duckabell Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 My son (7) failed his vision test at the doctor this year and will need to see an eye doctor. We are self-employed and while we have health insurance, we don't have vision insurance. He is very nervous about getting glasses and seeing the eye doctor so I want this to be a good experience for him without breaking the bank too much. My husband wears glasses, but I don't and so I don't have that much experience with eye doctors. I know that Costo and Wal-mart offer vision exams, but I'm not sure how kid friendly they are. We do have a pediatric eye doctor in our town, but I'm not sure how much more expensive they are. If there's a significant price difference we will probably go to the cheaper place. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to go and an approximate guess on how much a vision test and glasses cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Today I am going to an awesome eye doctor, but I'm taking my prescription to Costco. Eye exams are cheap, and vision insurance doesn't cover much anyway. It's buying glasses from the eye doctor that will kill you. I always cringe a bit at the bill. I'll try to remember to update you with prices when I get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have taken the kids to the Walmart Vision center since they have been little. We have two optometrists who do eye exams, and they are very friendly. You won't find out unless you try. Last time, an exam for glasses cost around $50 (exams for contacts are more expensive). Glasses vary depending on frame and whether you need special lenses, but they have good deals for kid glasses and may run regular specials fro back to school. I think my DD's last glasses were only $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I've heard great things about WalMart. Personally I take my kids to a developmental optometrist, which most insurance plans don't cover anyway. The cost is usually around $100 give or take. Reasonable IMO for what we get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 OK I just checked my files, and my kids' last quick eye exam was $50 while the last so-called "comprehensive" exam was $89. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 For a first time exam, I might spring for the pediatric ophthalmologist or optometrist, and if you really can't swing getting glasses there you could go somewhere cheaper to get glasses with your prescription. That said, we have done that. I feel like the service, fit, quality, and guarantees on the glasses and prescriptions have been worth it at the ped ophthalmologist. And at least for one of my kids, having glasses she LOVES makes a big difference in how she feels about them so the selection has been a big deal for that kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Eye exam in my town is $60. I take my RX to Costco for contacts, but they do sell kids' glasses as well. I agree that Walmart probably has a decent selection of affordable kid frames as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I used to go to a private eye doc but gave WalMart a try when we were without insurance. I have been really pleased (we are a family of 6 who get regular exams with 4 of us in glasses/contacts/sports goggles). The exams have been thorough and everyone is really nice. Good service at the vision center. Glasses come in quickly and they are great about adjustments, simple repairs. Kids glasses are really cheap, especially at back to school time, and come with a year breakage warranty. I don't do much shopping at Wal Mart but I am a big fan of the vision center. We have private insurance again but we are using it at WalMart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 JC Penney also seems to have back to school specials for kids' glasses; last year, I remember it was $25 and this year it's $29.99 (doesn't include very high prescriptions), but that is an option. (Effective until 9/15/14, their website says.) I have taken my kids to three different optometrists in private practice at a reasonably swanky type set-up and each cost around $90. (They are all listed in the COVD directory.) They might charge more for the first appointment, like $10 more. Going to random places at the mall really isn't much cheaper as they charge at least $60 normally. I have to say, I have not had good experiences with their exams. I'd call some places and ask the receptionist how much the exams are. It's not top secret information and you don't have to give your name. That might help give you a sense of the options. But I think it's not as expensive as you're fearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 An MD who does eye exams may find a way to legitimately bill the exam and screening for eye disease to your medical insurance. You can then take their prescription to a optician and pay OOP for glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 An MD who does eye exams may find a way to legitimately bill the exam and screening for eye disease to your medical insurance. You can then take their prescription to a optician and pay OOP for glasses. I forgot about this. WalMart did bill our health insurance when we were without vision insurance. I was surprised but it was nice. I think we had a $20 co pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I've used WalMart, Costco, and Sam's club plus stand alone practices when we have vision insurance. The only difference I experienced was the facilities are bigger at the stand alone clinics and there are usually assistants doing the initial testing. The big box stores did just as good a job at a fraction of the price. ETA: The Costco doctor did a great job with my son and there was a good selection of children's frames for glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Do ask for a cash price upfront. A lot of doctors will do that for self employed people either with no insurance, or like us, with high deductibles. They usually write off the amounts above the agreed payment amount for those with insurance and are willing to give that same price to cash paying patients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Every health insurance policy I've ever had covers the eye exam, just not the glasses and sometimes not the dilation. Are you sure yours doesn't cover exams? I go to an opthalmalogist, but my husband and kids go to an optomistrist. All the exams are covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I was really happy with the eye exam the Costco doctor did. The person working the eye glasses area also did a good job fitting my daughter. The people doing the eye exam are independent of Costco. They aren't just some employee - I think they rent the space from Costco, so they are building their own businesses. The doctor told us to come back in a month so that he could re-examine her after she had been wearing the glasses for a while and her eyes weren't so tired. He bent over backwards to make sure she was in the right glasses. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I think you'll need to call around to a few places for prices (including Costco, etc.) because they vary by geographic area. The receptionists answer those questions all. the. time. It is true that some may be able to bill your medical insurance for it, but that might only be the case in certain circumstances. The office will know what to do - ask them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yes, check your health insurance. Our policy includes an annual eye exam--no out of pocket cost to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Yep. When I didn't have vision coverage I found out that the exam was covered or partially covered by my insurance... had I realized sooner/followed up on it I would have received that discount. The vision policy offered by my husband's employer is just a discount policy for overpriced eyewear. It might make sense for contact wearers. The thing that boggles my mind is that my eye doctor's office people assume that only vision policies cover eye exams. They did not believe me when I said that our general health insurance covers the exam. A phone call to the company convinced them otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckabell Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. We have a high deductible policy, but I'll check into if our policy covers any part of an eye exam or at least applies it to the deductible. It sounds like I'll be making some calls tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 If there is a university close to you with an optometry program, that might be the most cost-effective way to get a vision exam. It takes longer because the student interns do the exam, but the supervising professor double-checks their work to make sure it is correct. That is how my DS got an inexpensive developmental vision exam. If I went to the local COVD fellow, it would've cost several hundred dollars out-of-pocket. But the UC Berkeley eye clinic did it for around $80 and that included an updated vision prescription. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 My son (7) failed his vision test at the doctor this year and will need to see an eye doctor. We are self-employed and while we have health insurance, we don't have vision insurance. He is very nervous about getting glasses and seeing the eye doctor so I want this to be a good experience for him without breaking the bank too much. My husband wears glasses, but I don't and so I don't have that much experience with eye doctors. I know that Costo and Wal-mart offer vision exams, but I'm not sure how kid friendly they are. We do have a pediatric eye doctor in our town, but I'm not sure how much more expensive they are. If there's a significant price difference we will probably go to the cheaper place. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to go and an approximate guess on how much a vision test and glasses cost? I'd start by getting a referral from a friend. Even with that, if the doc recommends a bunch of fancy (translation: expensive) "solutions," get a second opinion. Dd would have been seriously screwed by an optometrist several years ago if I hadn't gone for another option. (This was in reference to needing special prisms in her glasses.) For us, the Walmart techs have been great for fitting glasses. I've been impressed, honestly. Where I live, the glasses appt. would be about $75 ($100 for contacts). Our optometrist is connected with Sam's Club and actually came recommended by several homeschool families. You don't have to be a Sam's Club member to be a patient. Glasses start out pretty inexpensively at Walmart, and kids get some sort of price deal on lenses. You should be able to walk out with a pair of glasses for under $100 easily, and probably significantly less than that if you really watch the cost of your frames. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I just went to America's Best and they were great! I don't have vision insurance, either. The exam was $79. I could have gotten the glasses for $59, but I spent more because I want rimless and they require the polycarbonate lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 If there is a university close to you with an optometry program, that might be the most cost-effective way to get a vision exam. It takes longer because the student interns do the exam, but the supervising professor double-checks their work to make sure it is correct. That is how my DS got an inexpensive developmental vision exam. If I went to the local COVD fellow, it would've cost several hundred dollars out-of-pocket. But the UC Berkeley eye clinic did it for around $80 and that included an updated vision prescription. That's cool! This is similar to how I had my wisdom teeth removed at no charge. I was a study patient at NIH. This was good, because I was a poor 20-year-old and had no other resources for that expensive dental surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I'm happy with America's Best. The kids' exams and 2 pairs of glasses are usually around $100. But do double check your regular health insurance. Ours now covers kid exams and 50% of one pair of glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Every health insurance policy I've ever had covers the eye exam, just not the glasses and sometimes not the dilation. Are you sure yours doesn't cover exams? I go to an opthalmalogist, but my husband and kids go to an optomistrist. All the exams are covered. Mine (which seems like a fairly decent policy overall) doesn't cover vision exams, only exams related to eye diseases. I have checked this. Vision and dental are covered by a different company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Now I'm wondering how much eye exams cost where other people live. I once went to a college to get my hair cut (cosmetology dept.) and it was like $5 or $10. But $80 for the college to do the eye exam doesn't sound like a bargain to me. I think it was $50-$60 at the Wal-Mart Vision Centers I looked into. However, yes that's a bargain compared to the alternative of a few hundred dollars. $80 doesn't sound like a bargain to me either. I paid out of pocket for one child to see a developmental optometrist for a second opinion, and it was somewhere around $90. I've taken my kids to two different optometrists listed on the COVD site, and they were in the same ballpark. Granted I don't live in the Bay area. But the guy at the mall costs about $80 too, so I am just saying, I never realized people in swanky offices don't necessarily cost any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Now I'm wondering how much eye exams cost where other people live. I once went to a college to get my hair cut (cosmetology dept.) and it was like $5 or $10. But $80 for the college to do the eye exam doesn't sound like a bargain to me. I think it was $50-$60 at the Wal-Mart Vision Centers I looked into. However, yes that's a bargain compared to the alternative of a few hundred dollars. I think you are misunderstanding me. This was the comprehensive screening that developmental optometrists do for patients who might benefit from Vision Therapy. It included a standard eye exam to get an updated prescription, but went far beyond that to check eye teaming, visual processing, and so on. It took about 5 hours total spread out over two visits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Yes, check your health insurance. Our policy includes an annual eye exam--no out of pocket cost to us. Same here. Our health insurance doesn't pay for glasses or anything, but it will pay for an eye exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 We have a local eye clinic (not affiliated with a medical clinic/hospital system, but ain i dependent type place) that usually offers good coupons for those who don't have insurance so I would definitely ask around and not limit yourself to the obvious discount places. If your partner is a union member you should also check to see if the union has any discounts available or if local providers offer discounts. The same clinic here that does the coupon deals also offers discounts to union member families that don't have vision insurance. Union Plus is another good resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I took my 7yo to Costco last week. $50 and kid-friendly. Plus her glasses were only $80 instead of $200+ as at other places. I like to buy her one pair locally that she tries on (she's very sensitive to how things fit and feel) and then I buy cheap back-up pairs from Zenni. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 DH is an ophthalmologist. You don't need to see the pediatric ophthalmologist usually unless there is an issue with strabismus, amblyopia, or something. It's perfectly fine to start with an O.D. If you need an MD/DO, they'll let you know. Wal-Mart, Costco, Target….all have ODs who would have experience with kids. Just because they work there rather than have their own practice or with an ophthalmologist, does not mean they are worse, have less training, or anything else. If I had a Costco membership, I'd probably go there because of their good prices on glasses. Depending on the age of the kid, sometimes they have to give drops which will leave them dilated for a long time. Just be forewarned, and bring sunglasses, although they'll give you some cheap ones (I put them on top of regular sunglasses.) Oh…DS2 failed his screening exam. DH examined him, and discovered he really did fail it and needed glasses. HE told me to take him to Costco for an exam and glasses. Why? Because ODs are the best for glasses. Now, if DS2 needed surgery, that would be another story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weddell Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 My 5 year old just had an exam at Costco. $55. Unless your child needs a particular specialized exam, an optometrist is fine for standard vision issues and glasses. ETA: The O.D. at Costco isn't a Costco employee, they just rent office space there. It's independent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Costco!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Sam's Club has the best guarantee on eyeglasses. One year, pretty much unconditional. One of my sons once dropped his glasses in a crowd, and they were stepped on and smashed badly. We took the pieces back to Sam's, and they replaced them at no cost to us -- about two weeks short of a year since we had bought them. Youngest son once got a new pair of glasses that just didn't look good on him -- he has very thick lenses, and this frame just didn't work. Sam's replaced them at no charge. In our state, anyway, you don't have to have a membership to get prescriptions, including glasses, at Sam's or Costco. It's the law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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