Eye exams allow you to know the state of your eye and any impending issues that may surface concerning your vision. Eye exam becomes more important when you start to age and understand that vision changes are one of the aging processes.
These facilities offer a varying range of services when it comes to eye health, and also charge differently that you may find it a tad difficult to make a choice. Below is a list of 12 places to get an eye exam:
| Store Name | Eye Exam Cost |
| Costco Optical | $70 |
| America’s Best Contact and Glasses | $50 |
| Pearle Vision | $89 |
| Walmart Vision Center | $79 |
| Eyeglass World | Call |
| Vision Source | $75 |
| Lenscrafters | $73 |
| Warby Parker | $75 |
| Sam’s Club Eye Clinic | $61 |
| Bj’s Optical | $65 |
| CVS | $79 |
| Target Optical | $70 |
Costco
| Exam Price | $50 – $100 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $184 |
| Average Contact Lense Price | $117.99 – 100 lenses |
The name Costco surely rings a bell, but you may not know that the retail giant also offers eye health services. Costco opened its first optical lab back in 1988 and since then has continued to provide impeccable eye health services for its customers, who are also members. The brand has retail stores nationwide that run on a membership model.
The optical service arm of the brand, also known as Costco Optical is one of the largest eye health service providers in the US today. Its services include an eye exam, sale of frames, and lenses among others. Despite its membership model, Costco Optical allows you to see a professional without membership, but you need to be a member before buying lenses and filling glasses prescription form.
Price
The price of an eye exam in Costco is between $50 and $100. However, this price depends on the location of the store, insurance, and the membership status of the patient.
What We Like
Costco is a reputable brand that has been around for a long time. Its optical arm, Costco Optical has also evolved from an arm of the retail brand to a full-fledged optical service provider with branches all over the country.
Hours
Costco Optical operates between 10 am and 8 pm from Mondays to Fridays.
America’s Best Contact and Glasses
| Exam Price | $50+ |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $80 |
| Contact Lense Price | $36.99 – $206.99 |
America’s Best Contact and Glasses is one of the top optical service providers in the US. The brand is like Walmart but for optical services. America’s Best Contact and Glasses has about 700 stores and retail outlets across the country. Apart from offering really low prices, the brand offers a free eye exam when you buy two pairs of eyeglasses.
Price
You may need to part with about $50 for an average eye exam. However, tests for a contact lens start from $90 upward. However, you could join the Eyecare Club established by the brand. The membership offers discounts such as $99 for a contact lens exam for three years, among other perks.
What We Like
The brand offers one of the cheapest eye exams you will find in the country, especially for a cost-conscious family.
Hours
America’s Best Contact and Glasses opens on Mondays through to Saturdays, from 9 am to 7 pm.
Pearle Vision
| Exam Price | $89 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $110 |
| Average Contact Lense Cost | $185 |
Founded in 1961, Pearle Vision is one of the oldest and largest optical health service providers. The brand stayed true to the words of its founder Stanley Pearle, who stated that Pearle Vision would care for eyes and the people behind these eyes. Today, the brand is one of the largest eye health providers that offer a discount on their services.
Price
The price for a routine eye exam at Pearle Vision is $89. This price stands for patients with insurance. In cases where the patient doesn’t have insurance, the price of the eye exam depends on the branch or outlet where the patient is.
What We Like
Pearle Vision offers some of the best prices to people who do not have insurance.
Hours
Pearle Vision offers its services on Mondays through to Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Walmart Vision Center
| Average Exam Price | $79+ |
| Frames For Men | $12+ |
| Frames For Woman | $20+ |
| Contact Lenses | $20+ |
Although it started later than most of its counterparts, the Walmart Vision Center is one of the popular retail discount eye health service providers in the country. The center is found at every Walmart store and is operated by eye health professionals who are self-employed and leased the clinic space from Walmart or those employed by Walmart itself.
The services at Walmart include eye exam and sale of lenses, frames and other items that have to do with eye health. At Walmart Vision Center, you don’t need to do an eye exam to purchase frames and lenses, as long as you have your prescription.
Price
The price of an eye exam at Walmart Vision Center differs from store to store. However, the average price falls around $79. The prices of frames start from $12 for men and $20 for women while contact lenses start from as low as $20.
What We Like
The Walmart Vision Center was recommended because it is the most convenient of all-optical centers. Apart from the great prices, you also get attended to every day of the week.
Hours of Operation
Walmart Vision Center operates every day, from Mondays through Sundays starting from 7 am to 10 pm.
Eyeglass World
Eyeglass World is one of the latest optical centers opening up around the country. The company has over 100 branches and outlets across the country and is more popular for its impressive array of frames. More than an eye exam, you get a wide range of options when it comes to getting frames for your lenses.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t get an eye exam at this clinic. You would need a prescription before getting lenses at this clinic.
Price
The price of an eye exam at Eyeglass World changes with the branch you are in. You may have to contact the nearest branch to get a specific price.
What We Like
The brand has a wide range of options when it comes to glass frames. These options range from luxury brands to cheaper options. There is even a discount where you get two frames for the price of one.
Hours
Eyeglass World opens on Mondays through to Saturdays with the working hours starting from 9 am and ends at 7 pm.
Vision Source
| Exam Price | $75+ |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $150+ |
| Average Contact Lense Cost | $150+ |
Vision Source was the brainchild of optometrists in private practice who wanted to revolutionize the commercial and retail approach to optical health service. As a result, the brand prides itself as an advanced eye care service provider using state-of-the-art pieces of equipment and selling top-notch vision products.
The clinic runs with a unique model. Each of the Vision Source clinics across the country is run by a private optometrist, who runs the clinic as he or she sees fit. While ensuring that the clinic under them operates under the stringent quality requirement of the brand, each doctor controls each Vision Source branch and does not answer to superior management.
Price
Because each clinic is run by different doctors, you may find that the price differs. However, the base fee for an eye exam at Vision Source is $75.
What We Like
This brand has one of the best eye care services which is ensured by the use of high-end pieces of equipment and products. So if you are looking to get the best eye health service, you may want to locate the nearest Vision Source clinic near you.
Hours of Operation
Vision Source opens around 9 am and closes about 6 pm on Mondays through to Saturdays.
LensCrafters
| Eye Exam Price | $73 |
| Exam + Contact Lens Fitting | $113 |
| Retinol Photo Exam | $40 |
| Visual Field Exam | $20 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $150+ |
| Average Contact Lense Cost | $56+ |
LensCrafters is another large retail brand that specializes in eye care and optical health service. The brand has outlets in parts of North America, China, and Hong Kong. The brand also relies on an Accufit system for achieving high accuracy when fitting frames.
One of the major selling points of this brand is its “while you wait” service which means that you only have to wait for a little while before getting your eyeglass fitted.
Price
LensCrafters will take most major insurance plans, but if you’re not covered the average eye exam cost is $73. You can have additional eye exam testing done, such as retinol photo exams for $40 and a visual field exam for $20.
The average cost of prescription glasses from LensCrafters is $150, but you’ll be able to find some cheaper frames, as well as much more expensive designer brand frames.
An eye exam with a contact lens fitting at LensCrafters will cost $113 and contact lenses will cost you around $56 or more, depending on what type you need.
What We Like
You get the best prices and discounts for your eyeglasses, frames, and lenses from this brand.
Hours
The brand opens from Mondays through Sundays between the hours of 10 am and 9 pm, and 11 am to 7 pm on Sundays.
Warby Parker
| Eye Exam Price | $75 |
| Exam + Contact Lens Fitting | $120 |
| Prescription Check | $40 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $95 |
| Average Contact Lense Cost | $21 |
Warby Parker, like popular retailers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the likes, also has an arm that provides optical health services and sells eyeglasses, frames, and lenses. The brand tweaked the approach to eye care and sale of optical frames from the traditional model. Rather than the doctor choosing the frame for patients after an eye exam, Warby Parker laid more emphasis on providing frames at a cheaper price, and this has been the major selling point for the brand.
Price
The average cost of an eye exam at Warby Parker is $75 for a new prescription for glasses; if you only need to renew or check your prescription the cost is $40 in-store or $15 if you do it online.
The average cost of prescription glasses is $95 but the prices start jumping up as you add additional features like blue light filters, thinning lenses, and of course more expensive frames from designer brands.
Warby Parker charges $120 for an eye exam that includes a contact lens fitting, the lower cost disposable contact lenses cost $21, and the price increases if you’re looking for reusable or permanent contact lenses.
What We Like
Warby Parker offers a wide range of optical frames for patients at low prices. This is one of the reasons why the brand is popular and recommended.
Hours of Operation
Warby Parker stores open for optical health service around 10 am and closes by 9 am from Mondays to Saturdays.
Sam’s Club
| Eye Exam Price | $61 |
| Exam + Contact Lens Fitting | $75 |
| Retinol Photo Exam | $10 |
| Dialation | $10 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $21+ |
| Average Contact Lense Cost | $10+ |
Sam’s Club has a reputation for quality eye care services. The brand runs the independent optometrists model where independent eye doctors run each Sam Club eye clinic dictating most of the processes and practice in the clinic.
The eye exam at Sam’s Club tests for refractive errors, visual sharpness, fluid pressure, peripheral vision, and the movement of the eye. You can also check for color blindness at Sam’s Club eye clinic.
Price
Sam’s Club Eye Clinic accepts insurance; however, if you don’t have insurance the average price for an eye exam ranges from $50 to $100, with most locations falling around $61. You can also get additional eye exam testing, such as retinol photo exam for $10 and dilation for $10.
The average cost for prescription glasses at Sam’s Club is $21 but they have a range of frames to choose from and pieces can go up and frames can also be ordered.
Contact lens fitting and eye exams cost $75 on average, with the average cost of disposable contact lenses being $10, but you can purchase larger amounts of permanent contact lenses if needed.
What We Like
Sam’s Club Eye Clinic is one of the places where you will ever find the lowest eye exam process in the US. With a survey that covered more than 100 of its branches showing that the average price of an eye test is $61, you will be hard-pressed to find an eye clinic with cheaper offerings.
Hours
Business starts at Sam’s Club Eye Clinics as early as 6 am and ends by 9 pm from Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays, the opening time is 9 am while business closes around 7 pm.
BJ’s Optical
| Eye Exam Price | $65 – $70 |
| Exam + Contact Lens Fitting | $110 – $130 |
| Spherical Soft Lens Exam | $110 |
| Toric And Astrigmatic Lens Exam | $120 |
| Multifocal Lens Exam | $130 |
| Average Prescription Glasses | $100 – $210 |
| Average Contact Lens Cost | $21 |
The last eye care service provider in this review is BJ’s optical. The brand is a popular name in the US when it comes to eye care services. The company offers prescription glasses, non-prescription glasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses. The brand also has brands that offer eye exams to patients who might need prescription glasses.
The brand, however, doesn’t allow you to purchase prescription glasses online. You need to present a prescription or undergo an eye exam at the center which means that you need to appear in person at the store.
Price
The average price for an eye exam is $65 to $70 across all locations, and the average price for prescription glasses ranges from $100 to $210 for a single pair of glasses.
If you’re looking for contact lenses the contact lens exam and fitting can cost between $110 to $130 depending on what issues you have with your eyes, and the average price for disposable contact lenses is $21.
What We Like
The brand offers great prices and discounts for its eye care products which includes contact lenses, optical frames, and the likes.
Hours
The clinic opens from 9 am to 9 pm on Mondays through to Saturdays. On Sundays, the brand opens by 9 am and closes by 7 pm.
