Does Happy Valley Vision Source accept insurance?
Yes, the office does accept many vision AND medical insurance plans, Following is a brief list (not all-inclusive) of the most common plans we accept:
- Vision Service Plan (VSP)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Providence Health Plan
- MODA
- EyeMed
- Aetna
- HMA
- Healthnet
- Pacificsource
Please call us if you do not see your insurance listed.
We are NOT able to bill: United Health Care, Tricare, Spectera, Davis Vision, and most Kaiser plans. If you would like to be seen here, we’d be happy to give you a complete receipt and you may be able to submit to your insurance as out of network benefits. Please verify with your specific plan if this is an option for you.
We would be happy to bill your secondary insurance as long as we are in network for that plan and you request that we do so.
Does Happy Valley Vision Source offer a payment plan?
Estimated patient balances and copays for exams, contact lens fittings, contact lenses, and medical visits are due in full at the time of services. We require at least 50% down payment on glasses on the date your order is placed. The other half is due when the glasses are dispensed to you. We do offer Care Credit for payments as well. You may fill out an application at Care Credit or anywhere on our website where you see a link for Care Credit. You may also fill out an application in our office.
Does Happy Valley Vision Source offer a time of service discount?
If you are paying your balance in full on the day of service, we are happy to extend a 40% savings on eye exams and refractions. We are also able to offer a 10% savings towards complete sets of glasses for cash payment on day of service, and 20% on any second (or third) pairs of glasses ordered within 30 days from first order. We are not able to offer any discounts on contact lenses, but a rebate may be available on an annual supply of contact lenses and to a limited selection of brands with a six month supply, ordered within 90 days from time of contact lens fitting evaluation.
When is it an eye emergency?
Our doctors recommend calling us immediately for any of the following problems:
1) If your eye is red and painful, especially if you’ve been sleeping in contact lenses.
2) If you have experienced vision loss or if your vision appears to be obstructed in anyway (as though a dark cloud or curtain was covering part of your field of vision).
3) If you have an object lodged in your eye or if something has splashed in your eye (chemical or hot liquid).
4) If you have a sudden onset of flashes of light or new floaters.
If you suspect that you are having an eye emergency, please call our office directly. Our staff is trained to determine what symptoms indicate a possible emergency and can schedule you accordingly. We can frequently see you the same day for a medical office visit and our fees are significantly lower than the average emergency room visit. In many cases, your medical insurance can be billed. Be ready to give the staff your medical information when making an appointment.
How often do I need an exam?
Our doctors recommend and refer to annual eye health evaluations. For patients with any systemic or chronic health issues such as: Diabetes, Hypertension, Lupus, Cancer, Glaucoma, etc. an annual eye exam is highly recommended.
Do I need an appointment to see a doctor for an exam?
Yes, our doctors’ schedules are frequently full, which makes walk-in appointments difficult to obtain. However, last minute openings do occur and there may be an opportunity in the schedule, so please call if you’d like to come in within 24 to 48 hours. We will do our best to accommodate you.
Do I need an appointment to look at or purchase glasses?
If your prescription is current (within the last year or as stated by the doctor), you do need an appointment to view frames or purchase glasses due to COVID-19. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.
Do I need an appointment to pick up glasses or for a glasses adjustment?
Yes. Due to COVID-19 an appointment is required for a glasses adjustment or to pickup glasses. There may be special requirements for certain mountings, such as drill mounts for lenses only. We are not offering any walk-in services at this time.
Can I fill my glasses or contact lens prescription from another doctor at Happy Valley Vision Source?
We are happy to fill valid outside prescriptions for glasses or contact lenses. We are not able to fill expired prescriptions. While there are no federal restrictions regulating mandatory expiration dates on eyeglass prescriptions, only the prescribing doctor has the right to extend the expiration date of a prescription. Filling an expired prescription of any sort, be it glasses, contact lenses, or pharmaceuticals, is highly illegal and would jeopardize our license.
Why do I need full exam with dilation? Why can’t I just get glasses or contacts?
A comprehensive dilated eye exam is a painless procedure in which an eye doctor examines your eyes for common vision problems and signs of disease. Dilating drops open the pupil wide and allow the doctor to view the back of the eye where most of the anatomical structures are located. Without dilation only about 20% of the back of the eye is visible. After the drops take effect, the doctor can get a much better view of your retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels. Dilated eye examinations can also detect potentially treatable blinding eye diseases, ocular manifestations of systemic disease, and signs of tumors or other anomalies of the brain, many of which have no symptoms. For this reason, Happy Valley Vision Source recommends having an eye exam every year. Remember, without having a comprehensive exam, there is simply no way to tell if your eyes are healthy.
OPTOS, is technology that we have were we can take a digital image of the back of your eye. It can be done in place of dilation for most patients, and there is no residual effect as with dilation. OPTOS imaging gives the doctor a baseline image to refer to at future appointments to compare if there are any differences that occur, or for regular evaluations if treatment requires continued care. It is NOT generally covered by insurance unless there is a medical diagnosis, which is determined by the examining doctor.
Why do I need a contact lens check yearly?
Determining the health of your eyes requires a doctor to actually view the contact lens on your eye each year. You may be seeing fine and not noticing any irritation but, using a microscope, doctors can see problems that have no symptoms. Some of these problems can lead to scarring or blindness well before they cause you any pain. Contacts rest directly against your eye so the risk for infection and serious disease is much higher for contact wearers than for non-wearers. Accordingly, the FDA has classified contact lenses as a medical device. Happy Valley Vision Source and the state of Oregon sets an expiration date on our contact lens prescriptions of one year.
Can I buy contact lenses from Happy Valley Vision Source?
Yes, with a valid and current contact lens prescription.
When should my child have his or her first exam?
A full exam with an optometrist can insure that your child’s eyes are healthy, working together, and seeing normally. Children don’t have the life experience to know their vision isn’t clear. The doctors in our office see patients as young as three months, if needed to investigate a specific concern or an abnormal appearing eye. In general, a child’s first eye exam should be between 6 – 12 months of age, according to the American Optometric Association. The next exam should be at 3 years old and again at 5-6 years old. Thereafter, annual eye exams are recommended, even if your child does not appear to be having visual difficulties. If your child has not had an eye exam and is starting school, we encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible. Recent research has linked many learning difficulties to visual coordination problems. We participate in InfantSEE, a federal program that provides a free exam for infants up to twelve months old. Dr. Nancy Buset specializes in pediatric optometry.
When should I see an ophthalmologist versus and optometrist?
Simply put, an ophthalmologist is licensed to perform surgery and manage advanced or severe cases of eye disease. An optometrist is licensed to treat eye disease and prescribe medications as well as providing ‘routine’ services related to glasses and contacts. So if your eye is red, irritated, watery, itchy, or painful; if your vision is blurry or obscured; if you’re seeing spots, flashes, floaters, or rainbows; if you have moderate cataracts or glaucoma or dry macular degeneration or non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy-all of these are within the scope of treatment of the optometric physicians at Happy Valley Vision Source. If we are not able to help you, we will be able to refer you to the correct ophthalmology specialist in an expedited manner. We also provide diagnostic testing where appropriate.
Do glasses have to be dark to protect against UV (ultraviolet rays)?
No. All materials can be coated against UV regardless of tint or color. In addition, some materials have inherent UV protection such as Phoenix, Hi Index or Transitions. Transitions actually darken in response to UV rays and remain virtually clear inside. Cheap, dark sunglasses that don’t block UV are actually worse then untinted lenses. The dark lens causes the pupil to get bigger but actually lets in more of the unblocked UV light.
