Medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Nodland, OD · Updated August 2026
Call (561) 799-3932 or book an appointment.
A comprehensive eye exam is a full evaluation of how well you see and how healthy your eyes are, including checks for conditions that have no early symptoms. It is more than a prescription check: glaucoma, diabetic changes, macular degeneration and cataracts are usually found during a routine exam, not because a patient noticed something wrong. At Eye Expressions, Dr. Michael Nodland has performed these exams for Palm Beach Gardens patients since 2010.
What happens during a comprehensive eye exam?
A comprehensive eye exam is a series of short tests that measure your vision, how your eyes work together, and the condition of the structures inside and around the eye. Nothing in it hurts, and most of it involves looking at a target while the doctor takes a reading.
A typical exam includes:
- Health and medication history — many systemic conditions and prescriptions affect the eyes
- Visual acuity — reading letters at distance and near
- Refraction — determining your glasses prescription
- Eye muscle and binocular testing — how well the two eyes align and focus together
- Eye pressure — screening for glaucoma risk
- Front-of-eye examination — cornea, lens, eyelids and tear film, which is where dry eye is diagnosed
- Back-of-eye examination — retina, macula and optic nerve, for most patients using optomap ultra-widefield imaging rather than dilating drops
If you wear contact lenses, a contact lens evaluation is a separate service performed in addition to the exam, because it involves measuring the eye’s surface and assessing lens fit.
How long does an eye exam take?
A first visit runs longer than a return visit, because of paperwork and history taking. If drops are used, there is waiting time while they take effect. If you plan to choose frames afterward, allow extra time in the optical.
How often should I have an eye exam?
Most adults should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years, and every year once you are over 60 or have a condition affecting the eyes.
| If this is you | How often |
|---|---|
| Adult under 60, no eye conditions and no risk factors | Every 1–2 years |
| Adult 60 or older | Every year |
| Diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration or dry eye | Every year, or more often if the condition requires |
| Strong family history of eye disease | Every year |
| Contact lens wearer | Every year |
Children are examined on their own schedule; that is covered on the children’s eye exams page.
If you spend part of the year in Florida and part elsewhere, it helps to keep your exam on a consistent schedule and carry a copy of your records between doctors. The seasonal residents page covers how Eye Expressions handles records and timing for patients who split the year between two states.
What’s the difference between a vision exam and a medical eye exam?
A vision exam checks how well you see and produces a glasses or contact lens prescription; a medical eye exam evaluates or treats an eye health problem. The difference matters mainly for billing. A routine check for new glasses or contacts is usually billed to a vision plan, while red eye, dry eye, an injury, floaters, a glaucoma check, a diabetic eye exam or a cataract evaluation are medical claims and go to your medical insurance, including Medicare.
Patients often book a vision exam for what turns out to be a medical problem, which is why the office asks what is bringing you in when you call. The full side-by-side comparison of what each type of coverage pays for lives on the insurance and billing page.
One visit can begin as a routine exam and become a medical one if Dr. Nodland finds something that needs attention. If that happens, he will explain it before any additional testing is done.
Will my eyes be dilated, and can I drive afterward?
For most patients at Eye Expressions the answer is no. Ultra-widefield retinal imaging is included in your exam. optomap captures about 82% of your retina in a single image — most retinal cameras see 10 to 100 degrees, optomap sees up to 200 — and for most patients it means a comprehensive eye exam with no dilating drops, so you can drive yourself home and go back to work. Dilation is still used when a closer look is needed, and Dr. Nodland will tell you beforehand. He considers the imaging worth doing on every comprehensive exam, which is why it’s included rather than sold as an add-on.
If you’re using insurance, the copay is never more than $39. If you are paying for yourself, it is included in the exam fee with no extra charge.
What optomap is. It is a scan, not a drop. You look into the instrument one eye at a time and it records a wide view of the retina, macula and optic nerve as an image Dr. Nodland can enlarge, compare against last year’s scan and show you on screen while you sit there.
What dilation is. Dilating drops widen the pupil so the doctor can look through it and examine the back of the eye directly. It is a thorough, long-established examination, and nothing about using optomap makes a dilated exam less useful — they are two ways of looking at the same structures, and they answer slightly different questions.
When drops are still used. A dilated view is particularly useful if you have diabetes, new floaters or flashes, high myopia, a known retinal problem or a family history of retinal disease, and any time the imaging raises something Dr. Nodland wants to look at himself. That is a clinical decision made for your eyes, not a default step, and he will tell you beforehand rather than after.
If you are dilated, can you drive? Most people can drive after dilation, but your near vision will be blurry and you will be sensitive to light for about four to six hours. Bring sunglasses. If you have not been dilated before, or you know you are light-sensitive, arrange for someone to drive you, and plan on reading and screen work being uncomfortable for the rest of the afternoon.
What does an eye exam cost without insurance?
A comprehensive eye exam at Eye Expressions is $179 if you are paying for yourself, and optomap ultra-widefield retinal imaging is included in that fee rather than added to it.
If you do have coverage, Eye Expressions accepts Medicare, VSP, EyeMed, Humana, Aetna, Anthem, Blue View Vision, MetLife, Superior Vision, Davis Vision and Advantica.
Plan networks vary — being covered by a carrier is not the same as your specific plan being one we are contracted with. Call (561) 799-3932 with your card and we will check before you come in. When your appointment is booked in advance, that check is done ahead of the visit and an estimated copay is sent to you, so the number is not a surprise at the desk. There is more detail on insurance and billing, and the rest of what Dr. Nodland treats is listed under services.
What should I bring to your office?
Bring anything that helps document your vision and your health history. Specifically:
- Your insurance cards — both medical and vision, since they may be different plans
- Photo ID
- Your current glasses and contact lenses, including the boxes or the prescription, so the parameters can be verified
- A list of medications, including drops, supplements and anything taken for allergies
- Sunglasses, in case you are dilated
- Prior records or a recent prescription if you are new to the practice or see another doctor part of the year
What happens if something is found?
If Dr. Nodland finds a problem, he explains what it is, whether it needs treatment now or monitoring over time, and what the next step is. Many conditions found at a routine exam — dry eye, early cataract, elevated eye pressure — are managed in the office over a series of visits.
Conditions that need a surgeon, such as a cataract ready for removal or a retinal problem, are referred out, and Dr. Nodland stays involved in follow-up care. Because he is the only optometrist at Eye Expressions, you see the same doctor each visit and your history stays in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an eye exam on a Saturday? The optical is open Saturday 9am–2pm, so you can browse frames, collect an order or get an adjustment. Dr. Nodland does not hold regular Saturday exam hours, and the online scheduler does not offer Saturday, so a Saturday exam has to be requested by phone on (561) 799-3932.
Does Medicare cover my eye exam? Medicare covers medical eye care, such as visits for cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye or diabetic eye exams. It does not cover routine exams for glasses. If you have both Medicare and a vision plan, the office will check which applies before your visit.
How do I know what I will owe before I come in? For a scheduled appointment, Eye Expressions verifies your benefits ahead of the visit and sends you an estimated copay in advance. When there is no time to do that before you are seen, ask at the desk what your coverage has been checked against.
I have no symptoms. Do I still need an exam? Yes. Glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration cause no pain and no early vision loss, which is why they are typically found during a routine exam rather than reported by the patient.
Book your eye exam
Eye Expressions is at 7100 Fairway Drive, Suite 39, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 — on Fairway Drive just off PGA Boulevard, with parking at the door. Family-owned since 2010, rated 5.0 stars across roughly 500 Google reviews.
Call (561) 799-3932 or book an appointment online. Exam hours are Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm. The optical is also open Saturday 9am–2pm, but the online scheduler does not offer Saturday exams, so ask for one by phone.