Tips for saving on eyeglasses
DEAR SAVVY SENIOR: What tips can you recommend for finding affordable prescription eyeglasses? I used to have vision insurance through my work but lost it when I turned 65 and signed up for Medicare. — Need Spectacles
Dear Need: Unfortunately, in 2020 it’s still true that original Medicare does not cover vision services, which include routine eye exams and prescription eyeglasses — unless you have just had cataract surgery. While there’s no one solution to this common need, here are a few tips to help you save.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans, which are sold through private insurance companies, cover the same medical and hospital services that original Medicare does, but many also provide vision, dental, hearing and prescription drugs.
To locate Advantage plans in your area that provide vision coverage, go to Medicare.gov/ plan-compare or call 800-633-4227. Before enrolling, check benefit details to ensure the plan’s vision coverage includes routine eye exams, eyeglass frames and lenses.
If you are enrolled in original Medicare, you can switch to a Medicare Advantage plan each year during the open enrollment period, which is Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. Or, if you have an Advantage plan that doesn’t provide adequate vision coverage, you can swap it for another plan from Jan. 1 to March 31.
If you don’t want to change your Medicare plan, though, you can still get coverage by purchasing a vision insurance policy — see ehealthinsurance.com. Vision policies typically start around $11 to $13 per month for an individual, but before signing up, make sure your savings potential is worth the cost of the monthly premiums and required copays.
Discount stores
Purchasing eyeglasses from discount retailers is another way to save. Costco Optical is one of the best discount stores for good eyewear and low prices. Eyeglasses cost an average of $184, but to shop there you have to pay a $60 annual membership fee. Some other good retail options for low prices include Sam’s Club Optical and Walmart Vision Centers.
You also need to find out if you are eligible for any discounts. Some retailers provide discounts to membership groups such as AARP and AAA. AARP members, for example, can get 30 percent off a pair of glasses (frames and lenses) at Lenscrafters or Glasses.com, and you save an additional $10 on a complete pair at Target Optical. AARP also offers $55 comprehensive eye exams (dilation included) at participating eye doctors. See Aarpvisiondiscounts.com for more information.
Buy online
Buying eyeglasses online can also offer big savings. Sites such as Zennioptical.com and Eyebuydirect.com sell prescription eyeglasses for as little as $6. These sites let you upload a photo of your face, so you can see what you would look like in different frames.
Or, for a snappier choice of frames, see Warbyparker.com, which offers single-vision glasses starting at $95. It even offers a free program where you can request up to five pairs to try on at home for five days.
To purchase glasses online, you’ll need a valid prescription from an eye doctor (typically no more than a year old), plus your pupillary distance number, which is the distance, measured in millimeters, between the centers of your pupils in each eye.
Low-income assistance
If your income is low, depending on where you live, there might be clinics that provide free or discounted eye exams and eyeglasses. Put in a call to your local Lions Club, or see Directory.lionsclubs.org for contact information.
You might also be able to get free eyeglasses through New Eyes (NewEyes.org, 973-376-4903), a nonprofit organization that provides free eyeglasses through a voucher program to people in financial need.