Cataract surgery

Medicare may cover cataract surgery that implants conventional intraocular lenses, depending on where you live. Medicare doesn’t usually cover eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames (or one set of contact lenses) after each cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens.

Your costs in Original Medicare

• If you get covered cataract surgery in a hospital outpatient setting or ambulatory surgical
  center, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount to both the facility and
  the doctor who performs your surgery. The Part B deductible applies.
• If you get covered cataract surgery in a doctor’s office, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for both the intraocular lens and the surgery to implant it. The Part B deductible applies.

What it is

Cataract surgery removes a cloudy natural lens from your eye and, in most cases, replaces it with a clear artificial lens.

Things to know

If Medicare covers cataract surgery in your area, you can get it using traditional surgical techniques or lasers.