FSA Eligible Eye Care for Kids

As kids return to school, it's good to consider several routine medical exams to ensure they're healthy as can be. Among these should be an annual vision exam since kids will be reading extensively, spending hours using computers for assignments, and taking notes from the chalkboard.

August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month. Monitoring vision should start as early as right after birth. A vision exam will help with detecting potential eye problems in years ahead.

Flexible Spending Accounts & Back to School

Flexible Spending Account covers vision care. As you're calculating contributions for open enrollment, think about your family's health needs for the year. Routine eye care (vision exams and testing for glaucoma) out-of-pocket expenses such as co-payments, coinsurance and deductibles can be paid for using an FSA. Additionally, the FSA will cover the cost of glasses or contact lenses, and if necessary, even corrective eye surgery including LASIK.

If you're thinking about your kids, then your FSA can be applied during visits to a pediatrician for vision screenings, and later for an optometrist or ophthalmologist if further exams are necessary. Search for locally-available pediatricians or ophthalmologists using FSAstore.com's FSA Eligible Services.

According to the American Optometric Association, routine vision screenings should be performed at 6 months old, 3 years and 5 years old. Yearly vision exams are necessary since vision can change over time. Poor vision can impact performance in school as it's more difficult to comprehend reading materials or concentrate in class.

Vision concerns

If a child reports the following symptoms (or other more severe ones), it's time to schedule an eye exam with the pediatrician:

·Blurred or double vision

·Increased headaches

·Inability to focus on reading assignments

·Holding books very close to the face or losing their place while reading

·Covering one eye to see better