Short answer: check coverage and your prescription rights before you borrow. Original Medicare does not pay for routine eye exams or for glasses, with one exception after cataract surgery. Federal rules give you a copy of your eyeglass and contact lens prescription, so you can compare sellers. Glasses, contacts needed for medical reasons and laser eye surgery to treat defective vision count as medical expenses for an HSA or FSA. If you still need to finance, compare the total cost.
What Medicare covers
- Medicare does not cover routine eye exams, and you pay all costs for them, including exams for eyeglasses or contact lenses. Some Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) offer extra benefits such as vision (Medicare.gov).
- Part B does not cover eyeglasses or contact lenses in general. The exception: one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames, or one set of contact lenses, after each cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens (Medicare.gov).
- For those lenses you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, plus any extra cost for upgraded frames, and Medicare pays only a supplier that participates in Medicare (Medicare.gov).
Your right to your prescription
Under the FTC Eyeglass Rule, an eye doctor must give you a copy of your prescription right after a refractive eye exam, before offering to sell you glasses, whether or not you ask. The doctor cannot require you to buy glasses to get the exam, cannot charge an extra fee to release the prescription, and cannot make you sign a waiver. The doctor may hold the copy until you pay for the exam, but only if a patient who needed no glasses would also have had to pay at once (16 CFR 456.2). A doctor with a financial interest in selling eyewear must ask you to sign a statement confirming you received it, or keep evidence that a digital copy was sent (16 CFR 456.4).
The FTC Contact Lens Rule works the same way after a contact lens fitting: you get a copy whether or not you ask, and the prescriber cannot require you to buy lenses, pay an extra fee or sign a waiver to get it. A seller you choose can also get a copy or a verification (16 CFR 315.3). A contact lens prescription runs for at least one year from its issue date, unless the prescriber sets a shorter date for a medical reason and records why (16 CFR 315.6).
Using an HSA or FSA
- IRS Publication 502 (for 2025 returns) lets you include eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses needed for medical reasons, equipment and materials for contact lenses such as saline solution, and eye surgery to treat defective vision, such as laser eye surgery or radial keratotomy (IRS Pub. 502).
- Qualified medical expenses for an HSA or health FSA are generally those that would qualify for the medical expense deduction (IRS Pub. 969).
- As an itemized deduction, you can deduct only the part of your medical and dental expenses that is more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (IRS Pub. 502).
This is general information, not tax advice.
Example: financing $2,500
This example is only for the math, not an average price for glasses or eye surgery. It finances $2,500 over 24 months at the Federal Reserve's August 2026 averages: 11.90% APR for 24-month personal loans and 22.36% for credit card plans (G.19). Your rate depends on your credit and the lender.
| Option | Monthly payment | Interest | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal loan at 11.90% | $117.57 | $321.68 | $2,821.68 |
| Credit card at 22.36% | $130.14 | $623.36 | $3,123.36 |
$117.57 x 24 = $2,821.68, and $130.14 x 24 = $3,123.36. A loan origination fee would add to the loan cost; the origination fee calculator shows how. Provider financing with deferred interest is covered in the medical bill payment plan guide.
Questions to ask before you pay
- Does my plan, or my Medicare Advantage plan, cover exams, glasses or contacts, and at what interval?
- Did I get a copy of my prescription, so I can compare prices with other sellers?
- For eye surgery, what does the quoted price include, such as follow-up visits?
- Can I pay part of this from an HSA or FSA?
Related: paying for hearing aids and paying for dental care. This guide gives general information. It is not medical or tax advice.
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Sources
- Medicare.gov: Eye exams (routine)
- Medicare.gov: Eyeglasses and contact lenses
- 16 CFR 456.2: Eyeglass Rule, separation of examination and dispensing
- 16 CFR 456.4: Eyeglass Rule, confirmation of prescription release
- 16 CFR 315.3: Contact Lens Rule, availability of contact lens prescriptions to patients
- 16 CFR 315.6: Contact Lens Rule, expiration of contact lens prescriptions
- IRS Publication 502: Medical and Dental Expenses
- IRS Publication 969: Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans
- Federal Reserve: G.19 Consumer Credit (released October 7, 2026), terms of credit, August 2026: credit card plans and 24-month personal loans
Disclosure: Modern Lending Solutions is not a lender, loan broker or agent for any lender or loan broker, and does not make credit decisions. Any compensation we receive is paid by participating lenders, only for advertising services. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.