Eye exam (follow-up) cost in Chicago, IL
In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, 13 hospitals list a cash price for eye exam, returning patient, intermediate: from $25.08 to $417.00, with a median of $81.25. The lowest listed price is at MacNeal Hospital and 1 other hospital — $56.17 less than the median here. Across Illinois, the median is $116.80 at 19 hospitals.
- The median here, $81.25, is 45% below the US median of $146.72.
- That is 0.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($136.02).
- 4 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities for code 92012, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2025 and Nov 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacNeal Hospital lowest Berwyn, IL · (708) 783-9100 Ophth Exam W/ Initiation Tx Progrm Est Pt File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $25.08 | $132.00 | $25.08–$182.82 | 81% |
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital lowest Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Ophth Exam W/ Initiation Tx Progrm Est Pt File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $25.08 | $132.00 | $39.73–$96.36 | 81% |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Ophth Exam W/ Initiation Tx Progrm Est Pt File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $30.36 | $132.00 | $45.80–$139.13 | 77% |
| Loretto Hospital Chicago, IL · (773) 626-4300 INTRM OPH EXAM EST PATIENT File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $37.98 | $63.30 | $37.98–$318.32 | 40% |
| Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Melrose Park, IL · (708) 681-3200 Ophthal Exam Interm Est Pt WO Gross Vis Fld File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $46.17 | $243.00 | $103.52–$177.39 | 81% |
| MacNeal Hospital Berwyn, IL · (708) 783-9100 Ophthal Exam Interm Est Pt WO Gross Vis Fld File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $46.17 | $243.00 | $46.17–$336.56 | 81% |
| Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL · (708) 216-9000 Ophthal Exam Interm Est Pt WO Gross Vis Fld File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $55.89 | $243.00 | $106.68–$256.12 | 77% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 PF-EYE EXAM EST INTERMED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $75.60 | $108.00 | $38.05–$102.03 | 30% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Glenbrook Hospital Glenview, IL Ophthalmological Estab/Pt Intermediate File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% |
| NorthShore University HealthSystems Skokie Hospital Skokie, IL Ophthalmological Estab/Pt Intermediate File of Jan 1, 2025 · source file | $81.25 | $125.00 | $16.88–$68.25 | 35% |
| Loretto Hospital Chicago, IL · (773) 626-4300 PF EYE EXAM ESTAB INTERMEDIATE File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $81.34 | $135.57 | $37.98–$318.32 | 40% |
| Humboldt Park Health Chicago, IL · (773) 292-8200 Established patient problem focused exam of visual system File of Sep 29, 2026 · source file | $82.91 | $296.10 | $97.71–$310.91 | 72% |
| Swedish Covenant Health Chicago, IL · (773) 878-8200 OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, ESTAB/PT, INTERMEDIATE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — |
| Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital Evanston, IL · (847) 570-2000 OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, ESTAB/PT, INTERMEDIATE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — |
| Endeavor Health Highland Park Hospital Highland Park, IL OPHTHALMOLOGICAL, ESTAB/PT, INTERMEDIATE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $132.00 | $132.00 | — | — |
| Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Chicago, IL · (312) 227-4000 H OPHTH EYE EXAM ESTABLISH PATIENT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $175.00 | $250.00 | $42.50–$936.00 | 30% |
| Loretto Hospital Chicago, IL · (773) 626-4300 EST OPTHALOMOLOGY PT-COMPREHEN File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $190.99 | $318.32 | $37.98–$318.32 | 40% |
| John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital Chicago, IL · (312) 864-6000 EYE EXAM EST INTERMEDIATE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $238.70 | $341.00 | $38.05–$272.80 | 30% |
| The University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL · (773) 702-9785 Hc Ophthsrvcs; Med Exm And Evl W/ Inititation Or Cont Of Dx And Trtmnt Prgrm; Intermediate,Est Pat-P File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $417.00 | $417.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $25.08, median $81.25, highest $417.00 — a 16.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 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 7 of 9 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 eye exam (follow-up) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Eye exam (follow-up) explained.