Global Conflict

So I haven't had contact lenses to wear for about a month now and no glasses since they're out-dated (as in they aren't strong enough, not that I can't be not hip) so I tried going to buy some more contacts on July 1, but to my surprise, with no notification by either eye doctor or insurance, my prescription expired June 28. In order to buy more contacts or fix my glasses I need to have an eye examination and new prescription by an eye doctor. I drive to my usual eye doctor and sign in with the receptionist when she says I can't even schedule an appointment there because the doctor just retired, I'll have to wait until next week when the new doctor comes in. I scheduled an appointment on July 8 with the new doctor, no questions asked by the receptionist, just basic contact info (cell # and name). I arrive on July 8 and even though I set up an appointment I have to fill out all my vision insurance information and basic medical insurance information along with patient information - this takes about 40 minutes as they fecking laminate this piece of paper and force me to write on it with a dry-erase marker (which has a fine point three times the size of the blank spots I am given to write in). After I finish filling everything out I hand the clipboard with all my information to the receptionist and the first thing she says after scanning it: "Oh... our new doctor hasn't been approved by <insert eye insurance company name>, sorry we can't service you here until he gets approved or you change insurance."
Now I call to make an appointment across town and although this other receptionist also forgot to ask my insurance info over the phone before I made the appointment I asked to confirm that I can actually take my eye exam. Everything's good so far. I arrive in the morning of July 9 on the other side of the city for my appointment and to my demise I have to fill out the whole two sheets of fecked up laminated paper with another dry-erase marker - all the same information that somehow for some reason cannot be transferred between installments of the same company in the same damn city. About 30 minutes go until I turn that in to the receptionist when the same thing happens except this doctor just doesn't take <insert medical insurance company name>. Wow.
So on July 11 I finally call this brand new installment by the same company and double-check everything for my appointment (which took place today). More fecking laminated sheets of paper and a dry-erase marker. EVERYTHING IS FINALLY DONE.
"Um, so your insurance can't cover the eye exam." Why? "Because your insurance just changed your planned year to September 23 to August 1." If you don't understand that it basically means that my insurance company will only cover for one eye exam between September 23rd of one year until August 1st of the next. If I need another eye exam it has to be out-of-pocket or I have to wait until September for an eye exam. Not only that, but this doctor can't give me an eye exam until I have a pair of contacts or glasses to work with (which is pretty horseshit because I remember in past exams the doctor always has a pair there to try on and give at the end of the exam).

I've never had this before for the past 5 years that I've worn glasses/contacts. Why and how the insurance company just changed my planned year or suddenly fell out of line with my eye exams is a mystery to me. And the eye doctors... ugh, I just needed this to empty out my story.

...a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. If he flew them, he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to, he was sane and had to.

welcome to american health care, enjoy your stay.

wait until you need dental work, or get even an outpatient surgery. there's a reason people who get knee replacements travel to costa rica.

looks pretty bad...


on a more serious glance: what about normal opticians, they can also do some eye tests, dont they?

The idea of signing a laminated document with an erasable marker just screams dodgy to me. Seriously... wtf.

Ah, America, the birth place of bureaucracy.

If i need glasses i just hop to the nearest eyeglasses store, which happens to have an optometrist which will take measurements and give me the prescription. And the exam will be free if i buy the glasses in that same store.
Even if i do have to see an eye doctor i just call my local HMO branch to reserve an appointment for the eye doctor, and i go to the eye doctor. While at the doctor i don't pay jack crap and the only signing thats going on is the doctor signing the prescription.

I don't think anyone can help you... but maybe next time when they don't want to serve you take the papers with you so you won't have to fill them all over again.

Gwynzer wrote:The idea of signing a laminated document with an erasable marker just screams dodgy to me. Seriously... wtf.

It's WalMart lol

Necromancer wrote:If i need glasses i just hop to the nearest eyeglasses store, which happens to have an optometrist which will take measurements and give me the prescription. And the exam will be free if i buy the glasses in that same store.

I used to do that but it was too expensive still.

Necromancer wrote:Even if i do have to see an eye doctor i just call my local HMO branch to reserve an appointment for the eye doctor, and i go to the eye doctor. While at the doctor i don't pay jack crap and the only signing thats going on is the doctor signing the prescription.

That's good.

Update: I had to record a call with my insurance confirming that the planned year of September 23 to August 1 is the period in which within they cover 1 eye exam, i.e. I got my last eye exam June 28, 2013. My new planned year started September 23, 2013. Prescription expired June 28, 2014. I have until August 1, 2014 to renew my prescription with coverage. I am now wearing new contacts and my avatar describes exactly how I looked coming out of there.

Should have gone to Specsavers.

I've never had insurance cover eye exams. They're only $50 out of pocket anyway. Contact lens exams may cost a little extra. I'm not sure as I don't wear them.

I heard about buying glasses online for cheap and after trying a pair several years ago, I never looked back. When the optometrist is charging $200 for glasses that are nearly identical, or even inferior to a $20 pair online, there is something going on. This might not be news to anyone but one Itallian company, Luxottica, makes a huge portion of glasses sold at retail. Ordering online can be hit and miss, but I've had great results and only one bad pair but when they are <10% the cost of retail glasses, you can just order a different pair from another company and still come out ahead.

As a possible option, you could try a local LASIK provider. They often offer a 'free consultation' for first-time customers. Simply go in, ask for the free consultation (which tends to include a thorough eye exam), then thank them and say you'll think about it.

Goggles wrote:As a possible option, you could try a local LASIK provider. They often offer a 'free consultation' for first-time customers. Simply go in, ask for the free consultation (which tends to include a thorough eye exam), then thank them and say you'll think about it.

Nice! I actually plan on getting lasik later in life, especially if my eyes ever get worse.

Róka wrote: I actually plan on getting lasik later in life, especially if my eyes ever get worse.

I'm so scared of lasik, even though the chances of something going wrong are low, they still beat my small dislike of wearing glasses by a good margin.

mrBLUE9 wrote:

Róka wrote: I actually plan on getting lasik later in life, especially if my eyes ever get worse.

I'm so scared of lasik, even though the chances of something going wrong are low, they still beat my small dislike of wearing glasses by a good margin.

I have my worries and failure margins decrease over age. I did have a classmate back in my childhood who did lasik and almost went blind

For me, in Finland, I just go to a store that sells glasses and they do the eye inspection and 30 minutes later I get the contact lenses or if I need to order new glasses it takes about a week.
The eye exam costs about 50 euros or if I order new glasses it's free of charge.

Róka wrote:

mrBLUE9 wrote:

Róka wrote: I actually plan on getting lasik later in life, especially if my eyes ever get worse.

I'm so scared of lasik, even though the chances of something going wrong are low, they still beat my small dislike of wearing glasses by a good margin.

I have my worries and failure margins decrease over age. I did have a classmate back in my childhood who did lasik and almost went blind

The thing that gets me about laser eye surgery is the part where they cut open your cornea. They make a nice little flap out of the front of your eye that they peal back. Then they shoot a laser at it and burn off some material before folding the flap back. As one of my lecturers said, the pain then goes away in a few days.

I think there are more advanced techniques where they don't have to take a razor to your eye but I don't know how common they are yet.

The very animation that put me off LASIK forever: http://www.fda.gov/Downloads/MedicalDev ... 078680.swf

It's not quite "pain" that goes away after a few days. It's actually pretty painless, it's more just discomfort.