Compare Vision Plans

Compare Vision Plans and Eye and Vision Care Benefits

Our affordable plans provide regular exams as well as many other important benefits. Most of our vision plans provide discounts on eye exams, lens fittings, and routine eyeglass exams. Some even include full coverage for prescription eyeglasses.

VSP Vision Plan

Help keep your vision sharp by enrolling in a VSP plan. VSP has options to keep you covered. You'll get access to great eye doctors, high quality eyewear, and the affordability you deserve, all at low out-of-pocket costs.

• Standard Plan
• Premium Plan

Ameritas Vision Plans

Protecting your eyes starts with having routine eye exams. To help keep your eyes healthy and eyesight clear, sign up for the Clear View Vision Plus insurance plan today, offered through the partnership of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and EyeMed!

• Clear View Vision Plan
• Clear View Vision Plus Plan

*Not all plans available in all areas.

Are You Putting off Taking Care of Your Eyes?

The ability to see has a major impact on quality of life. However, problems related to vision affect more than 120 million Americans, which makes these the second most common type of health issue in the country. In addition, monitoring eye health can be particularly important to maintaining overall health.

Why You Should Consider a Vision Insurance Plan

Vision care plans and benefits are designed to help you be more proactive about taking care of your eyes. For example, they can help you:

• Lower your out-of-pocket costs on regular eye exams, glasses, or lens enhancements like progressive or multifocal lenses
• Access personalized care from eye doctors who will take the time to get to know you and your unique needs
• Identify early warning signs of serious overall health conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure

How Important Are Regular Vision Checkups?

We often take our eyes for granted. Yet every day, individuals who have had normal eyesight are diagnosed with common vision problems.

Periodic eye exams are essential to preserve and maintain healthy eyesight. Regular eye exams can help ensure that you discover and treat many common vision problems before they occur or progress.

Some common eye diseases include pink eye, dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. These types of visual impairments, along with refractive issues and eye injuries, generally require the attention of vision specialists.

Moreover, there are several early warning signs of serious overall health conditions which an eye doctor may notice before they turn into bigger issues. Some examples include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, some forms of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and thyroid disease, among other concerns.

Yet, people often delay seeing an eye doctor. This may be because they feel they can see "well enough" or because they haven't noticed anything unusual that would seem to justify the time and expense of preventive eye care. This underscores another common reason for opting out of regular eye exams: legitimate concerns about the costs involved.

Unfortunately, these and other justifications can drive people to neglect regular eye exams, and this can lead to worsening vision and undetected issues related to overall health that will not simply go away.

Vision Changes are Part of Normal Aging

Like so many things in life, vision tends to worsen with age. While changes in eye health are considered to be perfectly normal, they still need to be attended to and corrected when possible.

Typically, eye health goes along smoothly until we reach around the age of 40. Then, as with many other health issues, eye health begins to decline. These changes may be noticed, or they may be so gradual that they can go undetected.

For example, by the time they arrive at 45 to 50 years of age most people may find they have difficulty focusing on things up close and need glasses for reading. This is because, with age, the lenses in the eyes begin to stiffen — a condition known as presbyopia - and this makes it hard for the lenses to change shape and refocus as needed.

Around the same time, the lenses can become less transparent, which makes it more difficult for people to see at night. Cataracts may also begin to develop as we age. This is when a part of the eye lens becomes very opaque so that light cannot pass through the lens as easily as before.

In addition to cataracts and presbyopia, older adults have an increased risk for other age-related eye conditions. These include conditions such as diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

As a result of these and other age-related disorders, older adults are also at greater risk of experiencing falls, becoming socially isolated, and losing their independence.

Children and Infants Have Unique Vision Needs

Visual ability develops as children age. Normal vision is not something we're born with. Just as with talking and walking, it takes some time for children's vision to grow and improve.

Eye doctors use a common ratio to rate vision abilities. The term "20/20 vision" is used to convey "normal" visual clarity or sharpness of vision. This means that when measured at a distance of 20 feet, a person can clearly see what should normally be seen from that distance. A newborn's eyesight, on the other hand, is typically rated between 20/200 and 20/400, far from what would be considered normal at any other age.

Along with this difference in the ability to see "normally," newborns eyes may cross or go "wall-eyed," which is when the eyes drift outward in opposite directions. With growing muscle strength, these normal types of issues self-correct, and a baby's ability to see improves. This means that by around 6 months of age, a baby may have 20/100 vision.

It's normal for children's visual abilities to continue to develop gradually through the ages of 4 or 5. Along with this visual improvement comes greater full-body coordination, including standing and walking.

However, vision-related problems can and do occur in early childhood, so it's important to know what to watch for at this stage of development. For example, the following types of signs or symptoms are indications that you should consult with your family doctor:

• A white or grayish white (rather than black) color in the pupil (the hole at the center of the eye)
• Misaligned eyes, or eyes that are chronically crossed, turned out, or unable to focus together
• Rapid fluttering of the eyes up and down or from side to side
• Eye discomfort reported by the child, such as pain or itchiness
• Constantly rubbing the eyes or indications of extreme sensitivity to light
• Chronic tearing or redness of the eyes

As is true at all stages of life, vision changes can come about without you or your child noticing. And, as always, the sooner you can detect and treat a vision problem, the more likely it is that treatment will be effective.