General & Getting Started
An optometrist is an eye care provider who evaluates and manages vision and eye health — diagnosing and treating conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, glaucoma, dry eye, and diabetes-related eye changes, and prescribing glasses and contacts. Ophthalmologists are physicians who specialize in the eye and typically focus on surgical care, such as cataract surgery and LASIK. Optometrists and ophthalmologists frequently work together to co-manage patients who need both medical and surgical care.
For most adults with healthy eyes, we recommend a comprehensive exam every one to two years. If you have a diagnosed eye condition such as glaucoma, diabetes, or macular degeneration, more frequent visits may be needed. Your doctor will advise you on the right schedule for your situation.
Your health can change from year to year — new medications, new diagnoses, or changes in your family history can all be relevant to your eye care. Keeping your records current helps us provide the most accurate, personalized care and protects your privacy.
We accept a variety of vision and medical insurance plans. Some procedures and diagnoses fall under vision plans, while others are billed to medical insurance. We’ll let you know at your visit how your benefits apply. Call us at 770-591-3511 if you’d like to verify your coverage before your appointment.
Our comprehensive eye exam — which includes a refraction, glasses prescription, evaluation of the front and back of the eye, and an Optos wide-field retinal screening — is between $150–$160 for patients without insurance.
Eye Exams & Testing
No — we use a more precise, gentle instrument to measure eye pressure that doesn’t blow air in your eyes. You may feel a slight tickle of your eyelashes during the measurement, but it’s not uncomfortable.
The Optos is a wide-field retinal imaging system that lets us evaluate the health of the inside of your eye — including the retina, optic nerve, and macula — without dilation in many cases. It allows us to screen for conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinal holes or detachments. Your doctor will let you know if dilation is also recommended based on your individual exam.
Some conditions and procedures are not covered under vision plans and are instead billed to medical insurance. If your exam involves the diagnosis or management of a medical condition — such as diabetes, hypertension, or glaucoma — we may file a claim to your medical insurance for those portions of the visit.
Vision Conditions & Prescriptions
No — glasses don’t cause your vision to deteriorate. Your prescription may change from year to year due to natural aging, health changes like diabetes or cataracts, or the eye’s focusing muscles adjusting to the correction. This is especially worth understanding with farsightedness: when glasses are removed, the eyes have to work harder again, which can make uncorrected vision feel worse. It isn’t — your eyes just got used to the help. For children in particular, wearing the prescribed glasses consistently is important for healthy visual development.
The research on blue light and long-term eye health is still evolving. Some studies suggest a benefit in regulating sleep-wake cycles, and many patients report improved comfort during extended screen time. We’re happy to discuss whether blue light filtering makes sense for your lifestyle and usage habits.
Standard plastic lenses work well for most prescriptions and are ideal for tinting. Polycarbonate lenses are impact- and shatter-resistant, making them the preferred choice for children, safety eyewear, and patients who want a thinner, lighter lens. Higher-index lens options are also available for stronger prescriptions.
Glasses & Eyewear
Glasses typically take one to two weeks to be ready for pickup. We’ll contact you as soon as they arrive.
Not necessarily. Online prices are often only valid for a limited range of frames, materials, and prescriptions — and don’t account for the professional fitting and adjustments included when you purchase from us. When you factor in lens quality, accurate fitting to your prescription, and the ability to make adjustments at no cost, in-office eyewear is often comparable in total value.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are medical devices that sit directly on your cornea. Even if your glasses prescription hasn’t changed, the fit, material, and movement of your lenses need to be evaluated annually to make sure they’re not causing any issues with the surface of your eye. It’s a quick but important step to protect your long-term eye health.
Yes — we’ve partnered with YourLens.com to make reordering easy. After your exam, we register your prescription directly so you can order online in just a few clicks and have your lenses shipped to your door. No faxing, no hassle.
Ready to See Clearly?
Whether you’re due for your annual exam, looking for new frames, or managing an eye condition, our team is here for you. We make it easy to schedule, and we promise to make it worth your time. Family Eye Clinic at Towne Lake — where exceptional eye care feels personal.