My optometrist charges 89 bucks a month for eye exams. I've seen optometrists charge as cheaply as 45 bucks a month. I just get the barebones measurements, 20/x, refractive error, astigmatism. I only get my glaucoma and closeup vision tested once a year. Nor do I get contact lenses or distance glasses fitting/consultations. It is still expensive, but if I get to zero diopters, I want a record to back it up. Plus I like how paying 89 bucks a month makes me take vision improvement very very seriously.
These are my refractive error exam results from just after I started to getting my drivers license vision restriction removed:
Dec 2013: -3.5,-4
Jan 2014: -3,-3
Feb 2014: -3.25,-3.25
March 2014: -2.75,-3
April 2014: -2.5,-3
May 2014: -2.5,-3
June 2014: -2.25,-3
July 2014: -2.5,-2.75
August 2014: -2.25,-2.75
September 2014: -2, -2.25
October 2014: -2.25, -2.75
November 2014: -2.25,-2.25
December 2014: -2.25, -2.25
Jan 2015: -2.0,-2.5
Feb 2015: -2.25,-2.25
March 2015: -2.5,-2.5
April 2015: -2.0,-2.0
May 2015: -2.25,-2.25
June 2015: -2,-2.25
July 2015: -1.75,-1.75
August 2015: -1.75,-1.75
September 2015: -1.25,-1.25
October 2015: -1.5,-1.5
November 2015: -1.25,-1.25