How much are glasses and contacts without insurance?

What glasses and contacts cost without insurance

We do not give a dollar range here. We looked for a current price from a government agency, a research group or a health system, and we did not find one we trust. Many websites print averages without saying where the numbers came from.

What we can do is show you how the price is built. Once you know the parts, you can ask about each one by name and compare shops fairly. A pair of glasses is really two purchases, which are the frame and the lenses. Contacts are priced in several pieces as well. The lens has a price, the fitting has a price, and the amount you buy changes the total.

Most people who pay without insurance pay the full price for the exam as well. Our guide on the cost of an eye exam without insurance explains what that visit includes and how to ask for a self-pay price. If you are thinking about surgery instead, our LASIK cost guide explains what to ask. The rest of this guide starts after the exam, when you hold a prescription and need to decide where to spend your money.

The parts that set the price of glasses

The frame is the part you can see, but the lenses often change the bill more. These are the pieces worth asking about before you buy.

• A basic plastic or metal frame usually costs less than a designer frame or one made of special light metals.
• Single vision lenses have one strength and are used for seeing far away or up close. Bifocal and progressive lenses have more than one strength in the same lens, and they usually cost more.
• A high prescription may need thinner lens material so the glasses do not look thick and heavy, and that material often costs extra.
• Coatings are thin layers added to a lens, such as one that resists scratches or reduces glare. Shops may list each coating as its own charge.
• Tinting, or lenses that darken in the sun, can also be added for a fee.
• A second pair, such as reading glasses or sunglasses with your prescription, is another purchase.

When you ask for a price, find out whether it covers everything in one number. A low price for a frame alone does not tell you what you will pay at the register.

How contact lens prices are set

Contact lenses are priced by the box, and the box size is the first thing to check. Some lenses are thrown away every day, some every two weeks and some every month. A daily lens needs a new pair each day, so a year of daily lenses takes many boxes. A monthly lens costs less per box but needs a cleaning solution, and that solution is another cost.

The shape of your eyes can change the price too. A lens for an eye with astigmatism, which means the eye is shaped a little like a football, is made differently and often costs more. Lenses for people who need help seeing both near and far can cost more as well. Colored lenses and special materials add to the price.

The fitting is a separate service from the eye exam. In a fitting, the eye doctor measures your eye and checks how a lens sits on it. Many offices bill this on top of the basic exam, and a first-time wearer may need an extra visit. Ask whether the fitting fee covers a follow-up visit.

The Internal Revenue Service, the federal tax agency, says you can count eyeglasses and contact lenses needed for medical reasons as medical expenses. Its Publication 502 also lists contact lens supplies, such as saline solution and enzyme cleaner. That may help if you itemize your taxes, and a tax adviser can tell you how it applies to you.

Your prescription belongs to you

The Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency that protects shoppers, has two rules that help you save. After a glasses exam, your eye doctor must hand you a copy of your prescription, even if you do not ask. The office cannot charge you extra for it and cannot make you buy glasses from them.

For contacts, the Federal Trade Commission says the office must give you a copy of your contact lens prescription at the end of the fitting. The office may ask you to pay for the exam first, but only if it also asks for payment right away from patients whose exam shows no need for lenses. It cannot make you pay more or buy lenses to get the copy.

A contact lens prescription must last at least one year, unless the doctor writes down a medical reason for a shorter time. Anyone who sells contacts must check that your prescription is valid. You can show a copy, or you can let the seller call your eye doctor. If the doctor does not answer within eight business hours of a complete request, the seller may treat the prescription as confirmed.

Because of these rules, you are free to compare shops. Take your written prescription, ask each place for the full price of your exact lenses, and buy where the total is lowest. Before you pay, check that the lens name on the order matches your prescription. Then check the size and the strength of the lens.

Ways to pay less without insurance

1. Get your prescription copy first, then ask at least two or three places for a written, all-in price.
2. Ask whether a shop has a basic frame line or a lower price for paying the whole amount on the day.
3. Skip extras unless someone explains why you need them, and ask what each coating does before you say yes.
4. Ask about buying a longer supply of contacts. Some shops charge less per box when you buy several boxes at once, and you pay the larger amount up front.
5. Try calling a community health center near you. The Health Resources and Services Administration says health centers serve everyone even if they cannot pay, and they set fees by income and family size. The same page lists eye doctors among the staff, but not every location offers eye care, so call first.
6. Call 2-1-1, a helpline that connects people to local services, and ask about vision programs in your area.

Our guides on community health centers and asking for the cash price walk you through the calls. If you hold a health savings account, you may be able to pay with that money. A tax adviser can confirm the rules for your account.

Can Medicare, Medicaid or a doctor help?

Medicare says Original Medicare does not usually cover eyeglasses or contact lenses. The one exception is after cataract surgery with an intraocular lens, which is a lens placed inside the eye. Part B, according to Medicare, covers one pair of glasses with standard frames, or one set of contacts, after each such surgery. You still pay part of the cost, and you pay for any upgraded frames.

Children often get more help than adults do. A legal group called the National Health Law Program writes that Medicaid must cover vision services, including glasses, for enrolled children. If your child is on Medicaid, ask your state program how to get glasses. For adults, call your state Medicaid office and ask what vision care it covers.

A primary care doctor can also help you plan. Your doctor can tell you whether a vision change needs an eye specialist and may know lower-cost places nearby. You can search for a cash-pay doctor near you and ask at the first visit.

When an eye problem cannot wait

Sudden loss of vision, a hard hit to the eye, or a chemical splash in the eye needs care right away. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, and compare prices later. Our guide on the ER without insurance explains what to expect and how to ask for help with the bill. This page gives general information and is not medical advice.