(Westport, CT / October 25, 2021) – Mark S. Agnew, CEO and founder of leading eyewear marketplace Eyeglasses.com (Eyeglasses.com), reminds busy professionals that their vision benefits may be expiring at the end of the year, so now is a great time to make time for eye health.
“Many people have vision insurance or a Flexible Spending Account as part of their benefits package, yet don’t bother to use it,” says Agnew, “and if that plan expires at the end of the year, it’s not only a waste of money, it’s a wasted opportunity to prioritize wellness by letting optometrist exams slip through the cracks. You need to use it before you lose it!”
“Stores that accept insurance also inflate their prices, so that they can accept your insurance plan discounts. This is an especially big problem for people without eyewear insurance.”
So what’s the best plan of action?
“Add up what you pay in monthly premiums, plus your copays, plus your out-of-pocket expenses to buy the frame and lenses you need. In most cases, you will see that eyewear insurance does not save you money. And if you forget to use it (this is how the insurance companies make their money) you will lose it.
“If you have already paid for vision insurance, usually you get the most value by shopping for glasses online on stores like Direct Specs, and then using your “out-of-network” benefits – not only the frames but lens enhancements like anti-reflective, UV, anti-fog and scratch-resistant coatings.”
Is vision insurance worth it?
“Take a close look to see if your eyewear benefit is worth the fees you pay to keep it. In most cases, it is not worth it.”
“Do make an appointment to have your eyes checked every year. It’s easy to put off going to the doctor – life is busy and complicated enough these days – but your sight is arguably the most important of your five senses, so make that appointment before the end of the year and check out the incredible selection of eyewear and extras at Eyeglasses.com.”
About EYEGLASSES.COM:
Mark S. Agnew is the CEO and founder of Eyeglasses.com, a leader in the online consumer eyewear business. Since 1999, Agnew pioneered online retailing by being the first eyewear company with a virtual try-on application, earning two patents that were later sold to Luxottica Corporation.
Agnew has long been a consumer advocate, leaving a successful Wall Street career to develop Eyeglasses.com, which sells high-quality eyewear to customers for half of the price normally charged by optical stores. As an expert in the eyewear industry, he is the author of the Eyeglasses Buying Guide: How to Pay Less and Get More, which offers advice and information to all eyeglass consumers, offline and online.
Founded on the principal of helping others, Eyeglasses.com has continued to evolve its charity program and in 2019 launched PiWear to literally make blind people see again. For every pair of PiWear sold, Eyeglasses.com funds a cataract surgery in India. This effort has earned Agnew wide-ranging media coverage in the press.
Prior to founding Eyeglasses.com, Agnew was Director of Fixed Income Research and Vice President at Lehman Brothers, and before that as Managing Director at Bear Stearns. Agnew started his Wall Street career at Drexel Burnham Lambert, but denies all responsibility for the demise of those three companies. Institutional Investor Magazine recognized Agnew as a top analyst for his investment research, which numbered in the thousands of pages during his ten years on Wall Street.
Agnew earned his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BA in Art History from Vassar College. He is an active Rotarian, was a board member of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce and is active in local charities.
