When you have cataracts, they can impact your quality of life and cause persistent vision issues. Cataracts get worse over time, so treating cataracts with surgery often becomes the only option to restore your vision.
You may wonder if cataract surgery will require an out-of-pocket cost once it’s time for the procedure. Keep reading to learn if insurance covers the cost of cataract surgery!
What Are Cataracts?
Your eyes have a lens that is normally clear. However, as you age or because of other health conditions, the proteins in the lens may break down, forming cataracts.
With cataracts, your eye lens becomes cloudy, and you may feel like you’re viewing life through a foggy window. While cataracts may not completely hinder your vision at first, glasses and contacts might not be enough to maintain your quality of life as they worsen with time.
In these cases, cataract surgery is the only way to remove and treat cataracts. During the surgery, the lens with cataracts is removed and replaced with a clear, artificial lens called an intraocular lens, or IOL.
What You Need to Know about Insurance & Cataract Surgery
Every insurance plan is different, so the best way to know what your specific plan will cover is to call your insurance company. However, some general information about cataracts is true across the board.
Insurance will cover some kinds of cataract surgery but not others. So, if you can’t pay for cataract surgery out of pocket, you’ll need to ensure you choose the kind of treatment that’s covered.
Types of Surgery Insurance Will Cover
Insurance will cover cataract surgery where your clouded lens is replaced with a monofocal intraocular lens. The monofocal intraocular lens, or IOL, is the standard cataract treatment, but these lenses are more basic, as they only assist vision focus for one distance.
So, the monofocal lens can be created to help you focus for near or far distances, but not both. Insurance covers this type of cataract surgery because it’s a traditional method, and it’s viewed as medically necessary.
While there are more advanced versions of cataract surgery, insurance usually doesn’t cover them, as they consider the basic treatment sufficient.
Types of Cataract Surgery Insurance Won’t Cover
Some other kinds of cataract surgery can be more beneficial to patients, although monofocal IOLs are still effective. Premium IOLs, such as multifocal lenses, can improve your ability to focus at multiple distances, so they are sometimes preferred by patients.
Insurance companies generally don’t cover premium IOL replacements or laser cataract surgery. This is because they consider these additional or premium types of cataract surgery elective.
The Right Cataract Surgery Option for You
When you have cataracts that impact your quality of life, cataract surgery removes symptoms and restores your vision. At Frantz EyeCare, we provide many kinds of cataract surgery, including options for monofocal and premium IOLs.
We will work with you to determine which cataract surgery is best for you, and we can also discuss cost and insurance options.
Do you want to learn more about your IOL options? Schedule a cataract evaluation at Frantz EyeCare in Fort Myers, FL, today!
