Does it make sense to buy vision/eye insurance? case study

details here

 Today we will be exploring pros and cons of vision or eye insurance. I will try to illustrate through an example whether or not you can save money with vision insurance. So, let’s get started!
For the purpose of this illustration, let’s select a VSP specific plan VSP-175 for $19.24/month. This is a negotiated rate here are the details: https://www.vspdirect.com/4CA/welcome?utm_campaign=exchange&utm_content=VSPCA00326&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=covered_california_broker

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Let’s start with an understanding of how much an eye exam cost:
A comprehensive Eye Exam costs anywhere from $50 to $200- depending on your location.
According to Fair Health, the average cost of an Eye Exam nationwide are as follows:

Initial patient exam: $200
Established patient exam: $129
Reflective Vision test: $46
Now, assuming that a person also needs glasses, the costs could add up as follows:
Eye Glasses frames or Contacts ($50 - $400)
Rx Lenses $88
Optical Lens Enhancements (such as scratch resistance,
anti-glare, UV Protection, etc. $111

So, what do we have so far:
Comprehensive Exam $200
Reflective Vision Test: $46
Glasses: $200 (let’s just say you go for an average cost brand)
Rx Lenses - $88

Even without any lens enhancements your typical eye exam + eye wear cost could be: $534. With the optical Lens Enhancements the total cost would be: $645

Now, let’s see how much it will cost if you were to use the insurance (As I mentioned the coverage depends on the plan, so we will be looking at the VSP-175 plan). This plan has a $175 allowance for frames or contacts. The example will illustrate the frames allowance:
Comprehensive Exam $15
Reflective Vision Test: $0
Frames: $25 (let’s just say you go for an average cost brand)
Rx Lenses - $25
Enhancements:
Scratch-resistant: - $0
Tinted (colored lenses) :$0
UV protection:  $0
Also, it is fair for comparison purposes to add the cost of insurance, right, so at $19.24/month, the cost per year for vision insurance would be: $230.88
So, total for this case study it will be: $295.88

O.k. let’s look at this again
With insurance you pay $295.88 (which includes the cost of insurance as well). Without insurance you pay $645. So, with insurance you can save as much as $349.12. That is 54% savings!!
Now, if you don’t wear glasses, obviously you will only pay for the comprehensive eye exam, which is about $200 (more or less), so in this case the insurance won’t help much.

So, in conclusion:
If you wear glasses, then the insurance will save you money. Otherwise, you might want to skip it or take a cheaper eye vision plan to cover just the comprehensive exam. You can compare various options using the link to the VSP negotiated plan for $15 and $19/month. 

here is the link tot he discount vision plan: https://www.vspdirect.com/4CA/welcome?utm_campaign=exchange&utm_content=VSPCA00326&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=covered_california_broker