Eye Exams: FSA Eligibility

Eligible expenses for Limited FSAs can vary. To find out exactly what your Limited FSA covers, contact your FSA administrator.

Under IRC 213(d)(1), "medical care includes amounts paid for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body." This includes medical equipment and devices.

What are eye exams?

An eye exam is a series of tests, performed by a specialized medical doctor called an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or orthoptist, which assesses vision and the ability to focus on and detect objects visually. Eye exams are also meant to check for eye diseases. Eye exams include the use of bright lights and other instruments.

Eye exams typically include a visual acuity test which involves reading letters from across a room. Eye exams also include a manual visual field test that involve detecting spots of light at various locations which tests for range of vision. A refraction assessment is the part of an eye exam that allows the doctor to write an eyeglass prescription. The medical doctor combines various lenses and instruments during the refraction assessment portion of the eye exam to determine the optimal corrective prescription to improve vision (Mayo Clinic).

The doctor will also conduct a slit-lamp examination during an eye exam which allows them to visually assess the health of the eye. Other eye-health related tests that occur during an eye exam include the applanation tonometry test, which checks for risk of glaucoma by measuring the amount of force required to temporarily flatten the cornea (Healthline).