Best Vision Insurance
Based on In-Depth Reviews
- 200+Hours of research
- 30+Sources used
- 11Companies vetted
- 10Research Criteria
- 6Top
Picks
- Vision insurance provide discounts on services, but rarely full coverage
- Best for individuals or families with recurring vision conditions
- Watch out for plans that only allow you to use benefits every 24 months
- Make sure your monthly premiums don’t surpass your annual eye wellness costs
How we analyzed the best Vision Insurance Companies
Our Top Picks: Vision Insurance Reviews
In 2017, 3.7 million adults from the ages of 21 to 64 years had some type of visual disability. However, unbeknownst to many, vision care is not actually included in most private insurance plans, unless it happens to be provided by an employer. What’s more, depending on your prescription, you could be spending hundreds of dollars a year for vision care. Because of this, we've compiled a list of some of the best vision insurance companies on the market so you can assess what plans better suit your needs.
Best Overall
Screenshot VSP.com, December 2023
Along with EyeMed, VSP Vision Care is one of the biggest vision insurance providers in the United States, with more than 36,000 private-practice doctors and over 700 retail chain locations in their network. Although VSP Individual Vision Plans premiums are slightly higher than similar providers, their high allowances and low co-pays may offset their premium costs. Along with a $150 allowance for either frames or contact lenses, members get an additional 20% savings on the amount over their frame allowance. If you choose from their list of featured frame brands you also get an extra $20 to spend on your frames. Additional glasses or sunglasses qualify for a 20% discount.
VSP also has two other tiers that offer increasing discounts. For example, their EasyOptions plan offers customizable benefit options where you can choose among fully covered progressive or light to dark tinting, a higher frame allowance ($80), or a higher contacts allowance ($80).
LASIK Surgeries
VSP currently offers discounts on LASIK surgeries ranging from 15% off the average price to 5% off the promotional price. Their website is also full of informative material concerning LASIK so you can make an informed decision about the surgery. As with most insurance, you first need to verify if your specific plan includes LASIK benefits.
What’s more, VSP Individual Vision Plans enrollment is open year-round, so you can start using your vision benefits right away. As with all companies, you should be mindful of reading their Terms and Conditions page as return and cancel policies vary company by company. For example, in the event you wish to cancel before your one-year policy is up, you’ll have to pay off the rest of the monthly payments all at once.
Screenshot UHC.com, March 2020
Golden Rule Insurance provides vision insurance under the United Healthcare umbrella of plans. The company provides the simplicity and convenience you look for in vision insurance. There are two types of plans to choose from, with no waiting periods in between. Plan A starts at just $11.40 and lets you choose between frames ($150 allowance) or contact lenses ($125 allowance for non-network selection; $0 for select lenses). In turn, Plan B lets you choose both contact lenses and frames for a slightly higher premium. There’s a $10 copay for in-network eye exams
United Healthcare boasts over 80,000 network providers from both private practice and retail chain locations, and plans are available for 44 out of the 50 states. In some states, policy cancellation isn’t available for the first 12 months, so as always, make sure to read the terms of conditions of your plan before making a final decision.
Finally, the company offers up to 35% off on laser vision correction, although it’s important to check with your provider first.
Screenshot DirectVisionInsurance.com, March 2020
Direct Vision Insurance is an online storefront that provides “full-service, one-stop benefits brokerage for dental, disability, life and vision insurance plans to more than 7,500 employee benefits agents, brokers, consultants and online consumers nationwide”.
Direct Vision allows you to choose plans from both EyeMed and VSP, providing you with quotes that fit your unique situation. This means you have access to all the different plans and discounts offered by two of the largest vision insurance providers in the United States. The company is underwritten by Ameritas Life Insurance, one of the largest (and financially solid) health insurance providers in the United States.
What’s more, Direct Vision also has a 30-day customer satisfaction guarantee, meaning you have a month after your plan becomes effective to cancel it if you’re not satisfied.
Screenshot Ameritas.com, March 2020
As one of the largest healthcare providers in the United States, Ameritas offers some of the most comprehensive coverage in vision insurance.
Their PrimeStar Choice Vision plan includes up to $150 for frames and contact lenses respectively, and $0 for frame lenses. As premiums vary state by state, we used a California zip code as an example to determine what the PrimeStar Choice vision premium would be. Premiums in this area goes for $16.34 per month. In addition to this, Ameritas offers VSP provider discounts so you can take an additional 20% off to your frame balance and get $20 more dollars to spend on VSP featured frame brands.
Ameritas has a more basic option (starting at $10.67 for residents of California) that includes offers of $130 for frames and contact lenses, respectively. This plan is partnered with EyeMed where you can take 20% off your remaining frame balance. However, frames and contacts are only available every 24 months with this tier. Eye exams are covered every 12 months.
Neither plan option has waiting periods so you can enjoy your benefits right away.
Screenshot HealthNetwork.com, March 2020
HealthNetwork is an independent marketplace that aims to connect individuals and families with “companies that offer unique ways to promote a healthy lifestyle.” As an online marketplace serving over 18 million customers annually, HealthNetwork offers access to major medical plans, Medicare Advantage plans, short-term health insurance coverage, and dental and vision insurance. Unlike many other marketplaces—which can be notoriously hard to reach— HealthNetwork provides 24/7 customer support.
Widest Network
Screenshot Eyemed.com, March 2020
Like its largest competitor, VSP, EyeMed has a diverse variety of plan options to choose from, starting at just $5.00 if you choose to pay monthly, or $57.00 if you choose their yearly option. It works with a wealth of different national retail providers, such as LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, and Target Optical.
EyeMed really shines in its discount options, all of which are available on a yearly basis. Their simplest plan, EyeMed Healthy, is great for those who are mainly interested in covering their yearly eye exams, with $0 copay on this front. This plan also provides a 35% discount for frames. Their second-tier option, EyeMed Bright, starts at $17.50 and is more comprehensive. You pay a $10 copay for eye exams but receive a $130 allowance for frames (and 20% discount over your allowance) and $130 allowance for contact lenses. To add to all this, you get 40% an additional pair of prescription glasses.
Although you have the option of opting into their monthly payment method, you can also choose to subscribe to their annual payment method and get 5% off the normal price.
EyeMed also provides 15% off the retail price of LASIK procedures to all its members.
More insight into our methodology
Many people would be surprised to learn that vision care is not covered by traditional health insurance, unless you have company-sponsored employee benefits. For individual healthcare plans, though—including Medicare and those included under Obamacare–vision care is simply not a part of your covered benefits.
For this reason, if you’re an adult with an existing eye condition, or have frequently changing eye prescriptions, it might be a good idea to look into vision insurance, as you might save some serious cash in the long run.
Because vision insurance doesn’t strictly work like regular insurance, but instead like a discount and benefits plan, we paid special attention to two areas we considered would help in determining the best vision insurance.
Cost & Coverage
The trickiest part about vision insurance is determining whether monthly premiums are worth the benefits, since you can only use them once a year (in some cases, you can only use benefits every 24 months). This balance can be tricky to achieve, since some folks might not consider the monthly premium expense worth the discounts. However, for individuals and families who are constantly updating their eye prescriptions and who have more pressing vision concerns, paying a monthly premium might actually be an investment. We found the best plans to be those with substantial frame or contact lens allowance, a relatively low eye exam copay, and at least some sort of LASIK discount. How vast the company’s retail and private doctor network is similarly has a lot of weight, since most companies make it much more expensive if you choose to go with out-of-network providers. It’s also important to note if your specific plan allows you to use benefits every 12 or 24 months. Some companies will give you lower premiums but will only allow you to use your frames or contacts lens allowance, every 24 months. Our company picks overwhelmingly include plans where you can use benefits every year.
Customer Support & Financial Reputation
Paying monthly or yearly for a service you can only use once every 12 or 24 months, means you should have readily available support for whatever doubts you may have. For this,it’s important that companies offer a solid support system for its customers, whether that be through efficient phone lines, virtual chats, or email support. We chose companies that offer at least some version of this. We also chose companies that are in solid financial standing as measured by AM Best (one of the U.S.’s leading credit rating agencies), in order to ensure your insurance claims are effortlessly dealt with. For some of our picks, we also relied on JD Power’s 2019 Vision Plan Satisfaction report to get perspective on companies' customer support ratings.
Helpful information about Vision Insurance
Vision Insurance in a Nutshell
Although usually referred to as vision “insurance” these types of plans work more as benefit or discount plans. By paying an annual or monthly fee, you’re able to shave off a significant chunk off your yearly vision care price tag. This is especially beneficial for those with eye conditions that require regular checkups and whose eye prescription is constantly changing, as well as for households with more than one eyeglass wearer. Eyeglass wearers over 65 years old are also good candidates for these kinds of plans, since the average testing period for this age range is one to two years.
It’s important to note that children under the age of 19 are automatically covered for vision insurance under the Affordable Care Act. However, many other private plans don’t allow for this, which is why large families with eyeglass wearers with private or no health insurance, could benefit from getting a vision plan.
A Few Reasons Why You Should Stop Putting Off Those Eye Exams
While it may seem like an unnecessary cost, routine eye exams are essential in preventing any eye malformations from becoming worse in the long run. Children especially should be regularly screened (every one to two years) in order to check for these errors and tend to them as quickly as possible.
Dr. Julie Schallhorn is an assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at University of California, San Francisco. She says that the key to good eye health is linked to your overall body health. “I always tell my patients that the same things that are good for your body are good for your eyes —– eat a healthy diet, exercise, and wear sun protection, including sunglasses. There is also evidence that a diet high in leafy green vegetables is good for the retina and helps prevent macular degeneration.”
Moreover, our increasing dependence on computer and cell phone screens, although not directly harmful to our vision, can result in persistent discomfort of the eyes. As Dr. Schallhorn puts it, “screens don’t hurt your eyes per -se, it is the lack of blinking, taking breaks or looking around that does the harm. We know that when you’re focusing on something you tend to blink less and not have full closure with your blink. Not blinking as much or not blinking all the way can cause the surface of the eye to dry out.”
Dr. Schallhorn recommends taking breaks when working on screen, as well as to stay hydrated. “If your eyes are feeling fatigued and dry, try doing a warm compress for 5-10 minutes over both eyes. This can help keep the eyes better lubricated and less susceptible to drying out between blinks”.
The overall daily strain we put on our eyes, coupled with whatever genetic refractive error we might be susceptible to, makes the idea of getting vision insurance attractive, even sensible.
The price for an eye exam in the United States can range anywhere between $50 (for refractive vision tests) and $200 (for a first visit eye exam). Recurring patient visits can go at $128 a visit, a price tag which may be inaccessible for many. Meanwhile, larger retailers like Costco can charge around $70 for an eye exam, and $145 for a corrective lens fitting. Many vision plans have $0 copay for eye exams. What’s more, neither private insurance nor Medicare covers the cost of routine eye exams. To add to this, the estimated average of eyeglasses is around $196 for those without vision insurance. The costs pile up to a hefty figure, which is why vision insurance might be a good idea for these individuals in the long run.
Once you subscribe to a specific plan, you can get a wealth of special discounts and offers from your company provider. These companies will usually have their own network of doctors and providers, allowing for lower deals and prices. In most cases, you’ll also be able to choose providers who are out of network, but these options will likely be considerably pricier.
What does Vision Insurance cover?
Because vision insurance is considered supplemental insurance, only matters relating to your vision are covered. That includes:
- The cost of your eye equipment (lenses, frames, contacts)
- Routine eye exams
- LASIK or PRK surgery discounts
Vision matters relating to more serious eye conditions, such as glaucoma or macular degeneration are not covered by vision insurance, so you should look to your regular health insurance coverage for cases like these.
By paying a monthly or annual premium, you’re able to receive a number of benefits, both from in-network providers and out-of-network. Generally, vision insurance covers the following either in full or by awarding you allowances and/or discounts:
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Eye exams
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Frames
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Basic lenses (single vision, bifocal, trifocal)
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Different lens options (such as Scratch resistant, Anti-glare, Impact resistant, Progressive (no-line multifocal, Light-to-dark tinting, Tinted lenses, or UV protection)
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contact lens fit
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contact lenses
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Laser vision correction discounts
It’s important to note that many companies make you choose between contact lenses or frames, and you often don’t have the option of choosing both. Nonetheless, some plans offer higher premiums for both so it’s important to inquire at the time of making a decision on a specific plan.
LASIK and corrective eye surgery
One reason patients may wish to get vision insurance is the promise of getting LASIK surgery at a reduced rate. Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is one of the most popular types of refractive surgery available to patients, which could significantly reduce or eliminate the need for prescription glasses. Essentially, LASIK surgery works by reshaping the cornea in order to allow light coming into the eye to be adequately focused into the retina. The entire procedure takes around 15 minutes, and in most cases, results are evident immediately following the operation.
Dr. Michael Rosenberg, a practicing ophthalmologist for more than 20 years, suggests that the most important aspect when considering corrective eye surgery is to choose a surgeon wisely, “The majority of high volume corporate practices use optometrists or technicians to evaluate the patient and do the pre-op and post-op visits, they are not physicians (M.D.). Frequently the patient only meets the surgeon at the time of the procedure which is bad medicine.” The surgeon, Dr. Rosenberg said, should be involved in every step of the process, seeing the patient for pre-operative measurements and post-surgery care.
Many times, patients with less serious eye conditions will be eligible for LASIK procedure. Nonetheless, your doctor will determine if your eye condition makes you a suitable patient for this surgery by carrying out several preoperative tests. Generally, though, Dr. Rosenberg says that this surgery is appropriate for patients who don’t want to wear glasses or have to deal with contact lenses that are annoying or intolerable and who “understand they will need to wear reading glasses even if their distance vision is good sometime after the age of 45.”
Likewise, Dr. Julie Schallhorn further adds that contact wearers could benefit greatly from LASIK surgery, “We know that contact lenses have the potential to cause severe vision loss if they are not worn properly and maintained. We also know that people tend to feel much better with not having to wear contact lenses all the time”
Moreover, Dr. Rosenberg assures that many times, the results will be successful if their vision with glasses or contact lens are good, but that the most important thing is to have a trustworthy doctor “[patients] must have the temporary side effects of the procedure explained, the risks small and have realistic expectations. This only happens when the procedure is explained by the surgeon. For example, some patients may need a second procedure or “touch up” in the first year which should cost them nothing.”
The average cost of LASIK surgery in the United States goes for $2,246 per eye, and just like many other vision-related matters, is not covered by health insurance. However, vision insurance could help you pay less, since many companies offer LASIK discounts as part of their benefits. It’s important to note that vision insurance will almost never cover your LASIK procedure in its entirety, rather your insurance provider will offer discounts and special promotions.
According to Allaboutvision, “The actual price you pay for LASIK surgery will depend on different factors, including the experience and reputation of your surgeon and the type of technology used for your procedure.”
FAQs about Vision Insurance
Can I get contact lenses with vision insurance?
Short answer: Yes. However, most vision plans will have you choose either between eyeglasses or contact lenses. In some cases, paying a higher premium can get you both contact lenses and eyeglasses.
Can I get vision insurance if I don’t have regular health insurance?
You sure can. Vision insurance is considered supplemental insurance, meaning you don’t need to be subscribed to a regular health plan in order to purchase vision insurance. Some major health plans will offer combined supplemental plans, such as vision and dental, for a reduced price. But you do not need regular health insurance to buy into vision insurance.
Is vision insurance covered by Medicare?
Vision insurance is not covered by Original Medicare (parts A and B). Medicare Part B will cover some vision-related procedures and illnesses, such as those relating to glaucoma and cataracts, but it will not cover routine eye exams or eyeglasses. However, most Medicare advantage plans will cover regular vision care costs.