Mobile Optometrist

    How Much Does a Mobile Optometrist Cost? (And What Medicare Covers)

    Clinically reviewed by Dr Sarah Chen (AHPRA OPT0000000001) on 15 May 2026

    Eye See You Optometry
    15/05/2026
    8 min read
    Medicare card and optometry invoice showing how bulk-billed mobile eye tests are charged in Australia
    Medicare card and optometry invoice showing how bulk-billed mobile eye tests are charged in Australia

    How Much Does a Mobile Optometrist Cost? (And What Medicare Covers)

    TL;DR

    For Medicare-eligible Australians, a mobile optometrist comprehensive eye examination is bulk-billed — that is, no out-of-pocket cost for the examination itself. You only pay for glasses and any optional private items. Eye See You does not charge callout, facility or "convenience" fees on top.

    On this page

  1. What Medicare bulk-bills
  2. What you actually pay for
  3. Typical glasses prices
  4. Aged care facility billing
  5. What an unreasonable price looks like
  6. Frequently asked questions

    7. What Medicare bulk-bills

    The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) lists the following optometry items that are bulk-billed by Eye See You:

  7. Item 10900 / 10907 — Comprehensive initial consultation (first-ever optometry visit, or first in three years).
  8. Item 10910 — Subsequent comprehensive consultation (within three years).
  9. Item 10913 — Brief consultation for a specific problem.
  10. Item 10916 — Computerised perimetry (formal visual field testing) for glaucoma and neurological field-loss assessment.
  11. Item 10918 — Retinal photography for diabetic patients.

    12. Bulk-billed means we accept the Medicare rebate as full payment. You sign the bulk-bill assignment form (or your representative signs on your behalf), Medicare pays us directly, and you pay nothing for the examination.

    Eligibility: Medicare-eligible Australian residents. This includes the vast majority of aged-care residents, in-home patients and Australian workers.

    What you actually pay for

    What is not covered by Medicare:

  12. Glasses (frame + lenses) — see typical prices below.
  13. Specialty lenses — anti-reflective coating, photochromic ("transitions"), high-index thin lenses, blue-light filters, polarised lenses.
  14. Contact lenses and contact-lens fitting.
  15. Low-vision aids — magnifiers, electronic vision aids, tinted overlays.

    16. Crucially, none of the following should appear on your invoice from a reputable mobile optometrist:

  16. "Callout fee" or "service fee" for a Medicare-eligible patient in our service area.
  17. "Facility fee" charged back to the resident or family.
  18. "Booking fee" or "administration fee" for the examination.

    19. If any of these appear on a quote, treat it as a red flag and ask for an itemised invoice.

    Typical glasses prices

    Glasses pricing varies by frame and lens choice. Indicative ranges for 2026:

  19. Single-vision reading or distance, standard plastic lenses, basic frame — $150 to $250.
  20. Single-vision with anti-reflective coating, mid-tier frame — $250 to $400.
  21. Bifocal lenses, mid-tier frame — $300 to $450.
  22. Multifocal (progressive) lenses, mid-tier frame — $450 to $700.
  23. Premium progressive lenses, premium frame — $700 to $1,200.

    24. These are the same wholesale lens and frame prices that high-street clinics work from. There is no mobile-specific markup at Eye See You.

    For aged care residents, the most common choice is a sturdy, lightweight single-vision reading frame at the $150–$250 end of the range, often supplied as two pairs (one daily, one spare) given the high rate of spectacle loss in aged care.

    Aged care facility billing

    For residential aged care facilities, Eye See You's billing model is:

  24. Comprehensive examination — bulk-billed to Medicare directly. No facility-level invoice.
  25. Glasses — invoiced to the resident, the resident's nominated payer (typically Power of Attorney), or to the facility under an existing trust/private-purchases arrangement, as you prefer.
  26. Reporting — included at no additional cost.
  27. Scheduling, coordination, on-site dispensing — included at no additional cost.

    28. This is consistent with the Aged Care Quality Standards expectation that residents are not charged convenience fees for accessing routine clinical services. For a deeper look at how this fits into the aged care optometrist model, see our pillar page or our Greater Brisbane aged-care coverage.

    What an unreasonable price looks like

    You are paying too much (or you are dealing with the wrong provider) if you see:

  28. A "callout fee" for a Medicare-eligible patient in a metropolitan area.
  29. A glasses quote that is materially higher than the ranges above for an equivalent frame and lens spec.
  30. Aggressive upselling of premium lenses or coatings the patient does not need.
  31. Reports or referral letters charged as line items.
  32. Pressure to commit to glasses on the day at a "today only" price.

    33. A professional optometry visit should feel like a clinical consultation, not a sales pitch.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is a mobile optometrist visit really free?

    The comprehensive eye examination is bulk-billed to Medicare for eligible Australians, so the examination itself costs you nothing out of pocket. You only pay for glasses if you choose to order them.

    Do I need a pensioner card or Healthcare Card to be bulk-billed?

    No. Eye See You bulk-bills every Medicare-eligible patient regardless of concession status.

    What if I am not eligible for Medicare?

    For overseas visitors and patients without Medicare cover, the comprehensive examination is charged at a private rate (currently AUD 95). Glasses pricing is unchanged.

    Will my health fund cover my new glasses?

    Most extras-level health funds in Australia cover a portion of glasses cost annually. Your fund will reimburse you against an itemised invoice; ask your fund what your current optical limit is.

    What glasses actually cost (and the concessions that bring it down)

    The eye examination is bulk-billed, so in most visits the only variable cost is glasses. It helps to know the ranges before the optometrist arrives:

  33. Single-vision glasses (one prescription — distance *or* reading) sit in our entry frame-and-lens packages and are the most affordable option.
  34. Bifocals and multifocals cost more because the lenses are more complex to manufacture, but they save juggling two separate pairs.
  35. Lens extras — anti-reflective, scratch-resistant and light-reactive coatings — are optional and always quoted before you commit.

    36. Several concessions reduce or remove the glasses cost entirely. A number of states run a Spectacle Supply Scheme for pension and concession-card holders, which subsidises a basic pair every two years. Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Gold Card holders are generally covered for clinically necessary glasses. And many residential aged care homes keep a small contingency budget for residents who have no family able to fund a replacement pair. We check eligibility for every patient and apply whatever scheme leaves the lowest out-of-pocket cost — you never have to ask.

    How this guide connects to the rest of our content

    Mobile optometry sits at the intersection of clinical eye care, aged care governance, and community health. The article above answers the immediate question, but most readers also need the wider picture — what the service looks like in practice, what it costs, where it runs, and how it interacts with the rest of the eye-care system. This short reference section makes those connections explicit so you can follow the trail that matters to your situation.

    For families and individuals

    If you are arranging eye care for an older parent or for yourself, the most useful next read is our pillar overview on what a mobile optometrist does, where we travel, and what Medicare covers. It walks through the appointment flow, glasses turnaround, and bedside delivery in a single page. From there, Booking your first mobile optometrist visit takes you through preparation step by step. If the recipient lives in a residential aged care home, the companion pillar — our aged care optometrist page — covers how facility-wide visits are scheduled and run.

    For facility managers and clinical care coordinators

    Facility teams usually need three things in one place: a procurement checklist, a clinical pathway, and accreditation evidence. The aged care optometrist visit checklist covers operational logistics — consent, medication interactions, room set-up, glasses inventory, and reporting. Our service hub on aged care optometry outlines clinical scope, reporting templates, reviewer credentials, and how the visit maps to the Aged Care Quality Standards. For an accreditation-cycle view, see our playbook on eye health for the aged care accreditation cycle, which is written for clinical governance audiences.

    For GPs, ophthalmology rooms and community health teams

    When the question is "optometry or ophthalmology?", our referrals decision guide outlines clinical scope, urgency criteria, and the shared-care pathways we use for residential aged care patients. It also covers what we report back after each visit, how we flag conditions that need urgent ophthalmology review, and how we coordinate when surgical follow-up is needed.

    Related reading

    If you are weighing up mobile care for a parent in residential aged care, our guide to the benefits of a mobile optometrist in aged care sets out the clinical and quality-of-life case alongside the cost picture.

    Where we travel

    Eye See You Optometry runs scheduled mobile rounds across Queensland and New South Wales, including Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Sydney and Newcastle, plus the regional centres in between. If your suburb is not listed, call us — most postcodes are covered by an existing route or can be added with two to three weeks of notice.

    *Eye See You Optometry is committed to bulk-billed, no-callout-fee mobile optometry across Queensland and New South Wales. Request a quote or call 0490 090 713 to confirm pricing for your situation.*

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