What is a remote eye exam, and what should you expect?

A remote eye exam at AVCC is still an in-clinic visit for you. You come to the vision center, where a trained clinical team member stays with you and supports the hands-on testing. Your eye doctor joins live by video, reviews your measurements and images, talks with you and makes the clinical decisions. You are not taking an eye exam alone at home: you are not remote, the doctor is.

In-office telehealth at AVCC

An in-office eye exam with your doctor connected live by video.

You come to our Aurora or Greensburg office, where staff perform the tests and measurements. Your doctor reviews your results offsite, talks with you live by video, and remotely adjusts the lens-testing equipment and eye chart to check your prescription. In-office telehealth is offered on Fridays for eligible patients ages 18–55. Contact your office to confirm that this visit is right for you. This visit format is not offered in Richmond.

The fee and expected visit time are the same as for the corresponding visit with the doctor physically present.

Find your office

You visit the vision center with a clinician, the doctor is remote

The word “remote” describes the doctor’s location, not yours. You arrive at the AVCC office that offers this format and use the same kind of clinic space and equipment you would expect during an eye-care visit. An in-office team member is physically present to guide the hands-on parts. The doctor joins through live, two-way video, speaks with you directly and reviews the information collected during the visit.

This kind of care is sometimes called teleoptometry or a hybrid eye exam. It is not the same as an online vision test you take by yourself at home.

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Who is with you and what each person does

Three people work together during the visit. You share your symptoms, health history, vision goals and questions, and you can see and speak with the doctor in real time.

The in-office clinical team member stays with you, explains each step, helps position you at the equipment and performs or supports the hands-on testing for your visit. The eye doctor reviews the measurements and images, asks follow-up questions, directs the clinical portion of the visit and decides whether a prescription or another next step is appropriate.

Where the office’s system supports it, the doctor may operate or direct connected instruments in real time while the team member helps you at the equipment. The team member does not replace the doctor, and software does not make the clinical decisions.

Meet the AVCC doctors

Walk through the visit, step by step

The exact tests depend on why you are coming in, your history and what the doctor needs to evaluate. A typical visit follows a simple sequence: check in and share your history; complete the in-office testing with the team member; meet the doctor live by video; continue the doctor-led part of the exam; discuss what comes next; and arrange any follow-up that is needed.

At the end, the doctor explains the findings, answers questions and recommends a plan. A prescription may be provided when it is clinically appropriate and allowed for that visit.

No part of this asks you to set up a camera at home, download an eye chart or test your own vision alone.

See what a comprehensive eye exam may include

Bring the same basics, then confirm the visit is a fit

Bring your current glasses and contact lenses, a list of the medicines you take, your eye and medical history, your insurance or benefit information and any questions you want to ask. If the office asks for an earlier prescription or exam record, bring that too. A parent or legal guardian should attend when the office says one is required.

Not every patient or concern is best served by the same visit format. The scheduling team may ask about your age, symptoms, eye history, previous examination, current prescription and whether you wear contact lenses. Those details help the team work out whether an in-clinic remote exam can meet your needs, or whether an in-person doctor visit should be scheduled instead.

If you would rather the doctor were in the room, say so when you schedule. The team can explain which appointment types your office currently offers.

Use the first-visit preparation checklist

Understand what remote care can and cannot finish

A well-designed remote exam gives the doctor real-time conversation, clinic measurements and support from the person in the room with you. Research suggests some remote refraction and visual-function measurements work well for selected adults. The evidence is still too limited to say that every remote model replaces every part of an in-person comprehensive examination for every patient.

That is why the doctor may change the plan after reviewing your history or your results. You may need repeat imaging, dilation, a closer hands-on examination, an in-person follow-up or a referral. That recommendation is part of the care, not a failed visit.

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Confirm the practical details before your visit

Ask the office to confirm that your appointment is an in-clinic remote eye exam and which location to visit. You can also ask who will be in the room, how you will speak with the doctor, whether the visit covers the service you need and what happens if the video connection or equipment does not work as planned.

Cost and coverage depend on the service, your benefits and how the visit is billed. Confirm the expected charge and your insurance details with the office before the appointment. For privacy, ask how the video visit is handled and whether anyone beyond the care team can see or hear it. Ask how you will receive any prescription, visit summary or follow-up instructions.

The most useful question is often the simplest: based on why I am coming in, is this the right appointment type for me?

Check costs and insurance first

Common questions