The definitions of a medical eye exam and a routine eye exam are ones made by the insurance companies and not by your eye doctor or the practice.
A medical exam is defined as complaint by the patient or a diagnosis by the doctor that indicates a disorder of the eye other than the conditions that can be corrected by glasses. This includes things like eye burning or irritation, dry eye syndrome, cataracts, macular degeneration etc.
A routine exam is an exam that is preventative or for glasses or contact lenses where no other medical conditions were found. Usually, the diagnosis in this type of medical exam is Myopia (nearsightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism.
Examples:
- My glasses broke and I need a new pair: routine exam
- I just want to make sure my eyes are healthy I have no other problems: routine exam
- I feel I have a foreign body in my eye: medical exam
- I have been told I have cataract and want to know if I need surgery: medical exam
- I have blurred vision and I don’t know why: Well that is a little tricky and we may not know until we make a complete exam. If all you need is glasses and everything in your eye is normal then that will fall under routine exam. But if you are found to have a cataract as the cause for your blurred vision then it will be a medical exam.
