Arizona Retinal Specialists
Optometrists
Sun City West
- Retinal Medical and Surgical Care
- Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
- Macular Degeneration Treatment
- Retinal Tear and Detachment Treatment
- +2 more
An eye exam is priced 3 different ways depending on who pays, and that matters more than which practice you pick. Vision insurance covers a routine exam; health insurance may cover the same appointment as a medical one if there is a diagnosis behind it; with neither, you are quoted cash. Contact lens fittings, dilation and retinal imaging are billed on top in all three cases, which is where most surprise arises.
| Service | Typical |
|---|---|
| Routine eye exam, cash payNational range | $69 to $250 per exam |
| Contact lens fittingPublished chain pricing | $70 to $90 per fitting |
Ranges last checked September 2026. They come down automatically when they are due to be rechecked.
Every figure above comes from a named source we can link to, with the date we last checked it. We publish ranges rather than single prices because a range is what a provider will actually give you: the same job moves with what is being worked on, the materials, how hard it is to get at and how busy the trade is locally. Treat these as the order of magnitude to expect before you call, not as a quote.
Where a source publishes figures state by state, this page shows the figure for this state rather than a national average. Where no state-level source exists, it shows the national range and the local factors that move a job within it. We do not scale a national number by a multiplier of our own invention.
Every range carries a review date. When that date passes the number comes down until it is rechecked, rather than sitting here undated.
A routine sight test is normally a vision plan matter. The same appointment can become a medical one, billed to health insurance, when there is a diagnosis behind it such as diabetes, dry eye or a suspected condition. With neither plan, you are quoted cash. Those three routes produce three different bills for what looks like one appointment, and the practice will usually tell you which one applies if you ask before booking.
A contact lens fitting is not part of a routine exam. It is a distinct assessment with its own fee, and specialized lenses such as toric, multifocal or scleral cost more to fit than standard soft ones. If you wear contacts, ask for both figures up front, because a quote for an exam alone is answering a different question.
Dilation and retinal imaging are commonly billed on top. Retinal imaging in particular is often offered as an alternative to dilation, and it is worth knowing whether you are being offered a choice or an addition. Neither is a sales tactic by itself; both are cost lines that appear after the quoted exam price.
Decide first what you actually need. A straightforward prescription update for glasses is well served by a chain at the lower end of the range. A longer appointment with more diagnostic equipment, or continuity with someone who has seen your eyes before, is what an independent practice is selling, and it is a reasonable thing to pay more for if it matters to you.
Ask for the whole number before you book: exam, fitting if you wear contacts, and whether imaging or dilation is expected. Four small figures quoted separately are easy to underestimate together.
If you have a condition that touches the eyes, say so when booking. It can change which insurance applies, and it changes what the appointment should cover. That is a conversation to have with the front desk rather than a discovery at checkout.
Your prescription belongs to you. You are entitled to a copy of a glasses prescription after an exam, and a contact lens prescription after the fitting is complete, whether or not you buy anything from the practice.
The table above carries the current cash-pay range. Retail chains generally sit at the lower end and independent practices at the upper, reflecting longer appointments and more diagnostic equipment.
Because it is a separate assessment from the sight test. It measures the eye for lens fit rather than testing vision, and specialized lenses such as toric, multifocal or scleral take more work to fit than standard soft ones.
The American Optometric Association recommends an annual comprehensive exam for adults aged 18 to 64, and more often for contact lens wearers, people with diabetes and anyone with a family history of eye disease.
Because the same appointment can be a medical one rather than a routine sight test when there is a diagnosis behind it, such as diabetes or dry eye. Which plan applies is the single largest driver of what you pay, so it is worth settling before you book.
Yes. You are entitled to a copy of a glasses prescription after the exam, and a contact lens prescription once the fitting is complete, whether or not you buy from the practice.