COVE Plus  ·  Scleral Lenses  ·  Flat-Price Program  ·  New Albany, OH

COVE Plus Sclerals: one flat price for your scleral lens care.

$2,000, both eyes, first year of care included. The clear-price route when insurance can't cover the fit.

For keratoconus, severe dry eye, and corneas that won't tolerate anything else, scleral lenses are often the first comfortable, clear vision a patient has had in years. What stops many people is the cost and the insurance maze. COVE Plus Sclerals reduces the uncertainty with one flat price, both eyes, first year included.

It's built for patients who don't have a vision plan, or whose plan doesn't include a medically necessary contact lens benefit (or has already used it). If you do have that benefit, going through insurance is usually the better deal, and we'll tell you so. This program is for everyone else.

Schedule a scleral lens consultation.
01
What's Included

What the $2,000 includes.

The flat price bundles the full medical workup, the fitting itself, and a year of lenses, for both eyes. It's the complete first year of scleral care in one number:

The complete eye exam and workup

A complete eye exam and refraction, plus the imaging a scleral case calls for: screening photographs of the retina, anterior segment OCT, and a visual field test. Together they establish your eye health, your prescription, and a baseline for the cornea we're fitting.

The scleral lens fitting

Corneal topography on the Oculus Keratograph 5M, lens design, the dispense visit, and the doctor-directed fit revisions your eyes need, for both eyes. Scleral fits commonly take a few iterations to dial in; those revisions are part of the program, not an extra charge.

The first year of lenses

Your scleral lenses for both eyes, plus the doctor-directed remakes or exchanges the fit calls for during that first year as it settles in. If a lens needs to change because the fit refines or your eyes adjust, that's part of the program. Lost, damaged, or spare lenses are billed separately.

Corneal topographer used to map the eye for scleral contact lens fitting at COVE in New Albany
Every scleral fit starts with a detailed map of your cornea, not a guess off a paper prescription.
02
The Price

One number, both eyes, first year.

Scleral pricing is usually a confusing stack of separate charges: an exam, a fitting fee, then lenses billed one at a time. COVE Plus Sclerals replaces that stack with a single flat price.

Have a vision plan first? We check your VSP or EyeMed benefit before anything else. When a medically necessary contact lens benefit applies, most patients pay only a small copay through insurance. The flat price below is for when that route isn't available to you.
COVE Plus Sclerals · flat program price
$2,000
Both eyes. The complete first year of scleral care.

Included: the complete exam, refraction, screening photos, OCT, and visual field; the scleral fitting with the doctor-directed revisions your fit needs; and your first year of lenses for both eyes, including the in-year remakes and exchanges the fit calls for.

Not included: lost, damaged, or spare lenses; lens care supplies (saline, cleaners, cases); and any glasses. After year one, replacement lenses and your annual follow-up are billed separately. HSA and FSA funds can be used toward the program.

The flat price is built for a standard first-year scleral fit involving up to both eyes. If only one eye needs a scleral lens, or your case falls outside the standard program, we'll review the right self-pay price with you before any fitting begins. Program price is current as of 2026 and may change. COVE Plus Sclerals is a self-pay program, so it isn't combined with insurance billing for the same services.

03
Which Route

COVE Plus, or through insurance?

We want you in the lane that costs you the least. For many scleral patients, that's their vision insurance, not this program. Here's the honest comparison.

If you have the benefit

Go through your vision plan

Often a small copay
when the MNCL benefit applies; we verify your plan

Some VSP and EyeMed plans include a Medically Necessary Contact Lens (MNCL) benefit. When that benefit is active and your case qualifies (keratoconus, severe dry eye, and similar diagnoses often do), it can cover much of the fitting and the lenses, often leaving only a small copay. If your plan has it and applies, that's usually the better deal, and we'll point you to it. We verify your specific plan before you commit.

If you don't

Use COVE Plus Sclerals

$2,000 flat
both eyes, first year of care

No vision plan, or a plan with no MNCL benefit, or you've already used it this year? Then a self-pay scleral fit would normally be billed as a stack of separate charges. COVE Plus Sclerals gives you one flat $2,000 instead, with the full workup, the fitting, and a year of lenses all in. We always check your coverage first, so you only land here if it's genuinely the better path for you.

How specialty lenses are usually billed at COVE

For patients who have it, medically necessary scleral lenses at COVE are almost always handled through vision insurance (VSP or EyeMed), not medical insurance. That's counterintuitive, and it's the opposite of what many national guides say, but it's what actually applies for most patients in Central Ohio. COVE Plus Sclerals is simply the clear, flat-price alternative when that benefit isn't available to you. Learn more on our scleral lens cost and coverage page →

04
The Fit

How the fitting works at COVE.

A scleral lens vaults over the cornea entirely and rests on the white of the eye, holding a reservoir of fluid against the surface all day. Getting that vault right takes precise measurement and, usually, a few rounds of refinement. The flat price is designed around that reality, so the work to land a good fit is already covered.

Dr. Karres has years of clinical experience fitting scleral and other specialty lenses, and COVE fits both Zenlens and WAVE ScleraLens designs, choosing the platform that suits your cornea rather than forcing every eye onto one system. Corneal topography and anterior segment OCT guide the design from the start.

Cross-section diagram showing a scleral lens vaulting over the cornea and resting on the sclera, with a fluid reservoir beneath
A scleral lens clears the cornea entirely and holds a reservoir of fluid against the eye all day.
Dr. Matthew Karres, optometrist at Central Ohio Vision and Eyecare in New Albany, Ohio
Dr. Matthew Karres
Doctor of Optometry, The Ohio State University. Years of clinical experience fitting scleral and specialty lenses, with research interests in scleral lens solutions.
What's in the $2,000

Complete exam, refraction, screening photos, OCT, and visual field. The scleral fitting with the doctor-directed revisions your fit needs. A year of lenses for both eyes. In-year remakes included.

You don't pay per revision, and you don't pay again when the fit calls for a first-year lens to be remade as it settles. One price, the whole first year, both eyes.

05
Questions

Frequently asked questions.

Q.01 Is the $2,000 for one eye or both? +
Both eyes. The flat $2,000 covers the complete exam and workup, the scleral fitting for both eyes, and your first year of lenses for both eyes, including the doctor-directed in-year remakes or exchanges the fit calls for. It's priced for a standard bilateral fit; if only one eye needs a scleral lens, or your case falls outside the standard program, we'll review the right self-pay price with you before any fitting begins.
Q.02 Should I use COVE Plus Sclerals or my insurance? +
If your vision plan (VSP or EyeMed) includes a medically necessary contact lens benefit and your case qualifies, going through insurance is usually the better deal, often just a small copay. COVE Plus Sclerals is for patients who don't have that benefit, whose plan doesn't include it, or who've already used it this year. We check your coverage first and tell you honestly which route costs you less.
Q.03 What happens after the first year? +
We recommend annual replacement of scleral lenses, and an annual follow-up to confirm the fit and check the health of your cornea. After the first year, replacement lenses and that follow-up visit are billed separately from the program. We'll go over those costs with you before year two.
Q.04 What if my fit needs several revisions? +
That's expected, and the revisions are part of the program. Scleral fits commonly take a few iterations to get right. The flat price includes the doctor-directed fit revisions and the in-year remakes or exchanges the fit calls for, so refining the fit doesn't add to your cost. (Lost, damaged, or spare lenses are billed separately.)
Q.05 Can I use HSA or FSA funds? +
Yes. Scleral fitting and lens costs are eligible expenses under Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts, so you can put HSA or FSA dollars toward the program. Bring your card to your appointment.
Q.06 What conditions are scleral lenses for? +
Most commonly keratoconus, severe dry eye and ocular surface disease, and irregular corneas after LASIK, RK, a corneal transplant, or trauma, plus high prescriptions that standard lenses can't handle well. If conventional contacts or glasses have never given you comfortable, clear vision, a scleral consultation is a good next step. See scleral lenses at COVE for more.
Next Step

Schedule a scleral lens consultation.

Call us and ask about COVE Plus Sclerals, or book online. We'll check whether your insurance can cover the fit first, and if it can't, the flat $2,000 program is ready when you are.

Related reading: scleral contact lens overview  ·  scleral lens cost and coverage  ·  scleral lenses for keratoconus  ·  COVE Plus for routine care

Central Ohio Vision and Eyecare logo 6772 New Albany–Condit Rd, New Albany, OH 43054  ·  (614) 933-0575