Dates

February 18 to March 27, 2019

Participants

185

Results

Question #1: How much did your current scleral lenses cost, including fitting fees?

Question #2: How much of the cost was covered by insurance?

Question #3: Approximately how much do you spend (or expect to spend) annually on supplies, such as plungers, cases, salines, cleaning solutions, mirrors, lights, etc?

Comments

• Best money I spend to finally be able to see!!
• replacement lens ... 1000.00 80 % coverage if 500.00 deductible has been met . My fitting cost was for one lens in 2004 ....5000.00
• Insurance appeal process
• Lens are cheap but supplies are expensive, from Mexico City, Mexico
• The financial upkeep of good maintenance for sclerals is not for the faint of heart or pocketbook!
• Eye drops Rx is $1200 every 3 months
• additional costs - prescriptions and supplements for your eyes can add up to more than the cost of everything above
• I am surprised that insurance doesn’t cover costs in the case of MGD. This includes costs for other treatments such as IPL and gland probing
• Something needs to be done in the US health care system regarding scleral lens cost
• Had to refinance my mortgage and a year later am still in shock about the cost! No complaints about provider charges. I understand why they cost so much.
• As time goes on i find that I use less saline per day. I am currently using Clear Care, PuriLens and Progent.
• I don’t have eye insurance now, in a different state from when I got the lenses. So I’m looking for eye insurance to help, my current employer does not carry eye insurance.
• While insurance covers them 100%, it doesn’t kick in until I meet a $7,500 deductible. Being healthy, I’ve never made any claims so insurance didn’t really save me any money.
• Worth every penny!!
• Saline cost kills me !!!
• I live in Nicaragua. The lens was fitted in Costa Rica, but the doctor ordered it from the US. I buy my supplies from Amazon - nothing available here locally.
• It was done locally for me so no travelling expences
• Cost is in AUD - Lenses were $800 each and insurance pays $300 per year max so I split it over 2 year period one eye and then the other. I need these due to keratoconus and feel it should have more cover as a disease under Medicare and private health as I cannot see without them or with glasses. Please help fight for this for us!
• After suffering Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis where I lost 95% of my skin in early 2015. Nothing any of my eye doctors did, helped. I was referred to Bascom Palmer in Miami where I was deemed eligible for custom scleral lenses via Bascom’s affiliation with Boston Center for Sight. I’ve been wearing my same set of scleral lenses since late 2015. They make my eyes feel as close to normal as they’ll likely ever be.
• Travel expense to Johns Hopkins twice a year $165
• After wearing one right eye PROSE for 15 Years I have tears again and do not have to use PROSE or deal with the associated costs. I am very fortune that my body has mended itself! My dry eye was result of GVHD from treatment of AML with stem cell transplant in 2000. My left eye corrected in about two years. BFfor Sight/Dr Rosenthal was my physician; loved Dr Perry!! Charlene Stuart
• I am from Canada I get all my supply’s from the US as they have more options, better prices and pick them up from my PO Box
• estimates without actually pulling receipts.
• A replacement lens will cost me about $750 each and I think the insurance will not cover that
• I wish insurance companies would treat eye disease as a disease. Not covering the cost for lenses seems unethical since contact lenses are covered by most insurances.
• I think we need to make insurance companies pay when they are prescribed for your health and not just to see (vision) problems! I am not happy with my insurance company and sent in an appeal and they still denied it. I explained they were for my corneas and my health. Didn't matter to them. Yet I feel that is what insurance is for...your health problems....not just to pay high premiums each month...can you tell I am not happy.?
• Ridiculous costs and can't I make my own lens fluid
• No “back up” pair which is a concern since it takes several weeks to get them.
• I feel the PROSE lens is very over priced but the results were remarkable.
• Travel, lodging, and meal cost to Boston was and additional $3.000. Now my eye doctor can fit me with scleral lenses which eliminates travel. The scleral lens cost about $1000 apiece verses about $2,000 apiece.
• It would sure be nice to have some kind of help with covering cost of the use of these lens. I need mine to function daily but I can't get any coverage for it.
• I've found that Publix Supermarket here in South Florida has lower prices for items compared to Walgreens or CVS Pharms.
• The first year costs were definitely higher than successive years, such as finding good magnifying mirrors, buying duplicate items for home/car/office/travel case, buying tons of products that I can't use (and learning that I'm allergic to BZK), and settling on Sclerafil, which isn't inexpensive.  My big worry is paying for these lenses out of pocket ($8000/year) when I retire.
• Insurance is well worth the premium if it covers “medically necessary” lenses. Otherwise I’m stressing over saving enough so I can see.
• I was blind and the lens made we where I am now 20/15, what ever it costs it is worth it
• Cost of sclerals did include fitting service and follow-up. Of the $1600 charge , insurance was about $175
• An ongoing and expensive medical condition for sure!! 
• An option anyone with dry eye should explore

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