Financial stress of dry eye
Financial stress has always been a struggle for me with all my health conditions, including dry eye. I wrote an article on this previously (you can find it here if you are interested - https://chronicdryeye.net/living/financial-stress), but I am curious to hear others' thoughts, experiences, insight, etc on this
How do you deal with the financial aspect (especially of things you need that insurance may not cover)? What are your biggest stressors and how do you deal with them?
Here is an article on the link between how much chronic dry eye costs: https://chronicdryeye.net/cost?utm_source=finances
Interested in hearing from others on this topic 😀
it is a big financial strain for me. Drops are expensive enough but the treatments my doctor recommends cost hundreds of dollars and not covered by insurance. I would also need to drive 2 hours each way. So far I haven’t tried anything because of the cost. My optometrist manually expresses the meibomian glands a few times each year. Oddly that treatment is covered. Sharon, Patient Leader he recommended Lipiflow for meibomian gland dysfunction. It would be approximately $800 per treatment. My Bruder mask wasn’t too expensive and holds up well. Most expensive are the various drops. Check online for coupons for the OTC drops you use. Some major pharmacies offer rewards to their customers. Best wishes, Sharon Moore patient leader oh gosh, that is expensive. I have not heard of that treatment yet, so I have to do a bit of research now! I use a Bruder mask as well, and it is honestly a life saver for me. In addition, I use the drops as well, and nighttime gel drops or ointment when my eyes are extra dry. But they are all quite costly when you add it all up. I will definitely have to look into more manufacturers coupons and such. I hope you are able to get the treatment you need! -Nina (ChronicDryEye.net Team Member)
Why cant these expensive drops be covered by insurance, medicare, medicaid etc?
I wish I knew why insurance doesn’t cover most of the treatments for chronic dry eyes. Even the prescription drops that are covered have a very high co payment. It is beyond frustrating. Warm wishes, Sharon Moore Patient Leader great question, and one I wish I could answer. I know some insurance and state insurance offers some benefits for over the counter products, and lately this is something I have personally been looking into with mine and trying to find out if there’s anything at all I can do to get help with that. The drops and everything else are really expensive, and considering how much and how often many of us have to use them- it adds up quickly! -Nina (ChronicDryEye.net Team Member)
It's rough for sure. I also have arthritis and can't work much. I usually try to ration my drops and supplements (sometimes taking less than I should in order to make it last longer). I know this isn't the best but it's been one of the only ways I've been able to manage. When my eyes are doing a bit better, I like to try to experiment with generic OTC drops and supplements to see if the cheaper versions help the same. Additionally, I am extra careful with my eye care items to ensure they last long.
yes, I have other health conditions that prevent me from working much as well, so that makes it extra difficult. I honestly do the same as you a lot of times in regards to rationing. During the winter, it's a bit harder for me in regards to my eyes, since I tend to use a lot more eye drops during this time. But then I try to use less the rest of the year when it's not as dry. Like you said, it's probably not the best, but unfortunately when we don't have much of a choice, we have to make it work somehow. 🙁 I'm sorry that you struggle with this as well, it's truly so difficult to have proper care without the finances and not being able to work as much as we'd like. Having to ration is the reality for so many of us and I wish more eye drops were covered by insurance or at least cheaper
