After cataract surgery with a lens implant, does Medicare cover any of the cost of new glasses?
Yes, it does. Medicare Part B can pay for one pair of eyeglasses following cataract surgery in which a new lens was implanted in the eye. How much it pays depends on whether you get new frames, and if so how much they cost. Medicare Part B will pay for both lenses and frames, but only basic frames. If you buy more expensive frames than the basic ones approved by Medicare, you'll have to pay out of pocket for the difference between the standard amount Medicare pays and the amount your frames actually cost. Also, you have to pay a coinsurance amount, which is 20 percent of the amount Medicare approves for the lenses and frames.
Before you choose your new glasses, make sure to let the optometrist's office know that you want the bill sent to Medicare, and ask what frames they have that are fully covered by Medicare (not counting your 20 percent coinsurance amount).
