Let s take a moment and educate ourselves.

Let s take a moment and educate ourselves.
Dr Shade is a Optometrist! She can do an eye exam and treat eye changes. This means she can prescribe glasses and contact lens.
An Ophthalmologist can do a eye exam treat eye disease, perform surgery and diagnosis any medical eye concerns. Dr. Shade can not, she is limited in her scope of practice. She may be able to recommend you to a Ophthalmologist if she has concerns but she can not treat any medical issues other than glasses.

We went to Dr Shade 9-10 years ago.
I was very concerned after our appt about her billing practices. She scared me badly making me feel guilty for not getting a medical referral prior to my appt.
Making a routine eye exam much more serious then it needed to be. Because I had 20/20 vision and no history of any eye trauma or concerns we felt she was deceptive in her own financial gain and we decided not to go back.

We have had the same Ophthalmologist for over 30 years and we decided when we couldn t locate her to give Dr. Shade another try recently. Beware!!!
Our insurance covers a full routine exam yearly, which includes Refraction, eye pressure, visual fields and Glaucoma testing. With NO CO-Pay. You must dilate the eye to perform these tests. After her tech Stephanie did a simple chart eye exam for me, she asks me what else do I need. I said my eyes dilated and the Dr to perform her check up. She told me, I said I only wanted a routine visit when I scheduled the our appts. I said for over 30 years this was always performed at my annual eye appt. she looked at me like I had 3 heads. Then sent me to
The scheduling lady. Who also proceeded to tell me the same thing.
I needed a referral to proceed!
As though I was neglecting my health.
I was lead to believe the only services that would be performed that day was a simple eye chart exam by the tech unless I got a medical referral. I called my PCP, Referrals were sent to Dr Shade. In the interim my husband was only given a simple eye chart test by Stephanie and sent on his way!! He did not receive the full routine exam.
He was told to reschedule for 2 appts. His appts are for For Glaucoma testing. The Glaucoma testing is already apart of the routine eye exam Dr. Shade is paid for! However when he goes back he is required to pay 2 additional co-pays??? When the additional testing is already apart of the routine exam???

I was told I am a
Medical patient now and will
Always have to pay a $25.00 co-pay because I have dry eye. Which by the way my insurance company said is not a medical diagnosis or claim.
I was also Told I had a detachment to my eye sometime in my life when I still have 20/20 vision.
So my eye exam was submitted for a medical claim, Yet, what they did was a routine eye exam.
This office Had us sign papers we are responsible for anything our insurance doesn t pay. However Dr. Shade is in network? So essentially she would
Be paid for a routine eye exam and have to accept what she is paid unless she submits medical claims? Which the insurance I was told probably won t pay anyway! Especially after I told them this doctor does not perform the full
Eye Exam!!

Would you take your child for a physical and go back the next day for immunizations? Or go to the dentist and get your teeth cleaned and go back for another appt for the dentist to do an exam, so you pay a co-pay.
When by the way a routine eye exam covered at 100% does not have a co-pay????????? This office scares their patients into getting referrals, deceives you into thinking they can diagnose and treat any serious eye problem. Let s remember what a Optometrist can actually do, and eye exam and prescribe glasses.

This whole experience was awful and that of confusion and convoluted actions. I suspect so they can up-charge your insurance and have built in claims.