Cost of contact lenses?

[Marionnette]

OP here.
Thank you all for giving me information about what to expect and prices.

I called the eye center this morning. This is a eye center that DD has been using for the past few years. I made her an appointment for this Friday to do the contact lens fitting. They do have separate appointments for eye exam and fitting.

She did her eye exam back in December. The receptionist said that they charge about $119 for the contact lens fitting (actually $140 for fitting, but we get 15% discount for VSP members). It will be $55 next year. Fitting is not covered by VSP.

The daily contact lenses (the most expensive kind) run about $400/year. That is for 8 boxes of $90 each. If we use our VSP $105 yearly limit, that will bring it down to $295. There is a $70 rebate with yearly amount, which brings it down to $225. That is if we use the VSP contact allowance and lose the eye glasses allowance.

I think we will buy the glasses with VSP and pay contact lenses out of pocket.
This eye center is very expensive, but since DH took DD to the eye appointment, now we are stuck to get the fitting here too. I did add about $1000 to our Flexplan this year, so the total of about $500 will be covered for now. Most likely we will go to a less expensive place next year.

Oh, I might just get the first box at this eye center and then switch to Costco if it is cheaper.

If you buy your first 2 boxes from the eye center (you will need to buy 2 unless she is one of those rare people with an identical correction in each eye), you will end up paying less OOP right now, but you will lose the $70 rebate on the yearly supply (you must buy the entire year's supply at one time to get the rebate). It might not be enough of a savings at Costco to make up the difference.

 

[disneypharm]

If you buy your first 2 boxes from the eye center (you will need to buy 2 unless she is one of those rare people with an identical correction in each eye), you will end up paying less OOP right now, but you will lose the $70 rebate on the yearly supply (you must buy the entire year's supply at one time to get the rebate). It might not be enough of a savings at Costco to make up the difference.

Oh, I didn't think about that!! Thanks.
I just looked at my post and realized that 8 boxes of $90 each doesn't add up to be $400!!! That's what she told me! I guess I will find out on Friday.

 

[elgerber]

My dd wears the monthly lenses. When we do the fitting, she wears the lenses home that they put in at the fitting. That set lasts her 30 days which gives me plenty of time to go to Costco and order them.

 

[kiramay]

I bought a 2 year supply of Acuvue Oasys at Sams Club for about $400. I probably spend $20 every few months for solution.

 

[elaine amj]

I wear some of the most expensive contacts (focus day and nights) and we have no vision insurance. My contacts cost about 380.00 a year. I have worn them for years and years.

I wear the same ones. and yes, they are expensive!! I buy them online at http://www.aalens.com. I love that place - been ordering for about 5 years now. I pay about $180 for a year's supply - crazy savings. The Acuvue Oasys someone else mentioned is only $100 for a year's supply.

I only go for eye exams every other year (what my insurance covers) so I like that they don't ask for a prescription like many other companies do (because they are legally required). This one is based in Singapore - so they don't have to. I just get my prescription from my optometrist and fill out the boxes and I am set. Plus delivery is a measly $1.50 and I get it within a couple of weeks.

I was a little leary at first because they are not as well known as some other big online companies - but 5 years later I am a happy customer and they are consistently amongst the cheapest prices.

 

[Colleen27]

I wore Acuvue 2s for years, which are available through America's Best eyecare club for $12.50/box ($100/year). Last year I switched to a thinner lens because I do wear mine for a lot of hours and now I'm paying $23.50/box ($188/year). My prescription has been stable for years now too, so I just order a year's supply when the prescription is about to expire to space my exams out a little more.

 

[Pakey]

I've had contacts for 30+ years. This year I went to custom bifocal contacts. They do run close to 1000 a year (wear a pair for 3 months). I hadn't liked mono vision lenses (one for near and one for distance) so decided to try custom bifocal lenses. Unfortunately there's no way to demo these. I'm not sure I will get again next year.

 

[wendow]

I do not spend nearly that amount on contacts per year. I would dare say It all depends on what you buy though, some types are more expensive than others. The ones I get, Acuvue 2 disposables are less than $20 a box. I don't know how long you are supposed to use them exactly (I think it is 2 weeks)...I stretch them out for a couple months. I can make it a year on 4 boxes. The cost of solution is quite minimal.

My dh did this for YEARS before he had Lasik. He wore the 2-week lenses for about 6 weeks and never had any issues.

 

[elaine amj]

Some ppl are fine overwearing their lenses. When I did it, i ended up with blood vessels growing in myveye - not a good thing. I actually wear my monthly lenses for only 2 weeks now. I would switch to dailies but the night n Day is the only one with enough oxygen flow to feel comfortable in my eyes. Even though they can stay in my eyes for 2 weeks to a month, I have to take them out daily. When I travel though, i leave them in for 3-5 days at a time and they are fine. So my cost is double the "normal" cost.

 

[wendow]

Some ppl are fine overwearing their lenses. When I did it, i ended up with blood vessels growing in myveye - not a good thing. I actually wear my monthly lenses for only 2 weeks now. I would switch to dailies but the night n Day is the only one with enough oxygen flow to feel comfortable in my eyes. Even though they can stay in my eyes for 2 weeks to a month, I have to take them out daily. When I travel though, i leave them in for 3-5 days at a time and they are fine. So my cost is double the "normal" cost.

Yeah, I didn't say it was good LOL. I nagged him constantly to change his lenses but he seemed fine. He could always tell when his eyes were asking for a new pair and it regularly was at about 6 weeks. Obviously, we saved a lot of money b/c he did that. He also liked the Equate brand of solution. Better than even the pricey name brands. So contacts for him were not that costly.

Also, just remembered. My dh took his lenses out every single night to give his eyes a break. I don't know if that is the norm or not. He just didn't like sleeping in them.

 

[tina.tina]

I wear Accuvue 2 and now my husband does, too. They are less than $20 a box at Walmart & even cheaper at Sam's. In my local area, it seems that large eye centers and independent drs make a lot of money from markup of contacts and do not like to write prescriptions. They want you to buy your contacts from them. Ask for a prescription. We went to a large eye center one time (saw an ad on tv) and they gave me an off brand of contacts that bothered my eyes terribly. I went back for my free follow up and said, can't you just give me a prescription for Accuvue 2s because that's what I've always worn? She relented and it was much cheaper for me to buy them at Walmart.

DH had an eye infection and went to a local doctor a few years ago. They charged him $120 and would not file with our insurance under medical. They wrote him a prescription for glasses but would not do a "contacts exam" because of his infection and asked him to come back for that. He said he was sure they would not charge him extra for the contacts exam- yeah right. I called and it would be another $150 for the contacts exam. He went to Super Walmart instead. A "contacts exam" is $90 at a Super Walmart about 30 miles from my home. You get a contacts rx and a glasses rx for that price.

Last time we both had an exam, we went to a (different) local independent dr and it was $110 for the contacts exam (which also included glasses rx). But we didn't have to pay gas and I saved time off work so we just went there. My husband wore Focus for years. That is what the dr he originally saw recommended for him and no one ever changed it. When we went to this dr at the same time, I asked couldn't DH just get the same type as me because it's cheaper? He said there was no particular reason DH had to have a certain brand. DH likes the Accuvue 2's better and his allergies bother his eyes less, too.

So, to sum up, it seems to me that you have to be extra pro-active with eye care, asking for what you want and for extra explanations, as well as shopping around.

I'm not sure what brand my sister uses but she never takes her contacts out and never changes them. I mean she wears them for a year or two day and night. She only goes back to the doctor when one tears. She has done this for about 20 years. She is almost legally blind without her contacts. She got contacts at 12 from the same eye dr who didn't want to give them to me at 16 because he was worried about me being too young to use them responsibly. I keep telling her that she will be totally blind when she's older.

 

[MEM]

DD17 has worn dailies for four years now. Our insurance doesn't cover contacts
but I am able to pay for them using my FSA card. They average about $1 per day or $365 for the year. I buy them through Vision Direct using MyPoints. Since they are dailies she has never had an eye infection nor needed solution.

 

[Colleen27]

Yeah, I didn't say it was good LOL. I nagged him constantly to change his lenses but he seemed fine. He could always tell when his eyes were asking for a new pair and it regularly was at about 6 weeks. Obviously, we saved a lot of money b/c he did that. He also liked the Equate brand of solution. Better than even the pricey name brands. So contacts for him were not that costly.

Also, just remembered. My dh took his lenses out every single night to give his eyes a break. I don't know if that is the norm or not. He just didn't like sleeping in them.

I've found that I can either sleep in mind from time to time and toss them on schedule OR take them out every single night and overwear them. At least that was the case with my Acuvue 2s. I haven't tried either in the new lenses yet. But I can feel when I need a new pair - my eyes start to dry out and feel tired in the evenings, which doesn't happen with fresh lenses.

My vision is so bad that if we're traveling or are otherwise out of our normal morning routine I do sleep in my contacts. At home I don't mind taking them out at night but it really bothers me to wake up completely blind in an unfamiliar place, and I don't get the same clarity of vision with my glasses (even though they're brand new) as I do with contacts. I think it is the no peripheral vision factor, I actually get a little motion sick in the transition because I'm so unused to having to look straight on at whatever I want to see.

 

[JoiseyMom]

We have VSP and I use the benes for glasses and pay for contacts on my own oop. I google my daughters lenses and go with the cheapest company. I make sure the company has good feedback also. I paid 70.00 last year for her lenses. Costco couldn't come close to that price. Hers are monthlys, she takes them out every night too. But they are all priced differently.

 

[wallawallakids]

It really depends on the contact. I have been wearing contacts since I was 13 and I am now 35 so I have bought a lot of different kinds over the years and they have varied widely in price.

Right now I am in one of the most expensive lenses. I wear Acuvue TruEye. They are daily disposables. We just fitted my DD this year with contacts and placed her in Acuvue Daily Moist. I just purchased a year supply last week for both of us from 1800 contacts. For us the cost was $1200 before the rebates. After the rebate the total for my daughter's contacts is $459.92/year. Mine were $584.96/ yr after rebate. I got back around $150 in rebates.

If you do not get daily contacts they are cheaper. Good luck, and like PP said, they will charge you a contact fitting fee which will not be covered by insurance. Ours was $75.

 

[disneypharm]

OP here again.
Thanks again for all your information.
I see price range from less than $100 per year up to more than $500 per year here! Since I am stuck with the same eye center, I am forced to pay the $119 for DD's fitting this time. We will probably have to get the first year because of the $70 rebate. I just have to wait and see. After that I will definitely shop around. We will probably not buy her glasses at this eye center. We have been using VSP for her glasses, but we always end up a lot out of pockets there too. DD always need a second pair for emergencies, so I think we will try a cheap location. Thank God for the Flex plan.

 

[Lewisc]

OP here.
Thank you all for giving me information about what to expect and prices.

Oh, I might just get the first box at this eye center and then switch to Costco if it is cheaper.

If you buy your first 2 boxes from the eye center (you will need to buy 2 unless she is one of those rare people with an identical correction in each eye), you will end up paying less OOP right now, but you will lose the $70 rebate on the yearly supply (you must buy the entire year's supply at one time to get the rebate). It might not be enough of a savings at Costco to make up the difference.

You don't need to buy any contacts from the eye center. They eye doctor is required to give you a script, which you can fill anyplace. The eye doctor will fit you with trial lenses, no extra cost to you. This doesn't apply if the mfg doesn't offer the practitioner trial lenses. This occurs if you have an extreme script or are using gas permeable lenses both of which are made to order.

 

[Marionnette]

You don't need to buy any contacts from the eye center. They eye doctor is required to give you a script, which you can fill anyplace. The eye doctor will fit you with trial lenses, no extra cost to you. This doesn't apply if the mfg doesn't offer the practitioner trial lenses. This occurs if you have an extreme script or are using gas permeable lenses both of which are made to order.

I knew that but thank you for pointing that out to the OP. She does not have to purchase any materials from the eye center where her daughter has been fitted. By law, the doctor is require to give you the script when asked for it. Generally speaking, the trial lenses are covered under the contact lens fitting fee. Sometimes, the eye center gets them for free from the manufacturer, sometimes they pay a small fee for them.

I do want to say that those rebates can be tricky things. Some will not apply if you purchase from a discounter like 1-800-contacts or Costco. The reason being that the manufacturer has already extended a volume discount to those places. Just make sure that you read the fine print on the rebate and that you check the prices at more than one place before ordering.

ETA: OP - don't forget that VSP also offers additional rebates to their members when purchasing specific contact lenses from a doctor on VSP's panel. Go to https://www.vsp.com/optical-discounts.html for details on rebates for Bauch & Lomb or AcuVue lenses.

 

[wendow]

I've found that I can either sleep in mind from time to time and toss them on schedule OR take them out every single night and overwear them. At least that was the case with my Acuvue 2s. I haven't tried either in the new lenses yet. But I can feel when I need a new pair - my eyes start to dry out and feel tired in the evenings, which doesn't happen with fresh lenses.

My vision is so bad that if we're traveling or are otherwise out of our normal morning routine I do sleep in my contacts. At home I don't mind taking them out at night but it really bothers me to wake up completely blind in an unfamiliar place, and I don't get the same clarity of vision with my glasses (even though they're brand new) as I do with contacts. I think it is the no peripheral vision factor, I actually get a little motion sick in the transition because I'm so unused to having to look straight on at whatever I want to see.

Your experience sounds exactly like my dh. His eyes would feel tired and dry when it was time to change to a new pair. And he wore the Acuvue 2 also. He also could not see as well in his glasses and really struggled when in an unfamiliar place and he'd wake at night. He was basically blind without some kind of corrective lens so he couldn't see the alarm clock or anything.

He had Lasik in Nov 2011. He says it was 'life changing' and he still has to pinch himself everyday that he doesn't need to put on glasses or contacts.

 

[Skatermom23]

Costco just started taking VSP which is also our insurance. We used to buy a 6 month supply from the doctor because we could use the $105 VSP allowance towards the $120 purchase price. Then we would spend $99 at Costco for the other 6 months. On years where DD needed new glasses (she always has a pair just in case) we used VSP towards the glasses and bought the contacts at Costco out of pocket.

When you initially get contacts you have to pay the fitting fee which can range between $100-$400 since this is where they teach you how to put them in and give you the first pair free of charge. Sometimes you can wind up with several pairs until they get the fitting perfect. Each year since, we have to pay an additional $40 for the contact lens update that is not covered by VSP.