Your vision care plan works hard for you. Make the most of it.
Understanding your insurance benefits can feel like an overwhelming task. It isn’t always easy to know what you’re entitled to, or how best to access it. And this is especially true of vision insurance, which often seems to fall by the wayside in enrollment considerations.
Many people seem to think that if they don’t wear glasses or contacts, vision insurance isn’t for them. But eye care is much more than just corrective lenses. Our eyes change throughout our lives—age can affect them, and disease too. The eyes can be a bellwether for the whole body’s health, with many systemic conditions showing early symptoms during eye exams. And while you yourself may not need corrective lenses right now, you may eventually—or a family member might.
Vision coverage often goes underutilized. People may not know that a visit to the optometrist could help them, and might put off or skip regular eye exams completely. But your vision insurance offers you a lot to take advantage of whether you wear corrective lenses or not, and depending on the details of your plan, those benefits can extend to your family members too. Eye care is for everyone—don’t miss out on the benefits you’re entitled to.
Vision insurance covers a lot.
Depending on your plan, your vision insurance helps with the cost of eye exams and any prescription glasses or contacts you might need. Eye exams are a key part of preventive medicine, and you should be taking advantage of the peace of mind that an annual checkup can provide. And anyone who has had to purchase new glasses or contacts knows that prescription lenses can be costly, so every little bit helps.
Heritage also offers benefits beyond eye exams and corrective lenses. For those who want to skip the lenses completely, we offer access to discounted LASIK procedures through our business partnerships. And for members dealing with hearing loss, we have also partnered with Amplifon Hearing Health Care to offer affordable, accessible hearing care. We know that health involves the whole body, and our goal is to help you access the care you need most.
Everyone needs eye care.
Our vision changes as we age. Our eyes change shape, and we may need corrective lenses for reading or driving. Age also brings an increased risk of certain vision conditions, like glaucoma or macular degeneration—so even if you see just fine right now, you never know when vision coverage may become important for you.
It’s also crucial to catch vision changes early on. Regular eye exams help you and your care providers establish a long-term record of your eyesight, which can make it easier to identify any differences when they first appear. Early detection means early intervention—whether that’s managing a condition and preserving quality of life, or even preventing it from worsening, your provider will be prepared to work with you to make the right choice for your situation.
Vision insurance isn’t just for you—it’s for your family.
More children need corrective lenses today than they did fifty years ago, and they need them at ever-younger ages. Glasses or contacts are an expense that most families can expect to face at some point, and children who are nearsighted in childhood are at greater risk for age-related eye conditions in the future.
We know that keeping your family healthy is a priority. Your vision may not be changing, but the odds are that someone in your family will have eye care needs at one time or another. If your benefits extend to your family, then taking advantage of regular eye exams can help detect conditions early, and set a useful baseline for future diagnoses.
Don’t put off your eye exam.
Among all the other things you deal with day-to-day, an eye exam may not seem like the most urgent. When you’re busy and something has to give, postponing an appointment with the optometrist can seem like the easy choice, especially if you haven’t experienced any vision changes. But in the case of some systemic health problems that aren’t strictly eye-related, the eyes can nevertheless be one of the first places that symptoms appear—meaning that eye exams are an important part of preventive healthcare.
When your care provider dilates your eyes during an exam, structures in the body which are not usually easy to see, like nerves and blood vessels, are much more visible in their undisturbed state. This makes eye exams a good opportunity to spot the first signs of cardiovascular health issues like high blood pressure, or autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis. And the eye’s high blood flow means that certain types of cancer can spread to it more easily, so an eye exam is a chance to catch the metastasis early on.
You’re entitled to high-quality eye care.
The advantages of quality vision care reach farther than you might expect. Making the most of your coverage benefits your health, your peace of mind, and your finances, and is ultimately good for your wellbeing and that of your family.
Heritage specializes in vision care, but we know that the body is an integrated whole. The eyes are a window into your overall health. If you have questions about your individual coverage, contact your employer today to learn more, and don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to caring for your vision.