Do you want to know how to get vision therapy covered by insurance? In order to get vision therapy covered by insurance, you must make an insurance claim to the insurance provider. If vision therapy is the only effective treatment for the condition, most insurance plans will accept your claim and provide coverage.
This also depends on your insurance plan’s offered services and policy. Vision therapy can help treat several conditions relating to vision. Examples of these conditions will be elaborated on later below.
The exercises to be done during treatment are personalized depending on the individual’s situation. It has the objective to try improving the visual abilities and skills of the patient and is done over a period of time. We will also be discussing how vision therapy relates to insurance and what to do if your claim is denied. If some of these topics pique your interest in any way, keep on reading until the end of this article.
What Is Vision Therapy?
First of all, let us talk about what vision therapy is. Vision therapy is what optometrists call a series of exercises for the eyes. Like the name suggests, vision therapy is somewhat like physical therapy, wherein patients are encouraged to use the muscles involved. However, it is very controversial because medical eye doctors called ophthalmologists do not recommend or prescribe this treatment.
Optometrists on the other hand, who are specialists in examining vision effects, do recommend vision therapy.
This is because there is not much-supporting evidence on the benefits of most classifications of vision therapy. There are also three major classifications of vision therapy: perceptual or behavioral vision therapy, orthoptic vision therapy, and correction or prevention vision therapy. Orthoptic vision therapy is a treatment done every week over the course of a few months.
Improving the binocular function of the eyes Most of the patients that undergo orthoptics are young children who have trouble with their eye coordination or have underdeveloped visual abilities. Perceptual or behavioral vision therapy is used to develop the perception and processing of the visual system. In contrast, correction or prevention vision therapy aims to prevent or reverse eye problems such as myopia.
Although there is not much evidence supporting the claims of perceptual or behavioral vision therapy and correction or prevention vision therapy, there are claims supporting orthoptics. Orthoptic vision therapy has been proven to deliver results relating to the eyes’ alignment by training its muscles. If you want to learn how to get vision therapy covered by insurance, continue reading.
Conditions That Can Be Treated With Vision Therapy
In this section of the article, we will be talking about the common conditions treated with vision therapy, orthoptics to be specific. The examples will be given and elaborated on below.
#1. Strabismus
Strabismus is a condition that prevents the eyes from being correctly aligned when focusing on close things such as when reading, which does not happen when looking at faraway objects. Vision therapy has been proven as a great treatment for this.
#2. Amblyopia
Amblyopia is a condition that occurs when the connection between the brain and eyes has not been developed properly. This causes poor vision and is usually diagnosed by pediatric eye doctors in young children. This condition is also known as “lazy eye.”
#3. Oculomotor dysfunction
Oculomotor dysfunction is a problem with the eyes that makes it so that a person with it cannot track moving objects very well. It also causes the inability to rapidly shift the eyes from looking at one object to another. These conditions are treated through vision therapy, and as long as it’s to provide you better eyesight, the insurance company will surely pay for the expenses. Regardless, you might want to read how to get insurance to pay for gynecomastia surgery.
Vision Therapy And Insurance Coverage
If your doctor has told you to undergo vision therapy to treat the condition of your eyes, it will be a big help if you have insurance. This will help you pay for the cost of your treatment, which will leave you in a much better financial position compared to if you don’t have insurance coverage.
It is important to educate one about matters such as these as they can prove to be useful in the future. First of all, make sure that vision therapy coverage is included in your insurance plan. If you are not sure, contact your provider. After that, you have to submit the claim for coverage and wait for them to accept it.
In the case of claim denial, always ask why they did not accept your coverage. For example, if the reason points to the lack of evidence supporting vision therapy, ask them for documents to support their claim, especially if the treatment is orthoptics.
Also, consult your doctor for advice regarding the situation you are in. Make sure to always be honest about everything not just for other’s sake, but for your own as well.
Final Words
At the end of this article, I hope you have learned how to get vision therapy covered by insurance. Insurance coverage is a big help, especially when you need a medically necessary surgery to pay for. You might wonder why I added the term “medically necessary.”
That is because some people would only do surgery for appearance, such as nose jobs. Learn if you can get insurance to pay for your nose job and how. Thank you for reading up to this point of the article. Your time and effort are very much appreciated.