About Us

What makes us different?

We treat our doctors fairly where the others try to control the doctor, telling them which frames they are allowed to dispense to the patient and which lab they must use to make the lenses. They charge for online claim submission, recall patients to chain-store opticals, and require fees to be in their network. We don't do any of that. Optilegra doctors are free to take care of their patients as they see fit.

By treating the doctors fairly, Optilegra gives you the largest network of providers to choose from. City and country, all across our state, we have you covered.

Our online verification system allows you to know immediately what your coverage is and when you are eligible for your benefit. And then when your doctor submits the claim, it's processed instantly... no waiting and wondering what you will be charged. You can also look up providers and see past claims 24/7.

If you are a company HR manager, we give you substantially more access than you would receive from other vision plans. You can add employees, term employees, see past bills, and make a payment — all from our website. No need to work with a middle-man or fax in paper applications... just log in and take care of business.
 

Why a Vision Plan?

Vision plans are the third most requested employee benefit. Having a Vision Plan reduces the cost of eye care dramatically, and spreads the payments out... avoiding the sudden $300 to $500 sting for new glasses or contacts. Even when you don't need glasses, our comprehensive eye exam not only uncovers eye conditions, it also provides early detection for hypertension, diabetes, brain tumors, strokes and negative pharmaceutical side effects. One study reported that employees who have annual eye exams reduce the overall cost of health care by 26.7% over employees who do not have their eyes examined regularly.
 

Our Story

In 1990, Dr. Jud Bergan founded Dakota Eye Care in Madison, SD. As a practicing optometrist, he was frustrated with the rules and restrictions placed on his clinic by vision plans and discovered that other eye doctors in the state felt the same way.

His son, David, became C.E.O. in 2002 with a background in computer programming... and ever since, the operation has focused on using technology to make things easier and more efficient. The next year, Dakota Eye Care became the first vision plan in America to process claims through the Internet.

On March 1st, 2012, Dakota Eye Care changed its name to Optilegra... combining the DEC operations with Vision Care Direct of South Dakota.