Now that the Federal Trade Commission is doubling-down on its rule requiring eye doctors to provide their patients’ prescriptions after eye exams, consumers are encountering more options for their purchases than just those in their doctor’s office lobby.

Glasses retailer Warby Parker is posting record annual profit, and some consumers are looking toward online outlets like Zenni Optical to fill their prescriptions.

Cost-wise, a 2022 Consumer Reports survey with 11,450 respondents found people paid a median of $224 out of pocket or $205 after insurance for glasses. The median price was higher at traditional optical shops, costing people $511 out of pocket. Consumers still face costly fees and financing, said Sally Greenberg, CEO of the National Consumers League.

“The industry has cleaned up a lot,” Greenberg said. “But you do have to watch out, because like any industry, they’re going to add fees if they can get away with it.”

Here’s how experts suggest you avoid steep costs and still look like an enchanting, mysterious intellectual in your next pair.

Before your appointment

First of all, familiarize yourself with the different kinds of eye docs: optometrists and ophthalmologists. Optometrists diagnose and treat eye diseases and vision problems while ophthalmologists provide total eye care and perform surgery, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Greenberg recommended people to go to eye specialists like those once a year, as they detect more than 200 conditions and diseases like macular degeneration, diabetes and brain tumors.

Before heading to her appointment at these traditional doctor offices that often sell glasses, too, Greenberg likes to ask: “What will the exam cost? Are there any additional costs attached? What is the average price of glasses?”

Ruth Susswein, advocacy group Consumer Action’s director of consumer protection, said those providers often attach extra services and fees to the cost of a vision test.

“It’s not always clear to the consumer whether all of those additional tests … are necessary,” Susswein said.

To weed out services that might be costly and unnecessary, Susswein suggested consumers ask: “What is that test? Why do I need that?”

Whenever Greenberg encounters a surprise fee, she simply says, “I don’t want to pay that.” A few years ago, when she complained about a “refraction fee,” it was missing from the bill a year later, she said.

Know the rules

A Federal Trade Commission rule has required doctors to provide patients with copies of their prescription after an eye exam since 1978. The agency has long received complaints that doctors did not comply with the rule, it said in a news release earlier this year.

In the past, Greenberg said optometrists and ophthalmologists could limit options for patients who came in for eye exams, holding them back from shopping around by not providing the prescription.

Without prescriptions, Susswein said consumers often settled on purchasing glasses at the optical office before considering other options.

“If you didn’t know, as a consumer, that you were entitled to it … you might not know to ask for it,” Greenberg said.

The agency changed the rule this summer, requiring doctors to request their patients to sign a statement confirming they received their prescription, the news release said.

Consumers who don’t receive their prescription should ask for a copy, Susswein said. If the doctor still doesn’t provide the prescription, the consumer can file a complaint with the agency, she said.

“There are those in the optometry industry that would look to, if not eliminate, at least curb our freedom of choice, consumers’ freedom of choice, because it’s not in the optometrists or opticians’ best interest to have more competition,” Susswein said. .

Assess your options

If consumers aren’t satisfied with offerings from their eye doctors, they can take their prescription elsewhere.

“We have so many options these days of where to buy eyeglasses and contact lenses,” Susswein said. “And that competition leads to lower prices and more affordability and more choice. And that is what is best for consumers.”

Varieties vary widely. Reading glasses, available without a prescription at general retailers like Target for less than $20, can help people focus on small text as they age and the lenses inside their eyes become more rigid. Prescription glasses, which tend to be much more expensive, correct a patient’s specific vision problems. Some of them, called bifocals and trifocals, can contain multiple prescriptions correcting both nearsightedness and farsightedness in a single pair.

Check with your health insurance plan administrator or workplace benefits manager on how you can use your FSA and HSA dollars for glasses. People can typically use these funds to pay for vision expenses, such as reading glasses, beyond what vision insurance covers, like annual eye exams. You can save money by using your HSA or FSA to cover costs your employer or insurance plan won’t reimburse.

Do your research

Greenberg said consumers should check online comments for low-cost glasses retailers like 1-800 Contacts to verify they consistently fill the right prescription. A consumer can occasionally receive the wrong prescription, she said.

Greenberg said consumers are often offered add-ons like anti-glare, UV protection and scratch-resistant coating. Susswein said eye doctors should disclose the costs of these extras. But make sure you only pay for extras you want.

Some local shops offer expansive customization. IWare Northeast cuts all its frames by hand, allowing them to customize frames. It also outfits vintage frames with new lenses. Specs Optical in Minneapolis offers free frame cleaning and adjustments every three to four months.

Greenberg said less than a decade ago, she’d pay up to $1,200 for what she said was a complicated frame. They now cost her as little as a quarter of the price at retailers, she said.

Consumers should check the terms of the return policy before making a purchase, Greenberg said, and avoid financing options if at all possible.

“We never like financing because, oftentimes, those are very onerous and predatory terms,” ​​Greenberg said.

2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.