TRICARE covers routine eye exams for some members, and how often depends on your status and your TRICARE plan. One plan name can carry a different eye exam schedule for a retiree than for an active duty family member. For help paying for glasses, contacts or laser eye surgery, TRICARE points active duty family members to military vision insurance through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP).
Uniformed service retirees enrolled in a TRICARE health plan can also buy FEDVIP vision coverage. Active duty family members qualify for FEDVIP vision only if they are enrolled in a TRICARE health plan. Either group signs up during Federal Benefits Open Season or after a qualifying life event.
Compare Military Vision Insurance
| Company | Pricing | Best for | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
FeaturedYour company here, pinned above every listingGet featured → | |||
| BCBS FEP Vision | Not published | Retirees and TRICARE family members | Offers FEDVIP Standard and High Option vision plans to retired uniformed service members, their families and families of active-duty members. |
| MetLife Federal Vision Plan | Not published | Retirees wanting a FEDVIP vision carrier | Sells a Federal Vision Plan through FEDVIP for federal employees, annuitants, retired uniformed service members and their families. |
| UnitedHealthcare Vision FEDVIP | Not published | TRICARE-enrolled retirees and survivors | FEDVIP vision carrier whose site says TRICARE-enrolled retirees, survivors, active-duty family members and Reserve Select members can enroll. |
| Aetna Vision Preferred | Individual plans start at $11 a month | Individuals buying vision outside an employer | Sells individual and family Aetna Vision Preferred Direct plans in Value, Select and Elite tiers that vary by state. |
| EyeMed | Not published | Stand-alone individual vision coverage | Sells individual and family vision plans; its site describes no military-specific plan. |
| Humana Vision | Quote-based by state and age | Stand-alone individual vision coverage | Sells individual and family vision plans, with pricing shown after entering a state and age; no military-specific plan is described. |
Pricing is as each company publishes it. Confirm current terms before you sign up. Listed here? Update your listing.
The table lists two groups of vision insurers. Some are FEDVIP carriers with plans that military families and retirees can join. Others sell individual and family vision plans with no military-specific plan.
Most insurers in the table do not publish premiums, so the price column reads "Not published" wherever an insurer's site lists no price. One insurer publishes individual plans starting at $11 a month. That figure is an individual plan rate and does not apply to FEDVIP.
Rates for every plan depend on the plan and your state. FEDVIP rates also depend on the option you pick and your enrollment type.
What TRICARE Covers for Vision
TRICARE covers routine eye exams for active duty family members on any plan and for retirees and their families on TRICARE Prime or Young Adult Prime. Active duty service members get eye exams as needed to check that they are fit for duty. Routine eye exams are not covered for those on TRICARE Select, Young Adult Select or TRICARE For Life, other than active duty family members.
| Beneficiary | TRICARE Routine Eye Exam Coverage |
|---|---|
| Active duty service members | Eye exams as needed to check fitness for duty |
| Active duty family members (any TRICARE plan) | One routine eye exam per year |
| Retirees and family members on TRICARE Prime or Young Adult Prime | One routine eye exam every two years |
| Those on TRICARE Select, Young Adult Select or TRICARE For Life (other than active duty family members) | No routine eye exams |
The difference adds up over four years. An active duty family member gets up to four routine exams in that time (one per year), while a retiree on TRICARE Prime gets two (one every two years). A retiree on TRICARE Select gets none from TRICARE.
TRICARE's eye exam page for active duty family members says those family members may be eligible for more vision coverage through FEDVIP. That coverage can include help paying for glasses, contacts and laser eye surgery. If help with those costs matters to you, compare the FEDVIP vision plans in the table above.
If you are on TRICARE Select, Young Adult Select or TRICARE For Life and you are not an active duty family member, TRICARE covers no routine eye exams. A retiree who moves from TRICARE Prime to TRICARE Select also gives up the routine exam every two years. Look at what each vision plan in the table pays toward exams before you enroll, because TRICARE will not pay for the routine one.
FEDVIP Vision for Military Families
FEDVIP vision coverage is open to uniformed service retirees and active duty family members who are enrolled in a TRICARE health plan. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) runs FEDVIP and publishes the FEDVIP eligibility rules for retirees.
For active duty families, OPM's answer on enrolling family members sets one condition. The family member must be enrolled in a TRICARE health plan. A spouse or child without that enrollment does not qualify for FEDVIP vision.
Open Season Dates for 2027 Coverage
The 2026 Federal Benefits Open Season runs November 9 to December 14, 2026, and plans chosen in that window cover 2027. That is a 36-day window, counting both end dates. Open season comes around every year in November and December.
Outside open season, you can enroll in a FEDVIP vision plan only after a qualifying life event, according to TRICARE's vision coverage page. If you miss the 2026 window and have no qualifying life event, your next FEDVIP chance is the following November and December open season. The individual and family plans in the table are sold outside FEDVIP and have no military-specific plan.
Choosing Between Military Vision Insurance Plans
Choose a FEDVIP plan if you are a retiree or active duty family member enrolled in a TRICARE health plan. TRICARE itself points active duty families to FEDVIP for help with glasses, contacts and laser eye surgery. Choose an individual or family plan from the table if you do not meet the FEDVIP conditions.
| Criterion | FEDVIP Vision Plan | Individual or Family Vision Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Who can enroll | Uniformed service retirees and active duty family members enrolled in a TRICARE health plan | Sold to individuals and families, with no military-specific plan |
| When you enroll | Federal Benefits Open Season (November 9 to December 14, 2026, for 2027 coverage) or after a qualifying life event | Not published |
| Published price | Mostly not published; rates vary by plan, state, option and enrollment type | Mostly not published; one insurer lists individual plans from $11 a month |
| Tie to TRICARE | TRICARE points active duty families here for help with glasses, contacts and laser eye surgery | No military-specific plan |
| Verdict | First pick if you qualify and can enroll in the window | The group to compare if you are not enrolled in a TRICARE health plan |
Comparing prices takes extra work, because most insurers in the table publish no premium. For FEDVIP, write down the plan option and enrollment type you want before you request a rate, since both change the price. For an individual plan, your state changes the price, and the $11 a month figure applies only to that one insurer's individual plans.
Who FEDVIP Does Not Fit
FEDVIP does not fit anyone who is not enrolled in a TRICARE health plan, because both the retiree rule and the active duty family rule require that enrollment. If that describes you, the individual and family plans in the table are the group to compare.
Active duty service members are a separate case. TRICARE gives them eye exams as needed to check that they are fit for duty. The FEDVIP rules on this page cover retirees and family members.
Our recommendation would change if OPM or TRICARE changed the enrollment rules, for example by dropping the TRICARE health plan requirement for active duty family members. It would also shift for a retiree who switches from TRICARE Prime to TRICARE Select. That move ends TRICARE's routine exam every two years, so a vision plan's exam coverage should weigh more in your comparison.
Before You Enroll in Military Vision Insurance
Work through five checks before open season starts.
- Write down your status and which TRICARE health plan you are enrolled in, such as TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Select or Young Adult Prime.
- Match that plan to the exam table above so you know whether TRICARE covers a routine exam every year, every two years or not at all.
- Read OPM's FEDVIP eligibility page to confirm you qualify as a retiree or active duty family member in a TRICARE health plan.
- Put November 9 and December 14, 2026 on your calendar as the start and end of open season for 2027 coverage.
- Compare the plans in the table, and note which ones list a price and which show "Not published".
If you also want dental coverage, read our military dental insurance guide. Our guide to TRICARE supplement plans covers extra health coverage, and the VA benefits hub collects our veteran benefit guides.
Mark November 9, 2026 on your calendar, then compare the military vision insurance plans in the table above before FEDVIP open season closes on December 14, 2026.