Insurance Guide for Glaucoma: Honoring Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, which you can honor by learning about glaucoma risk factors, getting regular eye exams and encouraging your loved ones to do the same. Preventive eye care is crucial because vision loss from glaucoma cannot be reversed. However, not all health insurance companies cover routine vision screenings, so you may need to purchase vision insurance or reach out to a nonprofit or other organization for financial help.

Continue reading to learn more about how to celebrate Glaucoma Awareness Month and what options you may have for obtaining glaucoma health coverage.

On This Page

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  What Is Glaucoma Awareness Month?

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  Glaucoma Awareness Month History

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  How Does Health Insurance Support Preventive Glaucoma Screenings?

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  What Diagnostic Tests for Glaucoma Are Typically Covered by Insurance?

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  Health Insurance Plans and Glaucoma Treatment Costs

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  Financial Assistance and Resources for Glaucoma Awareness Month

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  FAQs

What Is Glaucoma Awareness Month?

Glaucoma Awareness Month is an annual campaign dedicated to educating people about glaucoma — an eye condition that can result in irreversible vision loss and even total blindness if left untreated.^[1] The illness occurs when fluid inside one or both eyes exerts excessive pressure on and damages the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain.^[2]

When Is Glaucoma Awareness Month?

Glaucoma Awareness Month is recognized in January each year. Throughout the month, individuals are encouraged to learn about the warning signs of glaucoma, take steps to maintain their eye health and prevent the onset of the condition, connect with health professionals and educators in their area and raise awareness by sharing information about glaucoma with others via social media and email.^[3]

Why Is Glaucoma Awareness Month Important?

It’s important to raise awareness about glaucoma because of how common and serious the sight-stealing disease is. Approximately 3 million Americans have glaucoma, accounting for nearly 1% of the population of the United States. Since the vision loss caused by glaucoma is permanent, it’s crucial to be screened so you can catch glaucoma early and undergo treatments to help you avoid or delay further vision loss.^[4]

In addition, it’s necessary to be proactive about glaucoma screening because the onset of the condition is often subtle. Glaucoma generally starts by negatively impacting your peripheral vision, so you may not notice that something is wrong until it begins to impact your central vision. You could also fail to recognize your glaucoma before it’s too late because there often aren’t any accompanying early symptoms other than vision loss.^[4]

Because it can be difficult to detect, glaucoma is nicknamed the “silent thief of sight,” and it’s estimated that as much as 50% of people with glaucoma don’t realize they have it.^[1][4]

Glaucoma Awareness Month History

While there are conflicting reports about the origins of National Glaucoma Awareness Month, the observance was referenced in a report by the National Eye Institute in the late 1990s, suggesting it has been recognized for around 30 years at least.^[5] Glaucoma awareness is particularly important for the following high-risk groups:^[2][3]

• Anyone over the age of 60
• African Americans over the age of 40
• Hispanic, Latino and Asian Americans
• People with a family history of glaucoma
• People with diabetes

How Does Health Insurance Support Preventive Glaucoma Screenings?

Whether your health insurance covers preventive glaucoma screenings may depend on the details of your plan and the type of eye exam you receive. While an optometrist may be able to detect glaucoma during a routine eye exam, private health insurance plans often do not cover routine eye exams for adults — they do, however, have to include vision coverage for children.^[6][7]

Meanwhile, health plans generally include coverage for ophthalmologist services — such as treatments and examinations — if you have already been diagnosed with glaucoma, but insurers may differ on whether they cover preventive or diagnostic screenings conducted by ophthalmologists.^[8] Your insurance carrier may be more likely to cover an eye exam if you have a preexisting condition that raises your risk of contracting an eye disease, such as diabetes.^[9]

If you qualify for Medicare, coverage for preventive care related to glaucoma is more straightforward. Medicare Part B covers annual glaucoma screenings conducted by legally approved eye doctors for the following high-risk populations:^[10]

• People with diabetes
• People with a family history of glaucoma
• African Americans over the age of 50
• Hispanic Americans over the age of 65

What To Do if You Don’t Have Health Insurance

If you don’t have health insurance, you may still be able to secure coverage for glaucoma screenings by purchasing a standalone vision insurance policy. Vision insurance is fairly cheap, with premiums typically ranging from around $5 to $30 per month. These plans cover most types of routine eye care, including preventive exams and eyeglasses or contact lenses.^[11]

What Diagnostic Tests for Glaucoma Are Typically Covered by Insurance?

Even if your health insurance includes coverage for glaucoma screenings, that coverage may only apply to certain types of diagnostic tests. See the following table for examples of primary open-angle glaucoma evaluations that are and aren’t covered for policyholders with glaucoma screening insurance from Aetna:^[12]

Health Insurance Plans and Glaucoma Treatment Costs

Glaucoma treatment costs can vary depending on your treatment plan. For example, the cost of prescription eye drops may range from $240 to $2,500 per year, while surgical procedures may cost anywhere from $1,000 to $6,300. Fortunately, health insurance plans generally cover medically necessary glaucoma treatments without the ambiguity that you may encounter when seeking coverage for preventive screenings.^[13]

Financial Assistance and Resources for Glaucoma Awareness Month

Various resources may be available if you need a glaucoma screening or treatment but can’t afford insurance. For example, the American Glaucoma Society offers free glaucoma care services for low-income people who are uninsured. You may also be able to receive low-cost eye care by visiting a local community health center or a nearby university’s ophthalmology department.^[14]