10 Ways to Use Your Flex Spending Dollars on Eye Care
What Is A Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?
A Flexible Spending Account, also known as a flexible spending arrangement, is a tax-free way to pay for medical and health related expenses not covered by your health or vision insurance. FSAs allow employees to set aside a portion of earnings to pay for qualified expenses up to $5,000 per year. These accounts are great for lowering your taxable income and in turn saving you money, but if you don’t use your FSA dollars by the deadline you will lose them for good. Some employers do have a grace period, but it is best not to wait. As the year comes to an end, time is running out to use your FSA dollars before they expire, so don’t forget to use some of that flex money to care for your eyes. Make an appointment now with one of our amazing eye doctors to put your FSA dollars to work.
Frames + Lenses
You need your glasses to see, but they can also be fashion accessories, or a type of jewelry for your eyes. If you already have a “safe” pair for everyday use, now may be a good time to pick a more daring pair of designer frames to add to your collection, or a back up pair to use in case of miss-placement or damage.
Prescription and Non-Prescription Sunglasses
Protect your eyes against harmful UV rays by wearing sunglasses year round. Some people don’t know that even non-prescription sunglasses qualify for flex spending, so now is the time to get those designer sunlasses you have been eyeing.
A Year’s Supply of Contact Lenses
Whether you wear daily or extended-wear disposable contact lenses, they typically have a shelf life of up to four years as long as they are stored properly. So it is a great idea to use your FSA to buy a year’s supply of contacts, which enables you to save even more with manufacture rebates and/or bulk discounts. If you’re concerned about your prescription changing during the year, don’t be – we will let you return your unused sealed contact lenses for a new prescription, if it changes.
Contact Lens Solution Cleaners & Eye Drops
Although we don’t think about it as a big expense the small things can add up over the course of a year. If you have a few dollars left in your FSA, why not stock up on products like solution, enzyme cleaners and dry eye drops? Your eyes will thank you for it later.
Children’s Eyewear
If your child wears prescription eyewear getting them another pair could help avoid an unexpected expense or trip to the doctor in the event they lose or break their current pair. And even if your child doesn’t need glasses to see it is extremely important to protect children’s eyes with sunglasses. We have a great selection of Ray Ban eyewear for children, which are affordable, durable, and stylish.
Computer Lenses
Suffering from eyestrain, headaches or blurry vision after a long day on the computer? Computer lenses or Blue Protect Lenses could help. Even if you don’t normally need eyeglasses, your eyes could benefit from the protection and functionality that these specialty lenses have to offer. Benefits include better focus; reduced eye fatigue, and protection against harmful blue light. These lens options will help you maintain your eye health when your work just won’t let up.
Sport Glasses
Don’t forget to protect your eyes while you work and play. Buying prescription sport or safety glasses can prevent eye injuries and increase performance.
Eye Exam Co-Pay
You can also use your FSA dollars to offset deductibles and co-pays for eye exams. If you haven’t gotten your eyes checked this year, schedule an exam today to make sure your eyes are as healthy as they can be. Also keep in mind your flex spending dollars can be used for any specialty diagnostics, if recommended by your doctor.
Colored Contact Lenses
Colored contact lenses are considered to be a medical device and therefore should only be used with a prescription from your eye doctor. So if you want to change your brown eyes to blue or enhance the natural color of your eyes you can use your FSA dollars to do just that.
Special Effects Prescription Contact Lenses
Even if you want to get a little crazier, special effects contact lenses like Crazy Eyes do qualify for Flex Spending. These fun lens options are not just for Halloween, they can also add a little excitement to New Years and other parties as well.