FAQ

If you are a Medicare card holder and have a current referral, you will be able to claim full Medicare benefits to cover part of the costs towards your consultation and procedures. Please note that some diagnostic testing such as an OCT scan do not attract a Medicare rebate.

Patients who quality through the Medicare Safety Net Scheme can claim up to 80% of out of pocket expenses.

If you have private health insurance, you will usually be covered for part of the medical fees incurred as an in-patient at the hospital or day surgery. Your private health insurance, however, does not cover the cost of consultations or treatment provided as an out-patient at City Eye Centre.

Your eyes may be dilated with eye drops at your appointment and your vision may be blurred for a few hours due to the dilation drops. We recommend when possible, not to drive yourself to the appointment and arrange alternative transport. Or you can bring a family member or friend with you to drive you home.  

The dilation drops usually last for 3-4 hours. The time it takes for the effect of the dilation drops to wear off varies from patient to patient. We also recommend bringing a hat and sunglasses with you to help reduce the glare.

There are several carparks within walking distance to City Eye Centre. The closest one is Cornerstone Parking Watkins Medical Centre on-site. Entry to the carpark is off Bartley Street, directly opposite the Tower Mill. It is paid parking. If you visit the Cornerstone website you may be able to pre-book.

Astor Terrace Carpark and Brisbane City Council Wickham Terrace Carpark are about 5 minutes walk from us. Our staff can provide car park vouchers for the Astor Terrace Carpark.

There are also metered Council parking on Wickham Terrace and surrounding streets.

Generally you will need a week to 2 weeks to recover from cataract surgery. During this initial post-operative period, we will check your eyes a couple of times and make sure you are recovering well and taking the eye drops as instructed. A longer period of 2- 4 weeks may be required if you need to undergo vitrectomy surgery. You will be on eye drops or may need to posture face-down as part of your post vitrectomy recovery.  

If you undergo laser procedures in the rooms, we will advise how much time you need off to recover, based on the type of laser procedure you have.

If you have private health insurance, you will usually be covered for part of the medical fees incurred as an in-patient at the hospital or day surgery. We advise to always check with your private health insurer to verify if you are covered for the procedure. We can provide all the information including Medicare item numbers.

If you are not insured, or if you have private health insurance but do not have hospital cover, we can obtain a quote from the hospital or day surgery and provide you with an estimate of costs.

Based on the type of surgery, we will provide clear post-op instructions. If you have had vitrectomy surgery and there is a gas bubble in your eye, it is important that you do not fly until the gas bubble clears. The pressure in the eye will increase due to high altitude.

After eye surgery, it is common to be prescribed with antibiotic eye drops to help prevent infections and/or anti-inflammatory eye drops to minimize inflammation. It is also common to have pressure lowering eye drops to help control the eye pressures post surgery. In addition, Yyou may need frequent lubricating eye drops such as non-preserved artificial tears or ointment at night.

Following cataract surgery, it is common to be using eye drops for 1-2 months. For vitrectomy surgeries, you may be using eye drops for the same period or longer. We will provide concise post-surgery medication instructions for you to follow.

It is important to note that most prescription eye drop bottles, once opened, last for 28 days. Please follow manufacturer’s instructions to avoid potential contamination and eye infections.