Comprehensive Eye Exams in Park Slope

What happens during a comprehensive eye exam?

A comprehensive eye exam evaluates both how well you see and the health of your eyes. Refraction is a separate service when performed and is used to determine your eyeglass prescription and whether a change from your current prescription may be helpful.

We want you to understand what we find. An eye exam should not feel like a series of unexplained tests. We explain relevant findings, show you useful images when appropriate, answer questions, and explain why we recommend a test, treatment, prescription change, or follow-up.

Using your vision plan and medical insurance

Most Park Slope Eye patients use some form of coverage rather than paying entirely out of pocket. For vision benefits, we are in network with VSP, EyeMed, and UFT. Depending on the reason for your visit, the services performed, and the rules of your plans, a vision plan, medical insurance, or both may apply. Vision benefits are commonly used for routine eye-care services, while medical insurance may apply when the visit involves an eye-health problem or medical condition.

We also participate with many medical insurance plans. See our Insurance, Fees & FAQs page for the current list and additional coverage details.

Retinal imaging without dilating drops for most routine exams

Nearly all of our patients choose Optos retinal imaging. It simply takes a high-resolution, wide-angle picture of the inside of your eye, usually in seconds and without touching the eye. In our routine practice, it very often gives us the retinal view and documentation we need without having to use dilating drops. Many children as young as 5 also do very well with the imaging.

Dilation is still recommended when symptoms, risk factors, or exam findings make it clinically necessary. If we recommend dilation, we will explain why.

Learn what retinal imaging can show and how OCT is different.

How we refine your prescription with Topcon Chronos

Park Slope Eye uses the advanced Topcon Chronos Automated Binocular Refraction System as part of the prescription-refinement process. Rather than relying only on the traditional back-and-forth of “Which is better, 1 or 2?”, Chronos combines precise instrument measurements with your own real-time comparisons of lens choices. This gives the doctor both objective measurements and your visual responses in one system, helping us efficiently fine-tune your final prescription for the clearest, most comfortable vision we can achieve.

Try the classic “1 or 2” moment, illustrated at the top of this page

See how we refine an eyeglass prescription and why the final result is more than an automated number.

OCT and other testing when useful

OCT is a quick, non-contact scan that creates detailed cross-sectional images of the retina and optic nerve. It can help the doctor look for early structural changes associated with conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma and can provide information that a retinal photograph alone cannot show.

Depending on your age, symptoms, medical history, risk factors, and exam findings, we may also use iCare tonometry to measure eye pressure without the traditional air puff. We use additional testing when it can answer a useful clinical question rather than automatically performing every test on every patient.

Your prescription is yours

When a refraction is performed, we provide your eyeglass prescription. You do not have to buy glasses from Park Slope Eye to receive it, and we do not charge simply to release the prescription.

Do you also wear contact lenses?

A contact lens exam and any applicable fitting are separate services because contact lenses require additional measurements, lens selection, assessment, and sometimes follow-up. Vision-plan benefits may cover or reduce those charges depending on the plan.

For current self-pay pricing and insurance information, see Insurance, Fees & FAQs.

Eye exam vs. contact lens exam: see exactly why the services are different.

Learn about contact lens exams and fittings.