Eye Insurance ?

Written February 2025 by the Nerdy Frames Team

Eye Insurance or Not to Eye Insurance

To eye insurance or not to eye insurance, that is the question. Normally, eye insurance is a fairly cheap add-on to your insurance bundle with a dental plan. Is eye insurance coverage worth it? It depends. A lot of us here at Nerdy Frames have worked in the optical field and have dealt with insurance before. It really does depend on the job you have and how good the health insurance is—which really means how much your employer covers and how much is coming out of your pocket. That will indicate how good the dental and eye insurance will be.

Insurance Coverage

Each eye insurance company has several tiers of coverage, and if you work for a decent union, tech company, or financial institution, the coverage can be amazing. If that’s the case, use the insurance. We have seen benefits covering $100 for a frame, to you covering 20% of the price after $500, to even $800 in frame coverage. That’s why you see frames costing anywhere from $150 to $1,000. Now, this all depends on where you are shopping. If you’re at a local LensCrafters or Pearle, prices are usually midrange—so $150 to maybe $600. Normally, if you’re going there, you probably have EyeMed, which they own. Luxottica owns LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, plus EyeMed, which is the insurance you use. It’s a racket, but legal.

VSP gears their coverage toward stores completely owned or with a 50% ownership by an Optometrist. If you have that insurance, we’re probably used to making a few calls to make sure they take your coverage. VSP is where, in the past, we’ve seen frame coverage as high as $800. Spectera and Davis Vision do have some good plans, but they generally tier to the lower end of coverages.

Cost of Doing Business

Why doesn’t Nerdy Frames take insurance? The amount we charge is about or less than what you would pay out of pocket. Not being a part of the traditional optical world allows us to source our materials and lenses freely. Insurance companies make us price frames at certain levels and want us to use their labs and their lenses, which is how they make money. So you’re not always getting the best.

You will notice opticals trying to upsell you on certain lenses or convince you on newer technology. Honestly, listen to them—the stuff you’re getting from your insurance isn’t great. Eye insurance companies, like all insurance companies are in the business of nickel-and-diming you The cheaper it is for them, the better.

This is why we operate outside the norms of the optical and insurance world. We pride ourselves on being independent. And to provide the premium quality items we offer at the price we do, a brick-and-mortar store would force us to raise our prices.

As always, if you’d like to learn more about Nerdy Frames, our frame offerings, or our free home try-on program, visit https://nerdyframes.com or https://nerdyframes.com/free-home-try-on/.