skip to main content

What To Expect At Your Appointment

Thank you for choosing Arlington Eye Center! In order to provide you with the most efficient and effective office visit, please read the below information:

  • Please be respectful to the staff. Healthcare has gone through a lot of changes. The Arlington Eye Center Team is committed to providing you with premium healthcare, please be respectful if a problem arises. 
  • If later than 15 minutes to your appointment, we will determine if your appointment needs to be rescheduled after we have a discussion with the provider and we assess staffing and clinic flow at that time.
  • Upon entering the office, please see someone from our Patient Care Team and they will inform you on next steps. 
  • Co-pays and referrals are due before seeing the provider. This is determined by your insurance carrier. Your referral may be faxed to 703-908-9647.
  • For your convenience, we verify and bill your insurance company. Please make sure that you understand the plan that you are enrolled in prior to your appointment. 
  • We have wheelchair accessible rooms available to ensure comfort and ease of access for our patients.

Understanding Wait Times

There are various reasons why the wait times at our clinic can be more than with other medical appointments. Click here to learn more.

Estimated length for each type of an appointment:

  • Medical Eye Exams: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Glaucoma and Retina Evaluations: 2 hours
  • Cataract or Surgical Evaluations: 2 hours

Before Your Appointment

  • Please Bring:
    • Bring any Referral form from referring doctors if any
    • ID card and Insurance cards
  • Your eyes may be dilated. Please bring a driver with you if you think you will not be able to drive home safely with sunglasses. 
  • Contact Lenses: You may wear your contact lenses to the appointment, but please bring your glasses with you.


If you have any questions, please contact our office at 703-524-5777. We are looking forward to seeing you at your next appointment!

Refraction Fee Notice

Effective March 1, 2023

There are two parts to your eye examination, which are billed separately.

  • The first charge includes the fee for the doctor to evaluate the health of your eyes. This charge is billable to your insurance company, and also to Medicare.
  • The second (vision) portion of your exam is called a “refraction,” which is a test performed to determine the best corrective lenses to be prescribed for each eye.

Although a refraction is a very important vision test, it is considered a non-medical procedure. Medicare and most insurance plans do not pay for this service, the fee of which is now $70.00, effective March 1, 2023. 

We request that payment for this service be made at the time of your visit. Thank you.

Contact Lens Policy

Below is the Arlington Eye Center Contact Lens Policy. You will be required to sign acknowledgment when you have your contact lens appointment with us.

Contact Lens Policy

A contact lens evaluation is defined as a measurement of corneal size and shape, prescription to attain the maximum possible visual acuity, and an evaluation of the contact lens on the eye to ensure the healthy wearing of contact lenses. Insertion and removal classes (required for new wearers and if former wearers need a refresher) are an additional $30.

The contact lens evaluation charges range from $70 to $250 depending on what type of lens is needed and includes measurement and dispensing of a glasses prescription, a trial set of contact lenses, and up to three follow-up visits in the first two months.

No prescription for contact lenses will be dispensed if the evaluation is not paid for. The evaluation fee is not refundable regardless of whether the patient decides to actually engage in contact lens wear. Our practice recommends getting an annual contact lens evaluation to verify and/or change your prescription if needed.

The included follow-up visits are for contact lens fitting and prescription visits only, to be determined by the doctor. Visits for medical concerns, including those induced by contact lens wear incur separate charges or co-pays. It is the policy of this practice to receive payment at the time of service and before any contact lenses are ordered (except trials, which are included) without exception. This office does not process claims for any vision insurance plans, but our office can provide a receipt if needed for the patient to submit to insurance of reimbursement if applicable.

Prescription Fee Notice

Our standard of care for vision prescriptions is one year. In order to prescribe lenses, we require patients have been seen by one of our providers within a 12-month time frame. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact us at 703-524-5777.