How To Check Your Vision Status Without Spending A Fortune?

It is important to be proactive about your eye health and check your vision status regularly. Here’s how to do it without breaking the bank.

One way to check your vision status is to visit an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye exam, but this can be expensive if you don’t have insurance.

Fortunately, there are other ways to check your vision status without spending a fortune. Check them out below!

7 Cheap Or Free Ways To Check Your Vision Status

Here’s how you can easily check your vision status at the lowest cost possible:

1. Look At An Eye Chart

It might be difficult to see a full eye chart in a store, especially if it’s on an end-cap. However, you can usually get a small one at the pharmacy (try CVS or Walgreens) for free!

You can check your vision by standing across from it and looking at each line of letters until you can no longer see them.

Then, have someone else read the chart to you and note which line you stopped at. This is your visual acuity score.

2. Get An Eye Exam

It sounds so simple, but how many people actually follow through? In this day and age with the cost of health care on the rise, it is important to be cost-conscious in how we spend our money.

There are so many great ways to save a buck by going green, there is no need anymore for someone not to be cost-conscious and not to get their eyes checked.

The keywords here are cost-conscious, which means you find a way to do it cost-effectively.

Unfortunately, the cost of an eye exam is up there with dental cleanings and other cost-prohibitive medical procedures. But there is a way around that cost as well.

Many optical stores offer eye exams. Some cost as little as $10, and some cost more, but it is a heck of a lot cheaper than going to an ophthalmologist.

3. Do The Pinhole Test

This is a good way to check if you have astigmatism, which cannot be picked up by an app or traditional eye exam.

All you have to do is look at a light source (like the sun or a light bulb) and hold a small hole (approximately 1/16th inch in diameter) over one eye.

If the image is blurry, you might have astigmatism.

4. Look At Distant Objects

If you’re out and about and notice that things in the distance are blurry, this could be a sign that your vision is not as sharp as it should be. This could also mean you have astigmatism since this happens when the cornea has an uneven curve.

By looking at distant objects, you can get an idea of how well your vision is doing overall. If you’re noticing problems with things that are far away, it might be time to book an appointment with an eye doctor.

5. Check For Eye Health Problems

Besides checking how clearly you can see distant objects, it’s important to check for any eye health problems. Many eye health problems don’t have any symptoms, so it’s important to get your eyes checked regularly. Some common eye health problems include cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Getting your eyes checked regularly is important for catching any eye health problems early on. There are numerous vision tests that you can get to check the clarity of your eyesight, which cost just a few bucks at most. Some places even offer free vision tests, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of these.

If you’re a college student, optometry schools might be a good choice for getting your vision checked. Some colleges offer free eye exams to students at their school clinic or in campus laboratories but call ahead before going since it could cost money to get an appointment set up.

Some of the best places for free eye exams are student health centers, community medical clinics, or VA hospitals. These locations typically offer lower-cost options for vision tests, making them great choices if cost is a factor in your decision.

6. Use An App

There are many vision testing apps out there, which you can download for free on your phone! However, some of them have ads and may use more batteries than others.

All you have to do is follow the instructions on the screen while covering one eye with your palm (you should always cover your bad eye when looking at either eye chart). You can then see how sharp your vision is with that eye.

7. Take An Online Vision Test

The National Eye Institute (NEI) has an online vision test that will give you your eyesight level in standard or metric format. You should visit the official website, fill up the form, and receive an email with your report.

However, if you can’t afford it then find and give a free online vision test a try.

The Takeaway

One of the best ways to maintain good eye health is by checking your vision status regularly. However, this doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend a fortune on eye exams.

In fact, the above are several ways you can check your vision status without spending too much.