VISION NC Provider Sign Up

VISION NC provides free eye exams to low-income, uninsured individuals in North Carolina. Eye exams are provided by North Carolina Optometric Society member optometrists who have agreed to give their time and services to help those in need.

The North Carolina Optometric Society encourages all of its members to participate in the VISION NC program. By participating in the program, you agree to provide free eye exams to eligible applicants that are assigned to you. Participation can be as much or as little as you'd like. On the participation form, please indicate the number of exams you are willing to provide each month.

Assignment process:

  1. Eligible VISION NC applicants are matched with the closest participating optometrist within a 25-mile radius from their home.
  2. The optometrist is notified of the assignment by email or fax (you can indicate your preference on the participation form).
  3. The patient calls and schedules their appointment within 45 days.
  4. The optometrist's office notifies NCOS once the patient is seen or if they no show. If the NCOS does not receive this information within 45 days, they will reach out to the office.

SIGN UP TO BE A PROVIDER HERE

**The VISION NC program provides free eye exams. The decision to provide eyeglasses is solely up to each participating provider. We've provided several different resources below for obtaining eyeglasses at no cost to you or the patient, so you can choose the option that suits your practice best.**


New Eyes - New Eyes provides a basic pair of single vision or lined bifocal lenses for individuals who have no other resources with which to obtain eyeglasses. The patient will need to work with their social service agent to apply for eyeglasses on a patient’s behalf.

VSP Eyes of Hope Gift Certificates - this program provides individuals of any age with no-cost eye care and prescription glasses with single vision or lined multifocal lenses. For individuals with routine eye exam coverage but no coverage for glasses and lenses, they can also be used for materials only. Recipients must have a family income up to 200% of Federal Poverty Level guidelines, no coverage through a private insurer or government program for the eye care services or prescription eyewear to be covered by the certificate, and haven't received care through a VSP program during the last 12 months. These gift certificates do not need to be used in conjunction with the VISION NC program. To request these gift certificates, contact Kristen Rauch at (919) 977-6964 or [email protected]. 

OneSight - Through OneSight’s OnSite Voucher Program, eligible individuals can receive glasses free of charge. The patient will need to work with a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (such as a school, church, Lions Club, Red Cross, or United Way) to obtain a referral letter and bring it, along with a valid prescription, to a participating Luxottica Retail Location (LensCrafters, Target Optical, Sears Optical or Pearle Vision corporate store) to receive a pair of glasses at no charge. 

Essilor Vision Foundation's Changing Life through Lenses - this program provides no cost eyeglasses to those in need. The program provides no cost lenses, frames and lab services to ANY optometrist. Orders can be placed online using a free account. Click here to get started.