Key takeaways:
- Vision coverage promotes lifelong eye health through regular eye exams that catch serious conditions early.
- Coverage needs shift with age and lifestyle, so it’s important to choose a plan that is right for your family’s requirements.
- Understanding coverage options and costs, like premiums, copays, and allowances, helps you choose the right plan for your family’s needs and budget.
Considering vision coverage for your family?
Vision coverage is a smart way to protect your family's eye health. Routine comprehensive eye exams can detect serious conditions early, like glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration, while also ensuring everyone gets the proper vision correction.
Preventive care helps maintain long-term eye health and supports clear, comfortable vision for the whole family.
Choose the right vision coverage by assessing your family’s needs
To determine an appropriate vision coverage plan, start by assessing each family member’s needs and understanding the recommended ages and frequency of eye exams.
- Newborns: Should be examined by a pediatrician or neonatologist shortly after birth.
- Children (six to 12 months): Have their first vision exam with an eye doctor before their first birthday.
- Children (one to three years old): Eye doctors can check the child’s eye development (as needed).
- Children (three to five years old): Should be seen once to track how well the child can see.
- Age five: Schedule yearly eye exams to determine if the child needs vision correctors.
- One baseline eye exam in the twenties (unless vision is poor).
- Two baseline eye exams in the thirties (unless vision is poor).
- One comprehensive eye exam at 40 (unless vision is poor).
- If you have impaired vision or have been diagnosed with an eye condition, be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations on how often to have your eyes examined.
- Adults aged 65 and older: Once every one to two years, unless otherwise determined by an eye doctor.
Other considerations for vision coverage
While eye exam frequency is an important factor when choosing the right vision coverage, there are other things that need to be considered as well.
Vision correction needs
When reviewing vision coverage options, consider whether you or your family members wear glasses or contact lenses. These often involve ongoing costs for replacements and upgrades, and coverage can vary. Some plans prioritize glasses, others favor contacts, and some offer balanced support for both.
If you need specialty lenses or switch between contacts and glasses, look for a plan that supports those needs within the same benefit period.
Advanced vision care options
Standard vision correctors are typically all you may need, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes more invasive correction may be necessary.
Laser eye surgery (like LASIK) is a common option for those experiencing nearsightedness, astigmatism, or farsightedness. LASIK can provide good vision for many years or decades after the surgery is completed. There are risks associated with LASIK, including surgery complications and cost considerations.
Note: LASIK is typically not fully covered by vision insurance, so it’s important to review your plan’s specific coverage details.
Depending on your coverage, you may also have the option to invest in progressive or UV-protective lenses to meet specialized vision needs.
Costs and budget
It’s important to consider your budget when choosing your vision coverage. Be sure to understand costs such as:
- Deductible: The amount you pay before coverage kicks in.
- Copayments: Fixed fees that are paid at the time of a service, such as an eye exam.
- Premiums: The recurring cost paid monthly to maintain coverage.
- Out-of-network costs: Costs incurred by using a provider that isn’t in-network.
- Allowances: Vision insurance often includes annual allowances for eyewear.
What are the different types of vision coverage available?
Once you've identified your family's vision needs, the next step is choosing where your plan will come from.
Individual and family vision plans
Individual and family vision plans are often ideal for single adults, freelancers, and young adults who are no longer covered under a parent’s insurance. It is acquired by the individual.
Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut offers vision coverage for individuals.
Group and employer vision plans
Group and employer vision plans are types of insurance offered through workplaces or organizations.
Group plans typically provide lower premiums and broader coverage by pooling participants, while employer-sponsored plans are a specific type of group plan included in employee benefits packages, often with the employer covering part or all of the cost.
Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut offers vision plans for groups and employers.
The right vision coverage helps protect your family’s vision
Choosing the appropriate vision coverage is more than just a financial decision. It’s an investment in your family’s long-term health and well-being. By understanding each family member’s eye care needs, evaluating coverage options, and factoring in costs and benefits, you can select a plan that offers peace of mind and clear vision for years to come.
Whether you're looking for individual coverage or a group plan through your employer, Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut has flexible vision insurance options designed to support your family's unique needs.
Looking to learn more about vision coverage? Check out this blog: 5 Vision Health Resolutions to Make in the New Year.
