Policies

Welcome to Eye Care Associates West (ECAW)! We are happy to have you as a patient.  In order to provide our patients with the care they deserve, we have a few guidelines that we follow. These guidelines lay out our office procedures in different scenarios, and the guidelines should answer any questions you may have about how things work in our office.

We are dedicated to making your experience with us as easy and enjoyable as possible.  Please feel free to discuss any concerns or issues with us.  We appreciate the feedback on how to improve our operation.   Feel free to speak to one of the staff directly or send us an email.

Insurances/Payments

For your convenience we accept most vision insurances. We will submit the claims for you with your permission. However, it is NOT our responsibility to find your insurance for you.  Please know and review your coverage prior to your appointment with us. We can often help you understand what your out of pocket will be, however it is important for you to have a general idea of the coverage.

We understand that glasses and contacts can be expensive, therefore, we accept all major credit cards, personal check, and cash.  We require all purchases to be paid for prior to being dispensed.  We do allow patients to pay 50% of total due at the time of visit and the other 50% at pick up for materials.  All exam co-pays are due as the services are rendered, no exceptions.

Cancellation Policy

We ask our patients to be courteous and to provide a 24-hour cancellation notice to not incur a $25.00 fee.  When we schedule you an appointment, we are blocking out a section of time for you and you alone.  In order to maintain a steady schedule and to offer appointments in a reasonable time frame, it is important to confirm your appointments via text or email and to provide at least 24 hours if you cannot make your appointment.  We also reserve the right to reschedule your appointment if you arrive 15 mins late.

Contact Lens Evaluation/Fitting

As a patient you have a choice to wear contact lenses if you wish to. However, this is an elective exam and most insurances do not recognize it as necessary.  This cost will be your responsibility if your insurance does not cover or discount a contact evaluation.  Our contact evaluation covers the fitting for contacts, the prescription and follow up appointment within three months of the original date of exam.  If you have an issue after 90 days, there will be a refit fee and you will have to see the doctor.  Contact Lens Prescriptions are only valid for ONE year from date of service.  This is non-negotiable.  Doctors must check the health of your eyes annually to make sure the contact are not causing any problems.

Optomap Retinal Screening

As part of our comprehensive exams, we require each patient to receive retinal screening   annually.  Optomap technology gives the doctor a complete view of your retina and allows them to check the health of your retina, macula, and optic nerve.  Using this device has helped us detect retinal detachments, retinal holes, diabetic eye disease, and many other ocular problems.  This screening is an out of pocket expense of $20 and is not covered by insurance yet.  Most insurances recommend charging $39 for this service.

Frame Purchase

All the frames we carry in our office are crafted with the best materials and are warrantied for manufacturer defects for one year.  We offer frames to fit the personal style of each patient and can special order two frames per patient at no additional charge.  If more frames are requested to be ordered, we require a $25 down payment to place the order that will then later be deducted from your final purchase.  We do this to cover shipping costs to and from the distributor.

Spectacle Lenses

We strive to help our patients always maintain their best possible vision.  We will recommend what type of lenses will best suit your lifestyle and budget.  At ECAW we use only the best lenses, coatings, and suppliers. Quality is our number one goal.  We have access to any type of lenses your may want, however we would highly recommend Essilor products.  Essilor is well know in the optical industry and they are extremely high quality. All our lens orders come with a one-year warranty at minimum and anything with a Crizal Anti Reflective coating is warranty for 2 years at no extra cost to you.  We do require a $15 handling fee at the time of a remake to cover shipping costs to and from the lab.

Non-Adapt Policy

There are times when a patient cannot adapt to a new pair of glasses.  Whether it is the prescription or the lens style, our goal is for you to be satisfied with your purchase.  If the problem with the glasses is made by one of our doctors, we will gladly work to get it corrected.  If you purchase a progressive and cannot adapt, you are able to down grade to a different lens style, but there will be no refund issued for the price difference, as that cost covers the cost of the new lenses. If you receive your glasses and decide the frame you chose is no longer what you wanted, we can make new lenses for you at no cost, however, eyewear frames are considered medical devices and cannot be returned.  We will issue a discount of 30% off the purchase of an additional frame.  We want you to be satisfied and we will try our best to be reasonable when it comes to returns, however all refunds will be issued as in store credit.

Frame Repairs

As a courtesy we offer a variety of repairs that can be done in office.  We can change nose pads, re-attach temples, replace screws, etc. When a fix is needed, a member of our staff will assess the damage and will quote you with a repair cost, you can then decide if you would like us to complete the service.  We cannot be held liable for any breakage that may occur during this process.  We do our best to never make a mistake, however it is a risk you take letting us repair the issue.

Returns

• Frame purchases are FINAL. Frames are considered medical devices and cannot be returned once leaving the office.
• Contact lens purchases can be exchanged for different powers or brands if the boxes are in resalable condition (un-opened, un- marked, and not damaged in any way) and are within one year of the expiration date on the box. Contact lens returns will only be eligible for in office credit.
• If there are any other issues of return that need to be addressed, please reach out to office management for assistance.

Pupillary Distance Release

At ECAW, like many other optical shops/optometry practices, we will not release a PD to you for purchase of eyewear at another facility or online.  If you choose to purchase glasses online there should be a link on the website telling you how to calculate your own PD.  It is a liability for us to release a PD and have it taken somewhere else to carry out.  Your PD has a lot to do with your vision in a pair of glasses and we do not want to take a chance.  If you need a PD, we will charge a $40 fee and you will have to sign a waiver stating we are not held responsible for any mistakes.

Record Release

We will gladly release your records to another facility if you are transferring your care elsewhere, although we would be sad to see you go.  The record transfer fee is $15.00.  You will also be required to sign a record release form prior to us making a copy of your chart.