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How does vision insurance work?

Explore how vision insurance can help you effectively manage your eye health and prevent issues.

Understanding vision insurance

Vision insurance helps to offset the costs of routine eye care and corrective eyewear. Much like health insurance, you'll typically pay a monthly premium and may also pay copays or coinsurance for specific services.

By reducing out-of-pocket expenses, vision insurance makes maintaining your eye health and accessing corrective eyewear more affordable and convenient.

Benefits of vision insurance
Cost savings

Vision insurance reduces out-of-pocket expenses for routine eye exams, prescription glasses, and contact lenses.

For example, many plans provide allowances for frames every one to two years, and sometimes cover fitting fees for contact lenses.

Regular check-ups

Annual exams help you monitor your eye health and can detect early signs of eye conditions, like glaucoma or cataracts, or other health conditions, like diabetes or high blood pressure.

Discounts and upgrades

Many vision insurance plans provide discounts on premium eyewear options, such as anti-glare coatings, transition or polycarbonate lenses, and prescription sunglasses.

Some plans also offer savings on vision correction procedures like LASIK and coverage for treating eye conditions or injuries.

Costs of vision insurance

The cost of vision insurance typically includes:

  • Monthly or annual premiums, which are regular payments to maintain coverage.
  • Copays, or a small fee, for routine eye exams or other covered services.
  • Partial out-of-pocket costs for eyewear expenses that exceed the plan's allowance for glasses or contact lenses.
How to get vision insurance

You can get vision insurance through an employer-provided benefits package or by purchasing a plan directly from an insurance provider like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC). Many insurance companies offer standalone vision plans or bundle them with other health insurance options.

Take the confusion out of insurance

Our Knowledge Center features helpful articles with simple and reliable information for all your insurance questions, from how to submit a claim to how to find the right doctor.

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