Eye Surgery: HSA Eligibility

Eligible expenses for Limited FSAs can vary. To find out exactly what your Limited FSA covers, contact your FSA administrator.

What is eye surgery?

Eye surgery is any surgical procedure involving the eye. Eye surgery is reimbursable with a consumer-directed healthcare account if the surgery is for vision correction or improvement, or the treatment of a condition or disease related to eye health or eyesight. Common types of eye surgery related to disease and conditions of the eye include cataract surgery and glaucoma surgery.

Common types of eye surgery related to vision correction and improvement include Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). These eye surgeries can also correct for conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism which can remove the need for corrective lenses.

Eye surgery for diseases or eye conditions is reimbursable with a consumer-directed healthcare account. Common eye diseases and conditions that can be helped by surgery include cataracts, glaucoma, myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Some of these diseases threaten eyesight and overall health, while others simply require corrective lenses. For the latter, corrective eye surgeries such as LASIK and PRK can fix the condition, thereby removing the need for corrective lenses.

LASIK and PRK are eye surgeries which are also useful for vision correction. LASIK offers less discomfort after surgery. LASIK is an eye surgery which uses lasers to adjust the cornea surface to improve vision. LASIK is not appropriate when the corneal thickness is too low (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). PRK does not create a small, hinged flap on the cornea, and therefore has a lower risk of complications in comparison to LASIK. The recovery time of PRK, however, is longer (American Academy of Ophthalmology).