap usually costs around $65 I think, but that isn't usually covered by insurance. Standard dilated fundoscopic exams are usually $15-20 and are typically covered by insurance.

I thought fundoscopic photography would usually only be covered if you have some kind of eye disease which needs to be monitored - such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or cancer. From what I found on the web, it looks like Medicare usually only covers up to $79 of the cost for retinal photography. $44 after insurance seems very reasonable though.

As for the cost of glasses, that seems pretty typical for a private practice, which is a lot more than places like Walmart or Costco. Do you know what brand progressives you bought? And how do you like them?

I don't know the brand of the progressives. I think they send them offsite for the lenses to be made. They are fine and my frames, which I reused, are very good too.

As far as the fundo photography, I supposedly have very early signs of dry macular degeneration. But, being age 75, I expect to die before that becomes a problem.