Comprehensive Eye Exams

Your eye exam will likely last 1-2 hours and may include dilation of your pupils.

We routinely assess your eye pressure during eye exams by “applanation,” as increased eye pressure may be the first sign of glaucoma. Applanation, as opposed to an air puff, is a direct and very accurate measurement of your eye pressure taken with a blue light and a special dye. There is no “puff.”

Risk factors for glaucoma include:

• Aberrations in nerve fibers of your retina
• Appearance of your optic nerve
• Changes in visual field
• Eye pressure
• Family history of glaucoma
• Race

Learn more about glaucoma.

Whitten Laser Eye is one of the few medical centers offering hi-resolution evaluation and detection of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) using LipiScan. We have had tremendous success treating meibomian gland dysfunction with LipiFlow – an office based treatment for dry eye due to MGD.

Learn more about meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye.

Learn more about LipiScan and LipiFlow.

We use several methods during an eye exam to assess proper ocular motility or eye movements such as: do your eyes move together? Strabismus is a common childhood motility problem, but misalignment can occur in adults too. Patients with thyroid disease or orbital trauma can often have ocular motility problems.

Refraction is the actual determination of your eyeglass prescription. Using a phoropter and retinoscope, we can accurately measure your degree of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and determine any degree of astigmatism. Refraction is an important part of any comprehensive eye exam as it can be an early indication of a variety of eye diseases, such as diabetes, cataract, dry eye or keratoconus.

Learn more about refractive errors.

Refraction Fee Notice

Effective March 1, 2023

There are two parts to your eye examination, which are billed separately.

• The first charge includes the fee for the doctor to evaluate the health of your eyes. This charge is billable to your insurance company, and also to Medicare.
• The second (vision) portion of your exam is called a “refraction,” which is a test performed to determine the best corrective lenses to be prescribed for each eye.

Although a refraction is a very important vision test, it is considered a non-medical procedure. Medicare and most insurance plans do not pay for this service, the fee of which is now $65.00-$80.00 depending on which location you are visiting (effective March 1, 2023).

We request that payment for this service be made at the time of your visit. Thank you.

Visual acuity testing, also known as reading the eye chart, is one of the first tests we will perform at your eye exam. Your visual acuity, how well you see with or without glasses, can help us determine if you need prescription lenses.

A slit lamp is a specialized binocular microscope that allows us to examine the eye and its structures under high magnification. The slit lamp examination, in conjunction with pupil dilation, allows your eye doctor to look at the structures of the eye.

The slit lamp examination evaluates the following:

• Cornea – corneal scars and infections can decrease vision
• Lens – cataracts, which are easily diagnosed with the slit lamp
• Lids and lid margins – blepharitis, meibomitis are common
• Optic nerve – evidence of glaucoma may first show up here
• Retina – bleeding, retinal tears can be detected when your pupils are dilated
• Tear film – any evidence of dry eye?
• Vitreous – bleeding, infection, floaters are easily seen with your eyes dilated

During your eye exam we can address any concerns and questions you might have about a variety of vision correction procedures, such as:

• Cataract surgery
  • Premium IOL
  • Symfony IOL
• Dry eye treatment
• LASIK
• Reading Vision Correction

Call us at 301-895-2020 (Charlotte Hall & Waldorf), 301-825-5755 (Chevy Chase) or 804-527-1963 (Richmond) to make an appointment.