The Best Places to Buy Glasses Online With Insurance, HSA, or FSA Money

April 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Where to buy glasses online using insurance FAQs

What is FSA/HSA?

A FSA, or flexible spending account, is an account provided by your employer in order to save on taxes and pay for qualified expenses. The IRS sets a limit on how much money you and your employer can add to your FSA. These funds expire at the end of each calendar year, so remember to use it or lose it. You can pay for qualified items with a debit or credit card linked to your FSA, or you may use your own money and later submit a receipt to your account manager for reimbursement. 

An HSA, or health savings account, is a type of flexible spending account geared towards qualified medical expenses. By enrolling in a High Deductible Health Plan and opening an HSA, your monthly insurance premium is usually lower, while tax exempt dollars from your HSA pay for higher deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and other health-related costs. Your HSA balance rolls over from year to year so you can save up to pay for eligible medical expenses. 

Read more in our personal finance explainer on the differences between HSA vs. FSA

What is pupillary distance? 

When ordering glasses online, you'll be prompted for your PD, or pupillary distance. Your PD is a key component of your prescription, as it aligns the power of your lens with the center of your eye and determines at what exact point you'll be looking through. You can measure your PD at home using a ruler as demonstrated in this helpful guide from GlassesUSA.com. The YesGlasses guide for measuring PD with a credit card is useful if you don't have a ruler on hand. 

What are the main differences between lens types?

When ordering glasses online, you have 3 main options for lenses: 

Single vision lenses hold one prescription and are used mostly for people with either myopia (nearsighted) or hyperopia (farsighted). 

Bifocal lenses are usually prescribed for presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness. Bifocals separate your distance prescription from your reading prescription with a distinct horizontal line. 

Progressive lenses accommodate your distance, mid-range, and reading prescriptions all in one lens, allowing you to smoothly transition between separate fields of vision. 

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