the Cost of an Optometrist

Eye exam (includes refraction & contact lens fitting)

$90 - Comprehensive eye exam

$10 - Eye refraction

$45 - Contact lens fitting

Follow-up visit was free

I went to an optometry clinic in New York City to get a new prescription for eyeglasses and contact lenses. For the net price of $145, the optometrist gave me a comprehensive eye exam. They did not just check my eye refraction, they also checked eye pressure and the over-all visual acuity & health. At the end, I got a new prescription for eyeglasses and contact lenses as well as a free pair of trial lenses. I had to go back after one week to check if the prescribed contact lenses were suitable and this follow-up visit was free.

The best thing about this optometry clinic was that I felt that they gave a very comprehensive eye exam. Since the clinic is attached to an optometry school, I was confident that the main goal of the clinic was to provide good vision care for their patients and not just to sell products. In fact, there was no requirement or hard-selling for me to purchase my eyeglasses or contact lenses from their store. I bought my lenses somewhere else.

The only minor drawback is that, since this is a teaching clinic, you will have to be examined by an intern first before you get seen by the optometrist so the exam may take longer than one performed by an outside optometrist.

See if you can find an optometry clinic that is attached to an optometry school. They will likely offer lower rates and you get the advantage of having access to eye specialists that may do free (or reduced fee) exams at the school.

Before the exam, ask if the fee is the same whether or not you buy your eyeglasses/contact lenses from the optometrist.