What is the Average Cost for Cataract Surgery in India?

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cataract surgery in India

The average cost of the cataract surgery in India ranges from USD 3,500 to USD 5,000 per eye which is quite reasonable as compared to the cataract surgery in other developed countries where the cost for the same procedure will starts from USD 15,000 without any Medicare facilities. The actual the amount which you need to pay for cataract surgery without insurance depends on several factors, including the type of intraocular lens (IOL) which your surgeon will implant in your eye during the the procedure, the type of technology used during surgery, and the skill and experience of the cataract surgeon.

India is a country where the cataract procedures are fully or partially covered by insurance companies so that people it becomes easy for people to pay the amount for the cataract surgery.

You choose the standard cataract surgery which is less expensive than the laser cataract surgery or a premium toric IOL for astigmatism or a presbyopia-correcting IOL surgery. These are the cataract surgery for which you need to pay the additional costs as these surgeries are associated with advanced techniques and lenses with your own money.

Cost of Cataract Surgery without Insurance

There are cases where the surgeon often charges the same cost for the cataract surgery that they charge for elective vision correction procedure which is known as refractive lens exchange (RLE).

Refractive lens exchange (RLE) is the same procedure as cataract surgery, however, this is a procedure in which the eye natural lens will be removed and has not yet become clouded by a cataract, however, replacing the eye  natural lens with an IOL, can correct significant amounts of nearsightedness or farsightedness, reducing the patient need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The average cost of Cataract Surgery without Insurance (per eye) is as follows:

  • Cataract Surgery with a standard monofocal IOL implant is around USD 4,000.
  • Cataract Surgery with astigmatism-correcting IOL is around USD 5,000.
  • Cataract Surgery with a presbyopia-correcting IOL is around USD 6,500.

According to the study, the cost of the Cataract Surgery with a standard monofocal IOL implant is covered by the medical insurance companies, however, if you choose the Cataract Surgery with astigmatism-correcting IOL or Cataract Surgery with a presbyopia-correcting IOL then you need to pay the premium for these advanced procedures. The average additional cost for astigmatism-   correcting IOL is around USD 1,500 and for presbyopia-correcting IOL is around USD 2,500.

What are the factors which influence the cost of Cataract Surgery in India?

The following are the factors which can influence your cost of the cataract surgery and these are:

  • Place of the treatment: The country where the surgery is performed will affect your cost of cataract surgery, especially since it determines that which surgeon or hospitals are available for you. For e.g., if you are undergoing for the cataract surgery in urban areas then you have more options to choose from.
  • Role of Insurance Company: Your health insurance company and your doctor or hospital plays an important role in determining the cost of the cataract surgery. The estimated cost of the cataract surgery under We Care India hospitals ranges from USD 3,500 to USD 5,000 which means around 80% of the cost for the cataract surgery comes from the insurance provider and rest 20% from the patient.
  • Insurance Plan: Your health insurance plan can also affect the cost of the cataract surgery for a few reasons such as your surgeon is in or out-of-network which can highly impact your overall cost. Your co-pay amounts and your left out deductible can also make a difference in how much you pay out-of-pocket.
  • Anesthesia: The kind of anesthesia which your surgeon gives you also affects your cost of cataract surgery in India. In case, your anesthesiologist is in or out-of-network can impact the overall cost of the procedure and if there are any emergencies occur during the surgery than you might have to bear the additional unexpected cost for the cataract surgery.
  • Personal Health: Your own personal health also impacts the cost of the cataract surgery for e.g. if you undergo for the cataract surgery with pre-existing health problems which will increase the cost of the cataract surgery.

These are the factors which can impact the cost of your cataract surgery, however, the main factor which is impacting your cost of the cataract surgery is the type of insurance coverage you have.

Will cataract surgery is covered under health insurance?

There are some health insurance plans which do cover adult vision care and most do not cover. If you have Medicare or Medicaid plans then they may cover the cost of your cataract surgery.

To make your process run smoothly you need to call your insurance provider and find out the following:

  • Ask if they cover cataract surgery or not.
  • Ask regarding the preauthorization before the procedure.
  • What all is covered by the insurance company and what you need to pay out-of-pocket.
  • What documentation your insurance provider required from your doctor.

As we all know, that all insurance providers have different policies so to avoid the problems you make sure that you call and ask your insurance provider before you schedule your surgery.

What are the other cost considerations for Cataract Surgery in India?

While choosing your type of intraocular lens you choose that whether your procedure is manual or laser-assisted, here are some of the other which needs to be taken into considerations that can affect the cost of cataract surgery in India and these are:

  • The cost of the procedure can be changed which will be based on your pre-op exam visits, medications or eye drops, and follow-up exams are included in the total. If all the items are add-on charges, the total cost of the procedure can increase substantially.
  • The cost of the cataract surgery will also be affected by the amounts of your deductible and co-pay. So, before you proceed with cataract surgery you need to check with your insurance company that what exactly is covered for your treatment.

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