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Is Laser Eye Surgery Covered On Your Vision Insurance Policy?

Is Laser Eye Surgery Covered On Your Vision Insurance Policy?
Vision insurance, along with dental insurance (and often combined with it), is a top form of medical insurance that many invest in aside from their regular health insurance plan. It’s also a commonly offered type of insurance in many employee benefits packages – and a great perk for employers to use in upping employee satisfaction.
Of course, eye exams, new glasses/contacts, and a wide variety of eye surgeries are covered by most vision insurance policies. But what about laser eye surgeries, like LASIK? Are they covered?

Why Get Laser Eye Surgery?
Sometimes, laser eye surgery may be necessary to correct a severe eye condition or even prevent vision loss, but the truth is that most people opt for laser eye surgery because they don’t want to wear glasses or contacts anymore.

It can be difficult to engage in strenuous physical activities while wearing glasses (or even contacts), and yet, it’s obviously difficult to see properly without them on if you need them. Jobs with intensive reading or the need for great attention to details can be done better with clearer vision. And laser surgery can often result in better vision than you get with glasses or contact lenses.

Many opt for laser eye surgery to correct near or far sightedness because the expense of getting eyeglasses, contacts and contact cleaning solution, and prescription sunglasses across decades can easily outweigh the cost of a single eye surgery.

Is Laser Eye Surgery Covered By Vision Insurance?
In most cases, yes, LASIK and other laser eye surgery options will be covered on vision insurance policies.

Of course, you’ll have to verify this with your insurer; and you’ll need to find out what portion of the cost of surgery would be covered and if the surgery has to be “a medical necessity” in order to be covered.

However, most insurance companies don’t mind covering laser eye surgery the same way they cover other eye surgeries. The reason was already hinted at in the section above: you save money over the long term (no more glasses/contacts expenses) with vision correction surgery, so that means the insurer will pay less too. You both win.

Is Laser Eye Surgery Safe?
As long as you use an experienced, board-certified ophthalmologist, LASIK and other forms of laser eye surgery are extremely safe.

Of course, there are still surgery risks and possible complications, like with any surgery. The rate of complications is from 2% to 5%, and while such complications can cause temporary discomfort and may require a second surgery, they normally don’t do any permanent damage.

Also realize that a second surgery is sometimes needed even if there are not complications. The more nearsighted you are, the greater the chance of a “refinement” surgery being needed.

And finally, laser eye surgery doesn’t always result in perfect vision, but it will result in greatly improved vision. And for people with severe dry eyes or certain other eye conditions, laser surgery may not be an option.

However, you shouldn’t let theses risks discourage you as they are relatively rare and can be corrected themselves even when the do occur. The improved vision and elimination of glasses/contacts and associated expenses make laser eye surgery well worth having on your vision insurance policy.

To learn more about laser eye surgery coverage, or for a free quote, feel free to contact Flagler County Insurance Agency today!