Your Complete Guide To Eye Care

An optometrist is your first point of contact for eye care: comprehensive eye examinations, prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses, and detection and ongoing management of eye disease. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who performs eye surgery, such as cataract operations or laser treatments. Most eye care, from routine testing through to managing conditions like glaucoma and dry eye, is handled by your optometrist, and we refer you on to an ophthalmologist only when surgical or specialist medical treatment is genuinely needed.

As a general guide, most adults should have a comprehensive eye examination every two years, children once a year given how quickly their vision changes, and anyone over 65 or with an existing eye condition annually or as advised. If you notice blurry vision, headaches or eye strain in the meantime, don't wait for your next scheduled visit. Full detail on testing intervals is in our Eye Test Information guide, and if you're weighing up whether now's the time, see Do I Need An Eye Test?

Glasses and contact lenses are only part of what we do. Our comprehensive examinations screen for eye disease using advanced diagnostic technology, and we manage ongoing conditions like myopia, dry eye, keratoconus and glaucoma in-house. See Eye Examinations for what a full appointment covers and Eye Care Technology for the equipment behind it.

We do both. Every comprehensive eye examination includes screening for conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, using the same advanced diagnostic technology you'd expect at a dedicated eye hospital. Many conditions we detect and manage ourselves; where surgical or specialist medical treatment is required, we refer you to a trusted ophthalmologist and stay involved in your ongoing care. Explore what's involved on our Eye Examinations page.

Eyecare Concepts is a private billing practice, so most consultations are not bulk billed and a consultation fee applies at the time of your visit. Where you're eligible, a Medicare rebate applies depending on the consultation type and item codes involved, and we claim that rebate for you on the spot straight after your appointment, with the funds paid electronically into your Medicare-linked bank account a few days later. Any glasses, contact lenses or specialty lens packages you go on to choose are priced separately, and health fund extras cover often applies. For the full breakdown of what's included and what isn't, see Fees & Charges and Health Fund Rebates.

Yes, children are a big part of what we do, and we'd encourage a first eye test well before school age if there's any family history of vision problems, or by the time they start school regardless. Kids' eyes change quickly, and we're also one of Melbourne's leading clinics for childhood myopia management, helping slow short-sightedness before it progresses. Details are on our Children's Eye Care page.

We invest in the same calibre of diagnostic technology you'd expect from a major eye hospital, and our optometrists use it on every patient, not just when something's already wrong. That means we're catching disease earlier and managing more conditions in-house, from myopia control and orthokeratology to keratoconus and dry eye, rather than referring everything on. It also means longer, more thorough appointments and pricing that's upfront from the start. See Eye Care Technology for a look at the equipment.

Eyecare Concepts is based in Kew East, serving families across Melbourne's inner east including Hawthorn, Camberwell, Balwyn, Box Hill and the surrounding suburbs. Many of our patients travel from further afield specifically for our myopia management, keratoconus and dry eye services, which aren't offered at the same level everywhere.

Bring your Medicare card, your current glasses and any contact lenses you wear, and a list of any medications or health conditions that might affect your eyes. If you've had previous eye tests elsewhere, details of your last prescription are useful but not essential. New patients can register in advance to speed up their first visit — see the Get Ready For Your Visit link in our footer, or book directly online.

Vision problems often develop so gradually that you adjust without noticing, which is exactly why regular testing matters more than waiting for symptoms. That said, headaches, blurry vision at distance or up close, eye strain during screen use, and squinting are all common signs it's time to come in. Our Do I Need An Eye Test? page runs through the signs in more detail, and if it's simply been a while, Eye Test Information explains what to expect during the appointment itself.