Examination Fees
We charge Medicare schedule fees for all examinations, and you can normally claim 85% of these fees from Medicare. If you have a pension or health care card we will direct bill the examination fee to Medicare. We commonly take digital photographs of your retinas to check for subtle signs of early macular degeneration or glaucoma, and as a permanent record of your eye health for comparison at future examinations. Medicare does not yet provide a rebate for this important service. Medicare also has restrictions on benefits when you have seen another optometrist in the last two years; in some cases, while we charge the schedule fee for an initial examination with us, you may only receive half of the normal rebate.

Sometimes your vision or eye health will require very specialised tests which will be discussed with you by the optometrist at the time, and there may be small extra fees which are not covered by Medicare.

Veterans
We direct bill consultation fees for eligible veterans with a white card. Basic spectacle frames and lenses are available under Veterans Affairs arrangements, although if you require a non - standard frame, or specialised lenses, there will be a residual cost to you, which will be discussed at the time.

Contact lenses
When you have a very high degree of shortsightedness, longsightedness or astigmatism, and in certain other conditions, Medicare will provide a rebate on the fees charged for the total process of fitting the best contact lenses for you, helping you to learn how to insert and remove content lenses, and regular checkups over the next 12 months. However, if your eyes are not as bad as the Medicare standards, Medicare does not provide a rebate, and there will be a non - rebatable fee for the package of visits. Your contact lenses may attract a rebate from your private health fund insurance.

Spectacles
The spectacle lenses prescribed for you will depend on the results of your examination, and an analysis of your visual needs, which can include reading, driving and TV, computer use or specialised close work needs. The private health funds provide rebates for basic lenses, but these may not cover the cost completely of the best lenses for your vision, especially if the lenses need to be made of thinner and lighter materials due to the strength of your prescription. Similarly, we have an extensive range of frames ranging from the most modern designs, to basic frames at minimal cost after your health fund rebate.

What is a behavioural optometrist?

A behavioural optometrist tests for focusing and eye coordination and eye movement problems which can interfere with a child’s or adult’s ability to use their eyes to read and write. These vision problems can cause behavioural effects such as poor reading concentration and comprehension, problems finishing school work and slowness and mistakes copying from the board, and often lead to children learning not to like reading. Focusing and eye coordination problems can also cause headaches and eyestrain symptoms or problems changing focus, especially when using computers. If we find problems in these areas we will explain to you the connections between the vision inefficiencies and problems in reading or using computers, and suggest options for treatment which may involve spectacles, vision training exercises or changes in working habits.

What is a developmental optometrist?

A developmental optometrist tests how well your child has developed visual skills such as eye movements, and the brain’s understanding of what the eyes see. Developmental vision testing assesses tracking skills for reading, eye-hand abilities for writing, and vision perception abilities needed to understand shapes and directions of letters and words, and visual memory and visualisation skills. A developmental optometrist compares your child’s developed visual abilities to the level expected at that age. The tests are particularly useful for children having problems learning to read and write, or who have persistent reading, spelling or writing problems. If we find developmental vision problems we may recommend further tests, vision training exercises, and sometimes spectacles or changes in reading and writing posture and pen grip.