Can prescription sungalsses be covered by insurance?

[SoloMelody]

The sun was just harsh this weekend. My eyes are not too happy and I have been squinting to look ....might have to see a doctor.

I wear prescription glasses and hence unless I wear contacts cant put on my sunglasses.Contacts make my eyes dry and so I use them sparingly. So I was planning on getting prescription sunglasses.

No idea how much these cost and whether insurance cover it. Anybody BTDT?

[mommylamb]

I've gotten prescription sunglasses with insurance (though the insurance didn't cover as much of them as I would have liked). You can also use your FSA money for them.

[SpaceGal]

We have VSP vision insurance and they covered my presecription sunglasses. The cost was comparable to the cost of regular glasses for me...mind you I'm blind practically so I usually pay for high index thin lenses and what not. So with my sunglasses I went with a plastic frame and thicker lenses to get more tint in them and made them less expensive than what I would have gotten for regular glasses.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Mine are but they would use up all my benefits for the year.

Beth

[amldaley]

You might be able to get the eyeglasses portion covered and then pay for the tint etc yourself.

They are also sometimes covered if you are diagnosed as being photosensitive or medically require sunglasses for some reason.

[Globetrotter]

yes, for sure!

[waitingforgrace]

yes, for sure!

:yeahthat: I have them and they were covered. Worst case you might have to pay for the tint. Most plans allow new lenses every yr and new frames every other so getting rx sunglasses would use your benefits just like regular glasses. Just check your benefits eligibility. Or you can get a "cheap" pair from somewhere like walmart for an affordable price if you don't want to use your insurance benefits.

[trales]

I got mine through Zenni Optical. Love them.

[vonfirmath]

The sun was just harsh this weekend. My eyes are not too happy and I have been squinting to look ....might have to see a doctor.

I wear prescription glasses and hence unless I wear contacts cant put on my sunglasses.Contacts make my eyes dry and so I use them sparingly. So I was planning on getting prescription sunglasses.

No idea how much these cost and whether insurance cover it. Anybody BTDT?

I wear sunglasses that fit over my glasses -- they are "over large" and have "Ledges" that fit around the frame. Quite nice. (i'm blind without glasses. And contacts no longer work :( So not really an option)

[hillview]

With my insurance I get $200 every 2 years to spend on prescription glasses or prescription sunglasses or contacts.
/hillary

[egoldber]

Sometimes my eye doctor runs a B1G1 free sale. They did that a couple years ago and I got prescription sunglasses then. I wear bifocals ( :eek: ) but I got the prescription sunglasses with my distance prescription only. That makes them much cheaper. Since I primarily use them for driving or hanging around outside with the kids, I seldom read with them.

[Gena]

I have had prescription sunglasses in the past. My insurance only covered one new pair of glasses in a 12 month period. So if I needed both regular glasses and sunglasses, I had to pay for one of them myself. A couple of times I got them then Lenscrafters did a "buy one, get sun" promotion. Using my AAA discount with the promotion there made the glasses cheaper than going through my insurance!

Now I just get Transitions lenses. I love that I they change in the sunlight and I don't have to think about it. The only downside is that they don't change in the car, so I have a set of sun blockers that go over my glasses for when I drive. My insurance does not pay for the Transitions, but allows me to buy it as an add-on at a considerable discount.

ETA: I know what you mean, Beth. I recently started wearing bifocals too.

[egoldber]

A couple of times I got them then Lenscrafters did a "buy one, get sun" promotion. Using my AAA discount with the promotion there made the glasses cheaper than going through my insurance!

This is one reason we don't even get vision insurance even though they offer it. By the time we pay the premiums, we find it makes more sense for us to just pay OOP with discounts and use FSA money to cover it pre-tax.

[lizzywednesday]

It depends on your insurance. I'm with VSP and prescription sunglasses are covered, but I don't know about other plans. (VSP has been fairly good to me!)