That’s a natural question with any type of insurance, and of course, weighing the risks of not having vision insurance and the benefits of having it is part and parcel of the process of “shopping” for your ideal policy.
1. Annual Eye Exams
Everyone does well to get an annual eye exam, especially if you wear glasses or contacts or have a history of eye problems in your family. A single exam will cost at least $50, though prices can range to $100 or even $250 for specialists’ exams.
As a single shot, an eye exam is not a huge financial burden. But consider the savings that accrue over 10, 20, 30 years if all or most of your eye exam expenses are covered by your vision insurance.
2. Glasses & Contacts
You don’t absolutely have to get a new pair of glasses and frames or contacts every year, but if you’d like to, vision insurance will cover it. You can choose from a number of different frames and styles, and if you need a new prescription and it’s time to update – it’s nice to know it’s covered. And what if you break or lose your glasses/contacts? Your policy may well cover that too, in part if not in full.
3. Early Intervention
Besides the savings on eye exams themselves, you also have to consider the benefits of catching an eye problems earlier rather than later. That’s key to preventing a worse problem from developing and allowing a much less expensive early intervention. Keeping an eye on your eyes in this way may prevent you from suffering needlessly from blurry or distorted vision or even from the possibility of suffering permanent vision loss.
4. LASIK & Other Eye Surgeries
Many vision insurance policies cover LASIK and other laser eye surgeries, as well as necessary non-laser eye surgeries. Depending on how you set up your policy, the full cost of such interventions won’t be covered, but a significant portion of it will. And that can still add up to big savings.
Knowing that if you did need eye surgery, your insurance would cover it enough that you could afford to have it done without delay is a great source of peace of mind.
5. Bundling With Dental Insurance
Another factor to consider is if you can get both dental insurance and vision insurance together, as you often can, and save as a result. And you may even be able to get a group policy discount, if you get your dental/vision insurance through your employer.
It’s true that some eye problems are covered by ordinary health insurance, such as pink eye or accidental eye injuries. But a lot of what might go wrong with your eyes isn’t covered by health insurance, and precious little of dental problems are covered (unless your a minor).
Thus, it makes sense to get both your eyes and teeth covered, and doing it together through the same insurer can often save you even more.
If you have any questions about how vision insurance works or how it can save you money, feel free to contact Flagler County Insurance Agency today!