Primary vision care, what is it?

by | Jul 17, 2013 | Health

Recent Articles

Categories

Archives

Total health care and wellness is a strategy that is designed to encompass health professional care, it is as important for eye health and vision as it is for the rest of human requirements. Much of primary vision care is defined by health insurance companies and their policies as well as the providers of primary care. The entry level primary vision care is the provision of affordable, low-cost preventative care and eye examinations. Any eye doctor in Pittsburgh PA can provide this primary care, be it an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who has elected to specialize in diseases of the eye as well as their treatment. An optometrist on the other hand is a trained professional who provides primary vision care and structure of the eye. Although both of these health care providers are professionals that provide vision care, they are quite different in the services they provide. An optometrist is limited to vision care.

Most insurance define primary vision care as routine eye exams, some insurance will cover the cost of corrective lenses, either eye glasses or contacts, other policies do not. Most primary care insurance is severely limited, allowing the covered individual to visit the eye doctor in Pittsburgh PA only once a year, some are limited to an exam once every two years. It is possible to purchase a separate primary care plan that covers other eye related expenses, these additional plans are often available through the individual’s employer. Policies that provide ophthalmologic care such as eye emergencies or eye disease are rare.

There are primary care policies that specify which care specialist can be used to get the benefits under the plan. Other plans will allow the covered individual to pick the vision care specialist that they wish to use. There are very few plans which allow any element of eye surgery unless the operation is to prevent legal blindness. Most policies provide cover for cataracts and glaucoma.

Either eye doctor in Pittsburgh PA, optometrist or ophthalmologist, can serve as primary vision care practitioners. There are groups that have both professionals under the same roof while others tend to work under a referral system and send the patient to the right doctor for his or her specific needs.

When you need an eye doctor in Pittsburgh PA that can work with your insurance provider for your care, you are invited to contact OneVision Health & Wellness. Click here to know more.

Related Articles