Vision Patient Financing Options Can Help Patients Move Forward With Care

When it comes to vision health, patients aren’t always seeing the whole picture. For instance, Synchrony’s Vision IQ Study discovered that while 65% of patients surveyed have vision insurance, 54% pay out of pocket for their vision care.¹ Their insurance may not cover the full cost of exams and testing, let alone frames, lenses, contact lenses and supplies. Or they may wish to pursue an elective vision correction procedure that requires out-of-pocket payment.

Financing options can help your patients move forward with their vision care. Fifty-five percent of patients surveyed said they’d be more likely to get vision care from a provider that offered a variety of payment options.¹

While 43% of vision patients say they’re open to using a healthcare credit card for financing, only 7% actually do — a nearly 6x gap¹ —which suggests many patients may need clearer awareness of pay-over-time financing options like CareCredit.

What Is Vision Patient Financing?

Providing your optometry and ophthalmology patients options for financing their vision-related costs can help them avoid postponing routine and specialist appointments.

Financing for optometry and ophthalmology practices is generally offered in one of the following ways:

• In-house financing, where the practice administers all payments and collections
• Third-party financing, which enables patients to apply for a line of credit – if the patient is approved, that credit can be used for allowable optometry and ophthalmology costs and the patient pays for them over time

Both approaches give patients flexibility by spreading payments out over time. Many practices — more than 290,000 provider and retailer locations — choose to work with a third-party partner like CareCredit. With the CareCredit credit card, the practice is typically paid within two business days, allowing staff to spend less time managing payment plans and more time supporting patients.

Optometry Patient Financing Can Help Patients Manage Out-of-Pocket Vision Costs

Concerns about costs and insurance coverage can cause patients to delay routine eye exams, eyewear purchases or necessary specialty care. When patients have the option to pay for eligible vision exams, products and procedures over time, it can be easy for them to move forward with the treatment plan you recommend.

Offering vision payment financing may also help you avoid having to offer discounts on premium items like lenses. Instead, you can offer optometry patient financing that allows patients to choose the lens technology you recommend, rather than having to downgrade due to cost or consider a lower-cost provider. This approach can also improve your ability to compete with popular online vision retailers.

Emerging solutions at the intersection of vision and hearing

As optometry expands into adjacent needs, patients may also consider innovative solutions that combine vision with other benefits. For example, Nuance Audio Glasses sit at the intersection of optometry and audiology — stylish frames that can include prescription lenses and embed discreet, open-ear air conduction hearing technology for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.

Benefits of Optometry Patient Financing for Practices

Offering ophthalmology and optometry patient financing can be a win for practices by:

• Improving patient acceptance of recommended eyewear and lens options, specialty fits and vision procedures
• Reducing abandoned care purchases at checkout
• Increasing adherence to your recommended care plans and follow-up appointment scheduling for conditions like dry eye and myopia management
• Making financial conversations between staff and patients more comfortable for a better overall patient experience

How to Talk About Financing and Benefits

Small workflow changes can make financing feel like a normal part of care, especially when paired with clear benefit education.

1. Start with clarity on coverage and expected costs

• Confirm what insurance may cover (and what it may not)
• Provide a straightforward estimate for recommended products/services
• Use simple language like: “Many patients have some out-of-pocket cost even with insurance. Here are the options to help manage that.”

2. Introduce pay-over-time as a standard option—not a last resort

Position financing alongside other payment methods so it feels routine:

• “If you’d like, you can use CareCredit to pay over time for eligible costs.”

Learn More: Cost Talk Toolkits can help: Optometry | Ophthalmology

3. Meet the younger consumer where they are and recognize their influence

Younger consumers often help guide healthcare decisions in their households, including for parents and caregivers. When patients have a positive experience — clear benefit education, transparent costs and an easy pay-over-time option — they can become advocates for your practice and proactive eye health, encouraging family and friends to schedule exams, follow up and move forward with recommended care.

4. Tie to a lifetime cycle of vision care and your network’s reach

For ongoing needs — from routine eye exams to eyewear upgrades and specialty care — access and continuity matter. And because CareCredit is accepted at 290,000+ provider and retailer locations, patients can continue using it as their needs evolve, supporting a longer-term, lifetime cycle of care across routine exams, eyewear upgrades, specialty visits and follow-ups, even when life circumstances or locations change.

Ophthalmology Patient Financing and Payment Options

Simple changes to your practice workflow can help encourage patients to take advantage of their financing options. Start by making sure your patients understand their insurance coverage and giving them a clear estimate of costs for anticipated purchases and procedures. Your staff can then discuss a straightforward, convenient option to pay over time.

Patients interested in the CareCredit patient financing solution can apply using your practice’s custom QR code. If they’re approved, they can use CareCredit right away for eligible purchases and services. Some patients may already have a CareCredit card and will be familiar with the benefits of using it.

Vision Patient Financing for Optometry and Ophthalmology Practices

Are you looking to help your patients keep up with routine eye exams, follow up on recommended eye care and consider premium eyewear? A simple option to pay over time can help. Your patients can stay proactive with their eye health and engaged in their eyewear choices. Your practice can enjoy a more predictable flow of payments and relief from payment administration.

A Flexible Financing Solution for Optometry and Ophthalmology Practices

If you want to help your patients or clients manage the cost of the vision care solutions they want or need, you may want to consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows cardholders to pay for their eye exams, LASIK, surgeries and other treatments or products such as premium frames and contact lenses, while helping to enhance the payments process for your practice or business.

When you accept CareCredit, patients or clients can see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score, and those who apply, if approved, can take advantage of special financing on qualifying purchases.* Additionally, you will be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution for your optometry or ophthalmology practice or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.

Author Bio

Gina LaGuardia is the Managing Editor of Provider Insights, where she helps shape and deliver content strategy that highlights the benefits of being a CareCredit provider. Her work focuses on creating educational, engaging content that helps health and wellness providers grow their practices and strengthen their patient financing efforts. She brings extensive experience in content marketing and social media across health and wellness, personal finance, banking, education and careers, and small business sectors.

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