Does Health Insurance Provide Coverage for LASIK Eye Surgery?

What is LASIK Eye Surgery?

LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. It is an eye surgery to correct the vision of the eyes. This laser surgery can treat a medical condition of the eyes such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. It is considered to be one of the most complicated and intricate surgery solely because of its complex procedure.

The initial step includes testing and evaluations of the patient and the information like their medical history, on going medication, the medical condition helps the doctor to determine whether the patient is eligible/fit for the LASIK surgery or not.

Once the doctor confirms the eligibility then comes the expenses and to cover that one would either require good enough savings or a mediclaim policy.

How Does a Basic Health Insurance Plan Help?

Health expenses are very high in India, in this scenario having a mediclaim policy can help the individual in need especially when he/she is the sole breadwinner for the family of the dependents.

Any individual who has experienced some time in the hospital due to a major or minor treatment has an idea how a health insurance policy works as a boon if there is a shortage of funds. Some insurers also provide a cashless facility at few private hospitals which can aid the insured during the time of claim settlement.

A vast majority of Indians have an idea of how difficult it might get to arrange funds in times of need and how even a basic health insurance plan can come to the rescue.

A health insurance plan can provide financial aid in an emergency or to meet the expenses related to medical surgery or treatment. There are a few insurers who offer insurance policies to provide coverage for LASIK eye surgery.

Getting a basic health insurance plan for LASIK eye surgery was challenging a few years back, it is because many insurance providers think that it is cosmetic surgery. This is the reason why there are only a few insurance companies that provide mediclaim policy for the same.

It is advisable to do a thorough research online to check the coverage of LASIK eye surgery in the health insurance plan.

Insurance companies which provide health insurance plan for LASIK eye Surgery:

Insurance Provider	Lasik Eye Surgery	Parameters	Network Hospitals
Aditya Birla Health Insurance	Covered under all the Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	5700+	View Plan
Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance	Covered under all the Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	6500+	View Plan
Care Health Insurance	Covered under all the Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	11000+	View Plan
Manipal Cigna Health Insurance	Covered under all Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	6000+	View Plan
Star Health Insurance	Covered under all Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	6500+	View Plan
Universal Sompo Health Insurance	Covered under all Health Insurance plans	Covered under 7.5 dioptres, if PED waiting period will apply	4700+	View Plan

*Disclaimer: Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.

Now, let us understand when is the best time to get the LASIK Eye Surgery:

When is it best to Get Lasik Eye Surgery?

From 18-40 years of age is considered ideal for the laser treatment of the vision. The professionals suggest that it is best to undergo the surgery as soon as your prescription of the glasses has been completed a year. The age group is specified because people with this age group tend to seek LASIK surgery more than others.

However, there is no fixed age limit above 40 years. Based on the health and visual needs of an individual, one can go for LASIK eye surgery. Also, with the gradual changes in technology, the criteria for eligibility for laser eye treatment vary.

Inclusions under Mediclaim policy for LASIK Eye Surgery

As we have discussed above that many insurers in India consider LASIK eye surgery as an elective treatment done for cosmetic surgery, the ones who provide insurance policy have underlined a few conditions on the basis of which the coverage will be decided:

Eye surgery is required because of the refractive error caused due to an injury or an accident.
Eye surgery is required for the refractive error caused due to another surgery.
Eye surgery is required for the severe refractive error case.

Under this case, it is advisable to check with the insurer the facts and terms and conditions for better clarity around parameters of severity.

Eye surgery is required because the person is unable to wear glasses due to physical deformity or constant ache.
Eye surgery is required because the person is unable to use contact lenses due to any physical limitation or lack of tolerance for contact lenses.

The Final Word

It is imperative to undergo laser eye surgery if it is an urgent requirement of the patient. Also, avoiding it wouldn't be a wise decision. Also, now it is possible to get a mediclaim policy for LASIK Eye surgery in India. However, it is advisable to go through the terms and conditions of the policy document before buying a plan.

Written By: PolicyBazaar - Updated: 30 August 2021