--- title: "FSA Contact Lenses: Where Patients Spend in December" description: In one large study, about half of FSA holders lost money at the end of the plan year. Contact lenses qualify. Here's how to keep that spend in your practice. image: https://blog.drcontactlens.com/hubfs/Newsletter%20Images/fsa-contact-lenses-year-end-benefits.jpg --- [![Dr. Contact Lens](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/hubfs/DCL%20Logos/dcl-logo-primary.png)](https://drcontactlens.com) - [About](https://drcontactlens.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.drcontactlens.com) - [Contact](https://drcontactlens.com/contact) - [See What Your Patients See](https://portal.drcontactlens.com/users-demo?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=nav-cta&utm_campaign=weekly-nurture) [RICE Method](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/tag/rice-method) [Industry Signal](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/tag/industry-signal) [Educate](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/tag/educate) # Where Your Patients Spend Their Benefits in December DCL Dr. Contact Lens Team Oct 23, 2026, 11:01:47 AM ![A hand ordering contact lenses on a phone at a bathroom counter at night, beside an empty lens box and the last blister pack](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/hubfs/Newsletter%20Images/fsa-contact-lenses-year-end-benefits.jpg) Each December, some patients have benefits about to expire. Most practices never mention it. This money often sits in a flexible spending account (FSA). The rule is simple: use it or lose it. In 2022, about half of FSA holders lost an average of $441 each by not using their funds. Contact lenses and eye exams both qualify. Ordering contacts is one of the easiest ways for patients to use up their balance. Many spend their FSA and vision benefits before December 31. But where do patients actually spend these benefits? ## For many patients, the deadline is real Some plans offer a grace period of up to two and a half months. Others let patients carry over up to $680 for 2026. Plans can offer one of these options, not both, and are not required to offer either. For many patients, the money is gone when the plan year ends. They know this, but don’t think about it until late December. At 10 p.m., they remember the balance and grab their phone. ## Patients order wherever it’s easiest Nearly 40% of patients already order contacts online. If their balance is expiring, they want the fastest way to spend it. If patients have to call during business hours to order from you, you’re not the fastest choice. Every printed prescription means about $300 in contact lens revenue leaves your practice, and deadlines only speed this up. Dr. Brianna Rhue, optometrist and co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens, puts it simply: “Anything that is causing a phone call back to your practice is not the way.” ## Who runs out of contacts in December? Consider patients who bought a six-month supply in June. They run out of contacts just as their benefits expire. Dr. Rhue suggests reviewing a typical day: Of the contact lens patients you saw, who ordered and who didn’t? She then asks who’s reminding the patients who only bought a partial supply. In many offices, nobody is reminding partial-supply patients. It’s not a mistake, but these patients are often left off reminder lists. When it’s time to reorder, they just go wherever is easiest. ## Show what the whole year costs Year-end reorders start months earlier, during the exam. Many practices quote one price for a year’s supply, but patients often say, “Let me think about it,” and leave. Try quoting both options and show what the second order will cost. Here’s an example (your prices will vary by lens and plan): - **Six months today:** $198 with the vision plan benefit. The next six months cost $338, because the benefit is used up. That’s $536 for the year. - **A year’s supply today:** the same benefit plus a $200 rebate brings it to $336. Then ask one question: “Which one do you want to go with?” A patient who buys six months remembers paying about $200. When the next order is $338, it feels expensive, and that’s when they start shopping around. Showing the full year cost up front removes this surprise. ## Three things to do before December **Review your partial-supply list.** Find every patient who bought less than a year’s supply since January. These are your year-end reorders. **Ask about flex dollars at checkout.** A simple question works: “Do you have flex spending dollars to use before the end of the year?” Many patients won’t mention it unless you ask. **Start reminders early.** Some practices [begin flex-dollar reminders in mid-October](https://invisionmag.com/?p=4065) and suggest a year’s supply of contact lenses, since it doesn’t require an appointment. Practice your quote. Dr. Rhue advises, “Record your team. Take a second to practice this. We’ve gotten away from practicing annual supplies.” A brief script helps as well. (See [the 30-second script](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/30-second-script-keeps-patients-ordering).) ## Send a reminder they can act on A reminder only works if patients can act on it at 10 p.m. A text with a reorder link lets them order from their phone and keeps the business with your practice. One practice turned on reminders for patients who hadn’t reordered and received almost $11,000 in orders in just two hours. Your patients have already set this money aside. Make your practice the easiest place for them to use it. **Want to see what your patients experience?** The demo is self-serve, takes about two minutes, and does not require a call. → [portal.drcontactlens.com/users-demo](https://portal.drcontactlens.com/users-demo?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=weekly-nurture) **Sources:** FSA forfeiture figures from the [Employee Benefit Research Institute](https://www.ebri.org/content/new-analysis-of-3.2-million-flexible-spending-accounts-finds-average-contributions-increasing-while-half-forfeiting-funds-to-their-employers), an analysis of 3.2 million accounts in 2022. FSA rules and the 2026 carryover limit from the IRS ([Publication 969](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p969), [Publication 502](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502) and its [2026 adjustments](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill)). See what it looks like when a practice puts this into action. [![See What Your Patients See](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6987820/interactive-210280784922.png)](https://blog.drcontactlens.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJKUVQ4QxmcelHYFZd%2BiutRVQ7MOZj8PNae%2FqAhjCxnsrxzGY5HFrKUbSirZ7UcSDQs8ZWnXEr81aicLpsBaYcfwcilrgeI%2BUvkKAd3XTwz%2FgZJ9PRgJR72P%2FyWx47cLRJJ3EUpQ0iuqLQ%2B%2BWBJy3JzyiCjI5cJd7IMLlc2rjttg%2F5vWJeV72ehxB%2FuJanOgGmL7qWQhVdstM9ToBZZShzLYQGA3UEioee%2BiEpDBvss9ybg3CTE%2FydFKmL%2BDV7Eq0ii%2Bp%2FL%2FxiImBC%2FgHDkLuQ6YkUsgl7FXdVOukQ%3D&webInteractiveContentId=210280784922&portalId=6987820) No meeting required. Experience the platform through your patient's eyes. Dr. Contact Lens - [About](https://drcontactlens.com/about) - [Blog](https://blog.drcontactlens.com) - [Contact](https://drcontactlens.com/contact) - [Support](mailto:support@drcontactlens.com) © 2026 Dr. Contact Lens. All rights reserved.