Vision Insurance

Vision insurance is a subset of health insurance. It is insurance that covers vision care only.

In the United States, vision insurance is most commonly offered as a benefit by employers to employees. Typically, traditional health insurance doesn’t cover vision expenses related to eye exams, glasses, or content lens purchases. Vision insurance was created to fill this void. If a vision condition is more serious, a health insurance plan may cover it. More serious conditions would include eye surgery.

Vision Plan versus Vision Insurance

A vision plan differs from vision insurance in that a vision plan is usually membership-based. A subscriber pays a monthly or yearly fee. In return, the subscriber receives a discount on eye exams and purchases for glasses or contact lenses from participating plan optometrists and ophthalmologists. All expenses are paid out of pocket by the subscriber, and there is rarely reimbursement from the vision plan provider.