My stepdaughter posed this question. She’s going to have her eyes examined for contacts. If she wanted to get glasses, she’d have to pay for another exam.
Why is this? Can there be that much difference between the two or is it a moneymaking thing?
Although it is true that contacts and glasses require different prescriptions, any competent eye doctor should be able to prescribe both with a single exam. If they require two sittings and two exams for contacts and glasses, I would be changing providers.
I know if you have a prescription for glasses and need contacts you will need another exam because they need to measure the curvature of your eye to fit you with the correct contacts.
However, if you have a contact lens prescription and wear contacts and you need glasses, you shouldn’t need another exam.
I’ve never heard of such a thing - it’s got to be a money-making thing. I wear contacts, but always have a pair of glasses handy for when I take a break from the contacts, and I’ve never had to have two separate full exams. There is a separate bit where the doctor measures for the curvature for the contacts, but I’m certainly not charged extra for it.
There are differences between the exams, but generally if you’re getting a contact lens exam it includes the eyeglass exam: the main difference is the measuring of your eyes for the contacts. (Curvature, size.) So if you’re getting your eyes checked out for the contact lens prescription, they already have the numbers for the eyeglasses.
From the way you’ve described it, I would agree with the other posters: it looks like a money grab. I’d find a different provider.
From experience, generally the ‘glasses only’ exam is cheaper, and the ‘contacts and glasses’ exam is a bit higher in cost. ($75 and $90 if I remember the last time I went in correctly.)
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Another vote for find another provider if this is really the case. I wore contacts for several years and was always given a glasses prescription as backup. I’ve since switched to glasses, but I could have gotten them anytime.
Now, if you have glasses and want contacts then you DO have to get another exam – if that’s the case, then the provider is probably okay.
She has both glasses and contacts, but it’s been a while and her prescription needs to be updated (for both).
I would think that if you got the prescription for the contacts, they’d give you the prescription for glasses, too.