Patient Information | San Francisco Eye Institute Bay Area

New Patient Paperwork
What Do I Need to Bring to My Appointment?
What to Expect at Your Appointment
How Long Will My Appointment Take?

Will My Eyes Be Dilated?
Preparing for Vision Correction and Evo Examinations
Refraction Fee for New Prescriptions
Additional Resources

New Patient Paperwork

Prior to their scheduled appointment with us, new patients will be sent a link to complete patient registration paperwork online. Please complete this prior to your appointment. If you prefer, we can mail the paperwork to you and you can bring it with you to your appointment.

What Do I Need to Bring to My Appointment?

When you arrive for your appointment, please bring:

Government-issued photo ID
Medical and vision insurance cards
Co-pay
New patient paperwork (if applicable)
Medical history
List of current medications
Report from last eye exam
Eyeglasses
Glasses and/or contact lens prescriptions

What to Expect at Your Appointment

When you arrive at our eye care center, you will check in at the front desk. Here, we will confirm your information and update any necessary paperwork. We will also collect your co-pay for the appointment.

Your eye health and vision work-up will be performed by a technician, and you may visit various rooms or testing areas to collect all the necessary vision and eye health data. Exams performed by a technician may include:

Vision Test
Eye Pressure Test
Dilation

Once this preliminary testing is completed, you will meet with your doctor.

How Long Will My Appointment Take?

Here is a general expectation of how long each type of appointment takes:

Vision correction surgery consultations, cataract exams, and ICL exams: 2-3 hours
Vision screening: 30 min – 1 hour
Comprehensive eye exam: 1-2 hours
Follow-up visit: up to 1 hour

Will My Eyes Be Dilated?

In many cases, patients can know ahead of time that their eyes will be dilated during their appointment, though it is not always possible to predict when dilation will be necessary.

In general, the effects of general dilation last between four and five hours. Dilation for a vision correction surgery examination lasts up to 24 hours.

There is no way to reverse dilation once it is performed, so please bring a pair of sunglasses to your appointment as your eyes will be very sensitive to light following dilation. We do not recommend driving after your dilation.

Stylish older woman outside in sunglasses

Preparing for Vision Correction and ICL Examinations

If your examination is for vision correction surgery or for cataract surgery, please discontinue wearing your contact lenses.

Soft Contact Lenses: must be removed at least one week prior to exam.
Hard or Gas Permeable Contact Lenses: must be removed for one week per decade of wear, or at least two weeks prior to your exam.

Refraction Fee for New Prescriptions

A refraction examination is used to generate an updated glasses prescription. Some people know this as a “Better 1 or Better 2 examination. A refraction examination for patients who wish to update their prescription for glasses or contacts is generally not covered by insurance, and will be performed for a fee of $120. Payment is collected at the time of the appointment, and we can submit a bill to your insurance provider for potential reimbursement.

If you are interested in selecting eyeglasses at the time of your appointment, please contact Pacific Eye Specialists optical shop, located in the same suite as San Francisco Eye Institute, at (415) 921-7555, extension 114. Appointments need to be made in advance.

Additional Resources

Contact San Francisco Eye Institute

Should you have any additional questions about your visit with us, please contact the friendly staff at San Francisco Eye Institute.

Page Updated: December 30, 2023

The doctors at San Francisco Eye Institute have either authored or reviewed and approved this content.

Ensuring the highest level of vision care and individual attention possible.

Whether you just need a general eye exam, or if you are interested in reducing or eliminating your need for glasses or contacts, our team is here to help! Contact us to book an appointment today!

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