The following definitions and those found in chapter 182-500 WAC apply to this chapter. Unless otherwise defined in this chapter, medical terms are used as commonly defined within the scope of professional medical practice in the state of Washington.

"Blindness" - A diagnosis of visual acuity for distance vision of twenty/two hundred or worse in the better eye with best correction or a limitation of the client's visual field (widest diameter) subtending an angle of less than twenty degrees from central.

"Conventional soft contact lenses" or "rigid gas permeable contact lenses" - FDA-approved contact lenses that do not have a scheduled replacement (discard and replace with new contacts) plan. The soft lenses usually last one year, and the rigid gas permeable lenses usually last two years. Although some of these lenses are designed for extended wear, the medicaid agency generally approves only those lenses that are designed to be worn as daily wear (remove at night).

"Disposable contact lenses" - FDA-approved contact lenses that have a planned replacement schedule (e.g., daily, every two weeks, monthly, quarterly). The contacts are then discarded and replaced with new ones as scheduled. Although many of these lenses are designed for extended wear, the agency generally approves only those lenses that are designed to be worn as daily wear (remove at night).

"Expedited prior authorization" - A form of authorization used by the provider to certify that the agency-published clinical criteria for a specific vision care service(s) have been met.

"Extended wear soft contacts" - Contact lenses that are designed to be worn for longer periods than daily wear (remove at night) lenses. These can be conventional soft contact lenses or disposable contact lenses designed to be worn for several days and nights before removal.

"Hardware" - Eyeglass frames and lenses and contact lenses.

"Prior authorization" - A form of authorization used by the provider to obtain the agency's written approval for a specific vision care service(s). The agency's approval is based on medical necessity and must be received before the service(s) are provided to clients as a precondition for payment.

"Specialty contact lens design" - Custom contact lenses that have a more complex design than a standard spherical lens. These specialty contact lenses (e.g., lenticular, aspheric, or myodisc) are designed for the treatment of specific disease processes, such as keratoconus, or are required due to high refractive errors. This definition of specialty contact lens does not include lenses used for surgical implantation.

"Stable visual condition" - A client's eye condition has no acute disease or injury; or the client has reached a point after any acute disease or injury where the variation in need for refractive correction has diminished or steadied. The client's vision condition has stabilized to the extent that eyeglasses or contact lenses are appropriate and that any prescription for refractive correction is likely to be sufficient for one year or more.

"Visual field exams or testing" - A process to determine defects in the field of vision and test the function of the retina, optic nerve and optic pathways. The process may include simple confrontation to increasingly complex studies with sophisticated equipment.

PDFWAC 182-544-0050

Vision care—Definitions.