Eye exam, new patient cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 13 hospitals list a cash price for comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor, new patient: from $46.74 to $306.00, with a median of $132.00. The lowest listed price is at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital — $85.26 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $114.80 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 9 cities for code 92004, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital lowest Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Ophthal Exam Comp New Pt W Gross Vis Fld | $46.74 | $246.00 | $124.93–$360.29 | 81% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Ophthal Exam Comp New Pt W Gross Vis Fld | $56.58 | $246.00 | $107.99–$259.28 | 77% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Highland Park Hospital Highland Park, IL Ophthalmological New/Pt Comprehensive | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% | — source file |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Skokie Hospital Skokie, IL Ophthalmological New/Pt Comprehensive | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% | — source file |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Glenbrook Hospital Glenview, IL Ophthalmological New/Pt Comprehensive | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% | — source file |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Evanston Hospital Evanson, IL · (847) 570-2000 Ophthalmological New/Pt Comprehensive | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% | — source file |
| Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 570-2000 OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, NEW/PT, COMPREHENSIVE | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Endeavor Health Clinical Operations Highland Park, IL OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, NEW/PT, COMPREHENSIVE | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Covenant Health Chicago, IL · (773) 878-8200 OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, NEW/PT, COMPREHENSIVE | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Humboldt Park Health Chicago, IL · (773) 292-8200 New patient complete exam of visual system | $143.18 | $511.35 | $511.35 | 72% | Aug 24, 2026 source file |
| Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Chicago, IL · (312) 227-4000 H OPHTH MEDICAL XM&EVAL COMPRE NEW PT 1/> VST | $175.00 | $250.00 | $42.50–$8,500.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Ingalls Memorial Hospital Harvey, IL · (708) 333-2300 Hc Ophth Srvcs; Med Exm & Eval W/ Inititatn Of Diag & Tx Prog; Comprhnsve, New Pt, 1 Or More Visits | $297.00 | $297.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Ophth Srvcs; Med Exm & Eval W/ Inititatn Of Diag & Tx Prog; Comprhnsve, New Pt, 1 Or More Visits- | $306.00 | $306.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Pr Oph Svcs Medical Xm&Eval Compre New Pt 1/> Vst-Pbb | $439.00 | $439.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $46.74, median $132.00, highest $306.00 — a 6.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $132.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This is a full medical eye exam for a new patient by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. It usually checks vision, eye pressure, eye movement and the inside of the eye, often with dilating drops, and may take more than one visit.
What the price covers
The price covers the exam itself. Refraction, the test that sets a glasses prescription, is billed separately (92015), as are contact lens fitting, eye imaging and glasses.