Frequently Asked Questions

When you arrive at Eye Medical Center of Fresno, our staff will greet and seat you in the waiting room.

You may have referred yourself, have been referred by another specialist or by Medical Insurance. We will discuss your problem and ask about your medical history. A thorough examination will then follow. We may request examinations and tests to assist and support our diagnosis.

X-rays, blood / urine analysis, ultrasonography, MRI, endoscopy can all be performed with no delay in the same building. If you have previous examinations and tests related to your current condition, please bring those along to the consultation. Also bring any copies of letters from other doctors or recent medication. It will help us to help you.

We will discuss with you the results of your examinations and recommend the proper treatment. Some conditions may be faced immediately by conservative or surgical treatment.

Otherwise, depending on the results of your examinations, the nature of the medical problem and your holiday plan, we will discharge you from our clinic, refer you on to another health professional or book you for surgery. If follow-up consultation or further consultations are required, we will indicate this and the staff will let you know the date and time of your next appointment.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD) who has completed medical school and a specialized residency in ophthalmology. He or she is familiar with all medical conditions, but is a specialist in the medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases. Optometrists are specialists in the measurement and treatment of refractive errors of the eye- conditions requiring correction with eyeglasses or contacts. Optometrists have a doctorate in optometry (OD) and are now capable of treating many medical eye conditions as well but are not trained in laser or surgical eye treatments.

Generally you have to inform us prior to your exam if you wish to have contact lenses prescribed. Contact lens exams require additional measurements, chair time with the optometrist, and often a trial and return visit to see if the contact lens fits your eyes well. As such, if an exam is scheduled for contact lenses both eyeglasses and contacts can be prescribed but if a routine refraction is scheduled, then you will have to reschedule a second visit for contacts.

Please let our schedulers know if you need a contact lens exam.

Vision insurance is different than medical insurance and vision services such as VSP. typically cover you for a complete eye exam including one for eyeglasses (refraction) once per year. If you do not have vision insurance but have medical insurance, you can still see our doctors for any eye problem other than blurry vision related to not having glasses. For example, if you are having allergic eye problems, infections, pain, loss of vision due to any medical condition, then you can still see our doctors under a legitimate medical diagnosis.

These insurances cover for medical eye conditions but not for routine eyeglass checks (refractions). As such, you may be asked to pay an additional fee for a refraction at the time of your visit. Our operators and front desk staff can inform you of this prior to your exam with the doctor.

• Envolve
• MESVision
• Spectera
• VSP
• EyeMed
• Superior Vision

Yes, our office is open approximately two Saturdays a month for general eye exams (refractions). Please call our office to inquire about an appointment. Eye Medical Center of Fresno always has a doctor on call after regular hours for our established patients who may be experiencing and ophthalmic emergency.

In most people, our ability to focus up close decreases as we age into our forties and beyond. This can be corrected with prescription or non-prescription reading glasses or bifocals.

You should be prepared for dilation at each visit, even if it didn’t occur at a previous visit that you had.