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Summer is almost over and it’s time for winter. Dry indoor conditions and sunlight reflecting off the snow can irritate your eyes and even impair your vision. Personally I get my eyes checked at least once in the winter season because the dryness just gets me and my eyes turn red and itchy. And if you’ve ever got your eyes tested, you know it’s not cheap. Going to the optician, getting your eyes checked, and then getting glasses made- it’s an expensive business. But there are ways by which you can reduce your eye exam costs.
Groupons for eye care
Many of you might already know about Groupon, the daily deal website that offers great discounts on many things. If you know what coupons are, then the concept of Groupon isn’t far away. Groupons are almost like coupons, except that they’re on steroids. The deals on Groupons start at 50% off, and can go up to 90%. With Groupons, you can get steep discount on eye care (and many other things). You can find many eye care companies on Groupon and pick any hot deal.
Vision insurance
I have vision insurance. It helps me cover the cost of lens fitting. I wear lenses because there are many things that I can’t do while wearing glasses. And since lenses are more expensive than glasses, it’s best to get vision insurance as it covers a large part of eye exam and lens fitting costs.
Do a money/time analysis
There are some cheap options out there, but you might spend a lot of time waiting… and waiting. Sometimes it is best to visit a private optician rather than going to a public one. If you want glasses for an impending trip, I would suggest going to a private optician and getting your glasses/contacts ready.
Shop online
Don’t assume that mall stores or national chains are cheaper. I had one of the most expensive eye experiences at a mall store. Though I have heard that national chains are cheaper, I haven’t really tried them so I can’t say anything. I find shopping online very economical. There are several online prescription eyewear distributors like Glasses.com that allow you to browse their website for available products. They also let you compare their prices with their competitors’ prices so that you can know how much you are saving. Plus you might find some extras on eye wear for the same price, like scratch resistant coating, anti-glare lens, thinner lenses, and sunglass tinting etc.
Try these money saving methods and save a lot on eye care.
We’ve spent quite a bit of money over the last few years taking care of my wife’s eyes. At the end of the day I think we’re just going to get lasik and get the expenses over with. Our goal is to have the money saved by January and get it done!
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I thought about recommending lasik to my better half but I heard this really terrible story from someone I know about various complications that actually worsened her vision so now I’m really skeptical. Probably nothing to worry about though, a rare occasion if anything.
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I’ve heard those risks are with specific types of vision problem. From the people I directly know how had laser eye surgery it has all been very positive. It sure would beat the hassle and ongoing cost of glasses or contact lenses.
Many people I know bought contacts, but I much prefer glasses.That saved me a ton of money. Maybe it’s the financial industry. It always made me look more studious, or nerdy, which is great in money management. Now that I’m a writer it’s the same: glasses still win the day.
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I can see why some people would prefer glasses. It does add something to your professionalism and they can’t slip to the back of your eyeball or get lost on the ground. I know my ex bought contacts but just couldn’t get comfortable touching her eyeball. So she stuck with glasses.
I typically only buy my contacts online as it’s so much more reasonable. I need to break down and just get LASIK done as buying & wearing contacts get old.
It makes a lot of sense to buy contacts online since you just need to know your prescription. There isn’t the risk of them not fitting. When buying glasses online, you’d probably want to try that specific model on in a store or just know which specific brands fit your face best. I guess a good company would allow for exchanges too.
I did a mystery shop at an optometry clinic once. Not only did my benefits cover the cost of the visit, I got paid $50 to go!
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Sweet deal. I’ve never done a mystery shop, but if it’s for something you need to buy anyway it would be awesome. Then to have your work benefits actually pay for the glasses, it’s a double score.
Good tips! You can also use money saved in an HSA to pay for vision care (in the U.S.)
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Yeah I don’t think they have anything like that here in Canada. Since our government medical plans cover so much of the medical expenses it’s unlikely they would start that here. Then again there is lots of stuff that isn’t covered, probably including eye care.
Luckily, I have good vision. But I’m not so sure about my memory sometimes
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I think my vision is getting a little worse over the years, but I’ve never had glasses. As for my memory, it was quite bad that was self inflicted. I hear ginseng and gingko help with that.
I wouldn’t do a Groupon for Lasix but I would to save money on some frames. Great idea.
We find our vision care isn’t that expensive. I guess that is because one of us has good eyes and doesn’t need much.
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Good idea to avoid any groupons for lasix. With groupon deals the business usually gets overwhelmed and has to cut corners to meet the demand. Lasix is something you’d want someone to rush.
My bf has to get contacts once in a while and they are expensive! He also got some of those glasses that automatically dim in the sunlight but they were something like $600 at least. Yikes.
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Wow that is pricey. Let’s hope he takes good care of them and they don’t get scratched up or lost. I know that would happen to me if I needed glasses. That’s how my sunglasses are and it’s about time to replace them.
This was my bread-and-butter before I decided to stay home with the baby, Jeremy! I was an optometric technician, so I know all too well about the dangers of not taking care of your eyes.
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Yeah I bet you’d see all kinds of people who didn’t take care of their eyes to the point of not being able to help them much. That or it would need an expensive procedure to restore their vision.
Great tips! Also, if you live in New York, Cohen’s Fashion Optical offers a very inexpensive eye exam. (I’m not sure about what other locations they have and the prices for each.) I was very happy with my experiences with them.
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I also can vouch for the Cohen’s Fashion optical! Great place.
I get expensive contacts, but I wear them longer than I should in order to save some $$. Having an optometrist for a dad helps. He sneaks me contact lens solution samples.
Sounds like a solid optometrist. Having one as your dad would be pretty convenient too. It probably saved a lot of money on your contacts over time.
Don’t buy online if you are picky and need adjustments. You get no service as you would buying from a private office. LASIK is not the end all be all most people think it is. If you are close to 40, it almost always ensures you will need reading glasses within five years even if you never needed them before. If you’re prescription is stable, do LASIK as early as you can, preferably in your 20′s. Most people over 40 honestly get about 5 years without glasses, if that. Get a LASIK eval with a doctor not associated with the surgeon you want to use. The surgery centers really want to do surgery and don’t always screen as well as they should. If someone independent OK’s you, usually you’re good to go. I could go on and on, finally, a topic I know lots about!
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Good to hear some advice from an expert. I didn’t realize that with Lasik it was so ineffective on older people. I guess by that age their vision problems have progressed far along enough to not accept treatment very well. It would suck to spend the money on such a procedure only for it to wear off after 5 years.
I have very poor vision in one eye. Without my glasses, I can’t even see street signs! Fortunately, the vision insurance through my wife’s job is very cheap and good. It costs us about $30 a year in premiums and then I can get basic (<$100) frames free once a year (not that I go that often!) and plastic lenses for $20, plus the cost of whatever add-ons I want. Optometrist appointments are also $20.
Good thing your wife has coverage. That definitely eases the cost a lot. It sounds like your vision is pretty bad in that eye.
When somebody says they have 20/20 vision, it means that something that is 20 feet away appears 20 feet away. 20/30 would be 20 feet away appears 30 feet away. I did the math once and figured out that if I stood by one goal post of a football field and looked at the opposite goal post with my bad eye, without glasses, it would appear to be well over a mile away.
Very interesting. I had no idea what those numbers actually meant. So I guess I learned something new today. Thanks Edward.
I always use Pearl vision. They are bit expensive, but I like to spend more when it comes to my health. I also thought about Lasik, but I am still kind of scared.
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Read Kim’s advice about Lasik above. She’s an expert and knows her stuff. With your age it is probably a bad idea….although I’m not sure how old you are.
Groupons — now that’s a great idea! My wife and I are fine, but our girls need to see the eye doctor and it’s tough becuse we don’t have vision insurance! But with groupons, if we wait a little bit, I bet some good deal will come along…thanks for the tip!
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Another idea would be to seek out an independent optometrist and see if you can work out payment plans. That’s what my mother did when I was a kid.
Good idea Edward. A good doctor would probably be receptive to something like that. You don’t want to have to wait too long for your daughters’ glasses.
I have absolutely horrible eyes. I think my contacts prescription is around -9.00, yikes! So I have to spend a ton of money on extra tests, thin lenses, expensive contacts, etc. My average annual eyecare bill is around $500 or more.
That is why I freaking love the HSA! I get a tax deduction on all of this! In fact, I pay for it all out of pocket so that I can invest my HSA in the mean time and reimburse myself at any point in the future..
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You sound like the exact kind of person the HSA is meant for. When you know you’re going to be spending that much each year, it makes a lot of sense to have a special savings account just for those expenses, especially since it helps with taxes. I’m glad I don’t have any medical expenses that cost so much.
I’ve been lucky enough to have 20/20 vision without needing glasses or contacts. But I’ve always heard that places like Wal-Mart and Costco actually have good prices and good service for eye care.
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I’d expect those places to have good prices, but good service too would be surprising. I guess it’s worth looking into for people who spend a lot of money on eye care each year.
Great tips in this article! I’d like to remind everyone that when you can’t find the deal, don’t forget that your vision is worth the price! I think some people can be a little too worked up over the price of LASIK or other sometimes necessary procedures.
I’m actually surprised at how affordable LASIK is these days. When it’s compared to the cost of glasses and eye exams for years, it looks a lot more reasonable. If it goes well it could really improve your life too. So yeah it’s definitely worth it.
Really good info, thanks! I’ve seen a lot of Groupons for LASIK lately and its amazing how many people they draw in that have been sitting on the fence about getting eye surgery. They’re great to save you money but remember your vision is arguably your most valuable sense. Make sure you see a reputable eye surgeon.
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For sure, don’t cheap out on something so important. With something like that, the quality of the doctor should be more important than the price.
Taking care of your eyes is so imperative and should be prioritised. Yes it can be expensive; but you would be devastated if your eyes started to deteriorate and you could of done something about it.
That’s very true. People shouldn’t take their vision for granted. Sometimes it’s worth paying some money now to prevent future problems.
The best way would obviously is performing eye exercises to improve vision. You don’t have to incur any more expenses in the future. people over the age of 90 can also have perfect vision by the way. Read the comments above and many people suggested Lasik. I’ve been in this field for quite a while and I tell you, it is one of the worst alternatives.