Dental, Vision & Hearing
Does Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?
Yes. Medicare Part B covers cataract surgery, including implanting a standard intraocular lens, when your doctor determines it's medically necessary. You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible; premium lens upgrades cost extra.
What Original Medicare covers
Cataract surgery is one of the clearest yes answers in Medicare. Part B covers removal of the cataract and implantation of a standard intraocular lens, whether the surgeon uses traditional techniques or a laser. It also covers the pre-surgery exam that measures your eye for the lens, and — unusually, since Medicare almost never pays for glasses — one pair of corrective eyeglasses with standard frames, or one set of contact lenses, after the surgery.
What it does NOT cover
Upgraded lenses and upgraded outcomes. If you choose a premium intraocular lens — a multifocal or toric lens meant to reduce your dependence on glasses — Medicare pays what it would have paid for the standard lens, and the difference is yours. The same goes for services bundled in purely to sharpen uncorrected vision, and for deluxe frames or extra pairs of glasses afterward.
The conditions and limits
The surgery must be medically necessary — a cataract that is actually impairing your vision — and your eye doctor documents that. Surgery on each eye counts separately, including the post-surgery glasses benefit. The glasses must come from a supplier enrolled in Medicare, so ask before you order.
What it costs you
You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the $283 Part B deductible (2026 figure), and a copay may apply in a hospital outpatient department. A Medigap policy can pick up some or all of that share. Ask the surgeon's billing office for the Medicare-approved amounts before scheduling, so the math holds no surprises — especially the separate price of any premium lens.
Medicare Advantage plans cover cataract surgery as well, since they must cover everything Original Medicare covers, though networks, prior authorization, and copays work differently by plan.
Doctor or advisor?
Whether and when to have cataract surgery, and which lens is right for your eyes, are questions for your ophthalmologist — including an honest conversation about what a premium lens would actually buy you. Questions about what your particular coverage will leave you to pay go to your plan, or to a licensed agent or SHIP counselor if the surgery has you reviewing your coverage more broadly.