Vision insurance is insurance that covers expenses related to eyesight. That sounds simple, but in practice, the ins and outs of getting covered under a vision insurance policy can become very complex, very quickly.

What it Covers

Something that you need to acknowledge regarding vision insurance is that you can’t take for granted that anything at all is covered by your policy. Most vision policies will cover all services rendered by eye care professionals, including optometrists and ophthalmologists, but that does not necessarily include having glasses made, it doesn’t necessarily include the glasses themselves or any contact lenses, it might not include any sort of medication, laser surgery or corrective therapy.

Some general health insurance policies may cover vision, but this is never a safe bet if you haven’t checked your insurance policy’s fine print to make certain of what it does and does not cover.

In short, if you have health insurance, and even if you have vision insurance, don’t just assume that you’re covered, make sure that you know exactly what is and isn’t paid for by your insurance policy.

In practice, most vision policies do provide at least partial coverage for glasses, contacts and other vision related expenses.

Check Ups

While we’ve made clear that vision may or may not cover all of your needs, the good news is that most vision insurance policies do cover annual eye exams. This means that you will be able to catch any serious vision concerns before they become a major problem. This alone makes vision insurance worth the cost for many.

A Quick Guide to Buying Vision Insurance

It may be possible for you to buy all of the vision insurance that you need through your current health insurance provider. Before contacting another company out of the blue, you’ll want to talk to a representative at your current health insurance provider to see if they offer any sort of vision insurance options. You may be able to save a considerable amount of money through discounts and package deals offered by your current provider.

At the same time, this may limit your options. Discounts may only be provided on certain packages that don’t quite cover what you’re after.

If you have any serious vision concerns, then you’ll certainly want to look into full-coverage vision insurance, covering everything from eye examinations once a year to glasses prescriptions and any medication that you may find yourself in need of.

When buying insurance, make absolutely certain that everything you need covered is covered. Don’t take anything for granted. Ask about glasses coverage, ask about medication coverage, ask about laser surgery coverage. Don’t assume anything is covered by default, and make sure that you read your policy from front to back before signing.

The Importance of Getting Covered

Most general health insurance policies will not cover vision, by default, but vision is really one of the most important things when it comes to protecting your health.

The bottom line is this: without good vision, all of your other health concerns are compromised.