How to use your UnitedHealthcare Vision benefits to get glasses or contacts

It’s finally happened: squinting while driving, having trouble reading, can’t see your computer while working? It may be time to visit your eye care provider to see if you need prescription glasses or contacts. Don’t worry — you’re in good company. Fortunately, UnitedHealthcare has you covered. Here’s a step-by-step guide to improving your vision.

Unlike off-the-shelf reading glasses, prescription glasses and contacts require the help of a professional — that means seeing either an ophthalmologist or an optometrist. What’s the difference? An optometrist is a doctor of optometry who examines and diagnoses eye conditions, while an ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who treats eye conditions. Both can prescribe glasses and contacts, but ophthalmologists can treat more advanced vision problems.

With UnitedHealthcare, there’s always a provider in sight with more than 170,000 provider access points, so you shouldn’t have trouble using your vision benefits. If you aren’t sure who to see, search our provider directory at myuhcvision.com. For each provider, you’ll find location, contact information, details on credentials and more.

Once you’ve found a provider, set an appointment. Then start counting the days until you can see better.

While you’re waiting for your appointment, spend a little time thinking about what you’re looking for in eyewear. When covered by your vision plan, you can choose glasses or contacts, so consider which will fit your lifestyle better.

Within those categories, you’ll have several options, especially with glasses. It’s a good idea to research your options ahead of time.

Contacts are simple. Unless you have astigmatism (where both near and far vision are blurry), you have two basic options: spherical lenses, where every part of the lens is the same, or multifocal lenses, which correct both near and far vision problems. You’ll also need to think about whether you want hard or soft contacts and how frequently you want to replace them. Your eye care provider can help you weigh those options.

Glasses are a little more complicated. First, depending on your situation, you may want to choose progressive lenses. Like multifocal contacts, progressive lenses transition gradually from your near-vision prescription to your far-vision prescription.

Other lens enhancements are also available. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the options:

• Photochromatic lenses automatically darken when you go outside.
• High-index lenses are lighter and thinner than ordinary lenses, a big plus if you have a strong prescription.
• Polycarbonate lenses are lighter and more shatter-resistant than ordinary lenses.
• Ultraviolet coatings and anti-reflective coatings reduce glare and reflections.

Of course, for many people, the big decision with glasses is which frames to choose. Among the variations to consider:

• Frame type: Full frame, half frame, rimless, lightweight
• Frame shape: Rectangular, oval, round, cat’s-eye, etc.
• Color: Black, gunmetal, tortoise, yellow, etc.
• Size: Small, medium, large, extra large

Again, your eye care provider will walk you through your options, but it helps to go to your appointment with at least a general idea of what you’re looking for.

To determine your vision prescription, your eye care provider will conduct a visual acuity test.¹ That’s where you try to read letters off an eye chart while covering one eye at a time.

A visual acuity test is just part of a comprehensive eye exam, which looks at every aspect of your eye health. Typically, your vision plan covers an annual comprehensive eye exam, whether you decide to get glasses or contacts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual eye exam if you have diabetes and an eye exam every two years if you’re at risk of developing glaucoma.² If your health is normal, ask your eye care provider how often you should come in for an exam.

Assuming your eye care provider says you need glasses or contacts, they will be able to help you pick them out. Since you’ve done your homework, it should be a fairly easy process.

What about cost? If you go with glasses, most UnitedHealthcare Vision plans offer a frame allowance to spend every two years, depending on your coverage. (If the frames you pick cost more, you pay the difference.) Standard lenses are included at no additional cost once a year, plus price protection on popular lens options; see your plan documents to learn what you’ll pay for any lens enhancements you choose.

As for contacts, your vision plan may include one of these options:

• A formulary that offers full coverage for select brands or an allowance toward other brands
• An allowance toward contact lenses and a separate allowance toward fitting and evaluation

(Note that necessary contact lenses are always covered-in-full, although most of the time contacts are not considered “necessary.”)

By the way, you don’t have to buy glasses or contacts at your eye care provider’s office. If you’d like, you can take your prescription to an independent optician’s office or your favorite retailer, or you can order online. In fact, optometrists and ophthalmologists are required by law to give you a copy of your prescription, whether you ask for it or not.³

Now all you have to do is order your contact lenses or wait for your new glasses to arrive. Then you can start seeing your world a little — or a lot — more clearly.