[Knut]

Answers bolded

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I went for an exam/checkup the other day, and I've got a couple questions:

1. It was $120, blue cross covered $40. Is that an indication I'm getting ripped off?

It is not an indication you are getting ripped off, but it is an indication that Blue Cross is maybe not covering as much as it should. $120 is pretty standard for an eye exam for a patient that wears contact lenses.

2. My prescription changed slightly. Not enough to warrant different contacts, but enough that one lens in my glasses could be doing a better job. Is it bad for my eyes to wait on getting that fixed?

It is only an issue if you are having symptoms like headaches or eyestrain. Having the wrong prescription is only an issue if you are a child. As an adult it will not make your eyes worse, but it may give you headaches.

3. They quoted me $240 for regular lenses with AR and $280 for digital lenses, which they described as "HD". Besides being incredibly insulting to anyone who knows anything about televisions or optics, I found it a super cheesy/slimy sales pitch... but I digress. Are those prices reasonable? Is there any point going with "digital" lenses? The old method seemed to work just fine for all my other pairs of glasses.... I forgot to add I was also given the business about "your glasses are 4 years old, they could break. With NEW glasses we guarantee them... blah blah... I wanted to tell her to get her fat fist out of my wallet so bad... My eye doctor is a really nice guy, but man the rest of that operation makes me cringe now. Just like my dentists office. Super $$$ grubbing.

Without knowing what prescpription you are that sounds about right for lenses that are middle of road when it comes to index (ie. Thickness). "HD lenses" is an industry wide buzz phrase to explain the new lenses. Personally, i do not like to use the terminology, but it sometimes is the best way to explain things to a layman.

Digital lenses improve your left, right, up and down vision by digitally placing your prescription on hundreds (or thousands) or points on the back surface of the lens. It makes a huge difference for those with high prescriptions or with some astigmatism. For those with a smaller rx (less than -3.00) it likely has no real impact.

All offices have modifications on a sales spiel. Unfortunately, that will not change. Next time you are at the clinic chat with your Doctor about it.