Money Saving Tips for Family Eye Care

Although we all know that we have to care for our eyesight and ensure that our vision is protected, those of us with families know how fast the cost can add up. Eye exams, glasses, and contact lenses cost a lot, and when vision problems run in the family, before you know it, you can break your medical expense budget.

There are a few ways you can save money when you have a family in need of eye care solutions. Here are some tips to help you trim down your budget while giving your family better vision.

Get a complete prescription.

Each time you or a family member sees the doctor and gets a new eye prescription, make sure you get the papillary distance. When you order glasses from any retailer, they will ask for this, so you need to have it on hand if you want to be able to save money. The measurement is the distance between your pupils, so that the lenses will be centered and give you the best possible vision.

Order eyewear online, not offline.

Companies such as the Lenstore.co.uk site offer better deals on eyewear such as glasses and contact lenses than you can find offline. The reasons are varied, but primarily include the fact that these sites can order contact lenses or frames in bulk. This means they can sell you eyewear cheaper than a retailer who has to order each individual pair. Also, they don't have overhead like the average store in the mall that sells eyeglasses.

Use warehouse clubs to your advantage.

Certain warehouse clubs offer eyewear and vision products at a significantly lower rate than you would find them for in a high-end store. You don't even have to be a member in some cases; check with customer service at a nearby club to find out. You may just be able to walk in and order from the eye care booth near the exit.

Don't get stuck on name brands.

Some people pay far more than they need to for name brands. Especially when you're ordering glasses for your kids, name brands are not very important – both kids and adults break and lose their glasses, after all. Name brands are not a reliable indicator of quality; they simply mean that the designer agreed to let the manufacturer pay them a lot of money to use the name.

Look for clinics that offer free replacements.

Sometimes, optometrists or vision wear retailers will offer clinics where you can get a repair or frame replacement for free. They may give away daily-use contact lenses or even offer discounts at certain times of the year. When you're willing to drive to another side of town to visit a clinic you might not otherwise go to, the benefits can actually be worth it.

Saving money when you have a family is easy if you know what to do and where to look. You don't have to skip your own prescription in order to get proper vision care for your family.

Chelsea Miller has extensive experience in eye care and treatments. She enjoys blogging where she gets to pass on her knowledge on the topic.