Frequently Asked Questions

Both Virginia Beach and Norfolk offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

You can schedule an appointment online

At Gilbert Eye Care, we believe everyone deserves the best care for their eyes. Our mission is to provide unmatched eye care and the most stylish designer frames. We take pride in giving thoughtful and personalized care to all of our patients.

Our clinic is conveniently located at [insert address here]. For directions and parking information, please visit our Contact Us page.

A refraction is the test used to determine your eyeglass prescription. Whether it’s covered depends on the type of insurance being billed. If we’re billing medical insurance, we may be able to coordinate with your vision plan to cover the refraction, but not all medical insurances allow this. If we’re billing your vision plan, the refraction is usually covered, but if a medical condition is found and your medical insurance doesn’t coordinate with your vision plan, you’ll be responsible for the refraction fee.

We accept a wide range of insurance plans. Please contact us directly to confirm if we accept your specific insurance.

As primary eye care providers, we assess both your eye health history and any new concerns during your visit. If we discuss or monitor any medical condition related to your eyes—even if it doesn’t require immediate treatment—your visit may be billed to your medical insurance. Medical insurance covers services related to diagnosing, managing, and monitoring conditions, even if they are stable and no new treatment is necessary. This ensures that your overall eye health is thoroughly evaluated, beyond just updating your glasses or contact lens prescription.

Vision plans usually cover routine eye exams, prescription updates for glasses or contact lenses, and may offer discounts on eyewear. However, they do not cover services related to diagnosing, monitoring, or treating eye conditions. Those medical services are billed to your medical insurance.

We request your health insurance information because, during your eye exam, a medical issue may be identified that your vision plan won’t cover. Additionally, many medical insurance plans may have associated vision benefits that you might not be aware of. By having both your vision and health insurance details, we can investigate your benefits fully to ensure that nothing is missed and you receive the most complete coverage possible.

Insurance coverage varies by plan. We recommend contacting your insurance provider to clarify your coverage for both vision and medical services.

If you have Anthem Healthkeepers Plus, we’re happy to provide your eye exam and take care of any medical eye care needs. For patients 19 and under, we accept the EyeMed plan for exams, though we are out-of-network for materials. For patients over 19, we accept EyeMed for both the exam and materials.

For Sentara Medicaid members, we can handle your medical eye care, but we’re out-of-network for the VSP vision plan attached to it, which covers both materials and exams. However, we can still bill your medical insurance for your exam, ensuring you’re covered for that part of your visit.

To make sure you’re using all your benefits, we recommend checking with your insurance provider for full details on your vision coverage and to locate any in-network providers for materials.

Your glasses typically take up to 14 business days to be completed. Throughout this time, they pass through several quality control checkpoints to ensure everything is perfect—from the accuracy of your prescription to the final fit and finish. No matter how long the process takes, whether it’s a few days or closer to the full 14, rest assured we will notify you immediately as soon as they are ready for pick-up. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we appreciate your patience while we ensure the highest quality for your new glasses.

Yes, we perform comprehensive diabetic eye exams to monitor and manage the health of your eyes.

Yes, we offer comprehensive eye exams and have a wide selection of frames and lenses for your convenience.

While it might seem like your eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions should be the same, they’re actually quite different! Contact lenses sit directly on your eye, which means we need additional measurements to ensure they fit properly, feel comfortable, and provide the best possible vision. Your contact lens prescription includes specific details like the curvature and diameter of the lens, which aren’t part of your eyeglass prescription. Ensuring a perfect fit is key to both your eye health and overall comfort, which is why a separate fitting is required.

Pupillary distance (PD) is measured when you select your glasses to ensure your lenses are properly aligned within the frames for the best visual clarity. Since PD is part of the glasses fitting process and not a standard part of a routine eye exam, we provide this measurement when you purchase your glasses with us. This helps ensure the lenses are custom-fitted to your specific frames for optimal vision and comfort.

We recommend scheduling an appointment so we can assess your condition and recommend appropriate treatments based on your specific needs.

While a refraction is important for determining your prescription, it’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to your overall eye health. As your primary eye care provider, our goal is to ensure your eyes are healthy, not just correct your vision. A comprehensive eye exam allows us to check for underlying conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and other health issues that might not affect your vision immediately but could impact your eye health in the long term. Skipping a full exam could mean missing early signs of these conditions, so we recommend a comprehensive approach for the best care.

Excessive tearing can actually be a response to dryness. When your eyes are too dry, they may overcompensate by producing more tears in an attempt to lubricate themselves. This can seem counterintuitive, but it’s your eyes’ natural way of protecting themselves. If you’re experiencing this, we encourage you to schedule an appointment so we can assess your symptoms and provide personalized recommendations to help manage the issue.

Yes, we offer a wide selection of designer frames to suit every style and budget. Our opticians are available to assist you in choosing frames that complement your appearance and meet your visual needs.

Absolutely! Our team is knowledgeable about the latest lens technologies and can guide you in selecting lenses that best suit your lifestyle, whether you need single-vision, bifocal, or progressive lenses.

Both retinal photos and dilated fundus exams provide a detailed view of the back of your eye, but you will only need one of these tests during your exam. Each method allows us to detect and monitor eye conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy that may not be visible in a standard exam. Whether we use retinal photos or dilation, the goal is to ensure your eyes are healthy and to catch any potential issues early. By choosing one of these advanced tests, we can provide the best care for your long-term eye health and vision.