What's a typical price for a contact lens exam?

[jodifla]

My eye doctor is retiring, and transferred his patient records to his friend nearby.

The old practice had a cost of $159 for contact lends and glasses exam, and 6 months of lenses.

This doctor charges $149 JUST for the exams!

What's typical in your neck of the woods?

 

[superme80]

At Wal-Mart I pay $90 for an exam. My contacts usually cost me about $60. The Wal-Mart I go to has wonderful eye doctors.

 

[FLCyndi]

$120 for glasses and contact lens exam.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I don't know exactly but I paid $200 for the exam, fitting, and 3 months of lenses.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Going to optometrists is getting to be like going to a used car lot with all the sleazy sales tactics and 'options' that used to be standard. Then add in the new fees and make sure a Phd. in math cant follow how they get to their bottom line.

In the past year or so, I paid $90-$100 or so for a contact exam. That got you a prescription for glasses and contact lenses, but no materials.

I've found you really have to shop around for eye care. I have insurance through work that covers set amounts. For example, I get $150 or so every two years for new frames. Some optometrists won't have any frames for sale for under $250, while another has a huge selection around $125.

I've found that Costco has decent frames and honest sales people not motivated to trick me into buying things I don't need. And good, but not the best, contact lens prices.

 

[jen0610]

My eye doctor is retiring, and transferred his patient records to his friend nearby.

The old practice had a cost of $159 for contact lends and glasses exam, and 6 months of lenses.

This doctor charges $149 JUST for the exams!

What's typical in your neck of the woods?

Do you have vision insurance coverage? That should effect what your paying out of pocket.

We do and with it, the eye doctor does the vision exam for the 10.00 co-pay and the fitting for contacts is 30.00. We get a creidt of 130.00 towards the purchase of contacts, that covers almost all the cost of a six month supply of DD's contacts. Which she can make last a lot longer. Lucky for us, she uses the same strength in both eyes, so we usually only have to buy one box totally out of pocket to get her thru the rest of the year.

 

[coneeny4]

My insurance covers the eye glass exam and I pay $65.00 for the contact exam.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I paid $295 for contact/glasses exams and gas permeable contacts. I don't have vision coverage, but I do receive a "discount" through my insurance. I definitely don't go every year like doctors suggest.

 

[Tozzie]

I pay $160 for the exam and my contacts have to be custom made since my presciption is so high and they cost me $360 for a year.

 

[jodifla]

Do you have vision insurance coverage? That should effect what your paying out of pocket.

We do and with it, the eye doctor does the vision exam for the 10.00 co-pay and the fitting for contacts is 30.00. We get a creidt of 130.00 towards the purchase of contacts, that covers almost all the cost of a six month supply of DD's contacts. Which she can make last a lot longer. Lucky for us, she uses the same strength in both eyes, so we usually only have to buy one box totally out of pocket to get her thru the rest of the year.

No vision coverage. They did offer a 20 percent discount on glasses, but the stuff was already overpriced.

 

[Social Worker Sue]

Going to optometrists is getting to be like going to a used car lot with all the sleazy sales tactics and 'options' that used to be standard. Then add in the new fees and make sure a Phd. in math cant follow how they get to their bottom line.

I have been saying this for years

 

[jen0610]

Going to optometrists is getting to be like going to a used car lot with all the sleazy sales tactics and 'options' that used to be standard. Then add in the new fees and make sure a Phd. in math cant follow how they get to their bottom line.

In the past year or so, I paid $90-$100 or so for a contact exam. That got you a prescription for glasses and contact lenses, but no materials.

I've found you really have to shop around for eye care. I have insurance through work that covers set amounts. For example, I get $150 or so every two years for new frames. Some optometrists won't have any frames for sale for under $250, while another has a huge selection around $125.

I've found that Costco has decent frames and honest sales people not motivated to trick me into buying things I don't need. And good, but not the best, contact lens prices.

For years my brother worked for first Lens Crafters, then a couple of private owned optometry stores, both here in IN and in FL. He got out when the prices started getting crazy and he just couldn't stand to see people get shafted.

Those place that offer the 2 pair for 79.99 are only paying a buck to 2 bucks for the frames. They are super cheap imports. I'll gladly pay the $179.00 I did 6 years ago for my Ray Ban frames, as they have lasted for years compare to the pairs my co-works have gotten on the cheap deal. Every year, I get a new exam and if I have to have new lens, I just look super cool at work for a week, as I wear my sun glasses while I wait for the return of my old-new glasses. Once I get them, we send my sun glasses in and get the new lens put in them.

 

[Micca]

Going to optometrists is getting to be like going to a used car lot with all the sleazy sales tactics and 'options' that used to be standard. Then add in the new fees and make sure a Phd. in math cant follow how they get to their bottom line.

In the past year or so, I paid $90-$100 or so for a contact exam. That got you a prescription for glasses and contact lenses, but no materials.

I've found you really have to shop around for eye care. I have insurance through work that covers set amounts. For example, I get $150 or so every two years for new frames. Some optometrists won't have any frames for sale for under $250, while another has a huge selection around $125.

I've found that Costco has decent frames and honest sales people not motivated to trick me into buying things I don't need. And good, but not the best, contact lens prices.

Not sure about contact lenses but I found a good deal on glasses at Costco. My glasses were $300 cheaper at Costco than at my doctor's shop($200 instead of $500). Exactly the same thing! Knowing that, I'd certainly at least check for contacts at Costco. The service there was quite good too.

 

[DizBelle]

I got lasik but when I bought contacts, I bought them from aclens.com. FAR AND AWAY cheaper than any local place.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Update: just went to Costco over the weekend to get my wife's contacts. after my insurance's $150 allowance for actual contact, a $25 costco mailer coupon, and a $25 on-line rebate, we'll be paying $7 for a year's supply of Accuvue Oasis.

The independent optometrist where my wife had here exam wanted something like $350, before insurance, for the same thing. This same optometrist tried making a claim on my medical insurance in addition to my vision insurance, which is done through a separate company. When I asked the optometrist *why* she took down our medical insurance information when we made it very clear we'd be using our vision insurance, she said it was standard procedure for use in case of emergency. Since optometrists are not medical doctors, I think she does it so she can bill naive patients....she likely can't really help in a true emergency, but can attempt to bill you for the consultation.

 

[Colleen27]

I use America's Best - $99 for their little "contact club" which includes the exam and a small "discount" (basically on-par pricing with 800-Contacts/Walmart) on the lenses, and I spring for the $69 "two pair" glasses deal on top of it every couple-few years so I have a current pair of both clear and sunglass-tinted glasses for those days I can't wear my contacts. Since I have a very straightforward prescription and wear disposables they've always been good enough for me.

 

[Ginacrella]

Paid $85.00 at Costco recently.