Always confirm costs with your healthcare facility and/or insurance coverage
Glaucoma is the silent thief of vision — and if you don’t catch it early, it will rob you blind. The good news? Treatment works. The bad news? It’s not free.
Whether you’re paying out of pocket or navigating insurance red tape, here’s what it really costs to keep your eyes — and your finances — intact.
💡 Quick Answer:
Treatment Type |
With Insurance |
Without Insurance |
|---|---|---|
Initial Eye Exam & Testing |
$10 – $50 copay |
$150 – $500 |
Prescription Eye Drops (Monthly) |
$0 – $60 |
$30 – $250 |
Laser Surgery (per eye) |
$500 – $1,500 |
$1,000 – $2,500 |
Traditional Surgery (Trabeculectomy) |
$1,000 – $3,000 |
$3,000 – $6,000+ |
Ongoing Monitoring |
$50 – $150/visit |
$100 – $300/visit |
🧾 Long-term cost? Treating glaucoma = a recurring monthly and annual expense
💊 Medication Cost Breakdown
Medication |
Brand Name |
Retail Price (Monthly) |
GoodRx Price |
Cost Plus Drugs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Latanoprost |
Xalatan |
$120 – $180 |
$11 – $25 |
✅ $5.40 + $10 ship |
Timolol |
Timoptic |
$60 – $100 |
$6 – $15 |
✅ $3.90 + $10 ship |
Dorzolamide-Timolol |
Cosopt |
$150+ |
$20 – $50 |
✅ $9.90 + $10 ship |
Brimonidine |
Alphagan |
$130 – $200 |
$12 – $40 |
✅ $5.90 + $10 ship |
Bimatoprost |
Lumigan |
$200+ |
$35 – $75 |
❌ Not available |
💡 Most eye drops need to be taken daily, and often for life.
🔬 Diagnostic Testing Costs (Out of Pocket)
Test |
Typical Cost |
|---|---|
Tonometry (Eye Pressure Test) |
$20 – $100 |
Visual Field Test |
$50 – $150 |
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) |
$100 – $300 |
Dilated Eye Exam |
$75 – $150 |
🔦 Surgery Options & Their Price Tags
Procedure |
Use Case |
Cost (Per Eye, Without Insurance) |
|---|---|---|
Laser Trabeculoplasty |
Open-angle glaucoma |
$1,000 – $2,500 |
Laser Iridotomy |
Angle-closure glaucoma |
$1,000 – $2,000 |
Trabeculectomy (Traditional Surgery) |
Severe cases |
$3,000 – $6,000 |
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) |
Early/moderate cases |
$2,000 – $5,000 |
🧠 Most of these are one-time costs, but follow-up care adds to the bill.
🏥 Insurance: Friend or Just Kinda There?
Insurance Type |
Covers Glaucoma? |
|---|---|
✅ Yes (diagnosis + treatment) |
|
Medicaid |
✅ Yes (varies by state) |
Private Insurance |
✅ Yes (often with specialist copays) |
Vision Plans (e.g., VSP, EyeMed) |
⚠️ Exams only — not medical treatment |
Pro Tip: If you’re 65+, Medicare is your best friend for glaucoma coverage. It includes eye exams every 12 months for high-risk patients.
💭 Final Thoughts: Glaucoma Isn’t Optional
Glaucoma isn’t something you “wait and see” with — because if you wait, you might not see at all. The earlier you start treatment, the cheaper (and more effective) it is.
Yes, the long-term cost can sting. But going blind? Way more expensive.
🔚 Bottom Line
- Monthly cost for meds? $10 – $250 depending on brand and insurance
- Laser surgery? $1,000 – $2,500 per eye
- Annual monitoring + exams? Add another $500 – $1,000
- With insurance, costs drop fast — but you’ll still have copays
- Glaucoma doesn’t go away — but with treatment, you keep your vision and your life
🧾 User-Reported Cost: Dealing with insurance feels like a game where I’m left to figure out the rules on my own, and it often seems like they’re more of a hurdle than a help. It’s frustrating to think I’m paying for coverage that doesn’t always cover what I really need. Treating glaucoma is no joke. those costs can really pile up fast! It’s wild how some eye drops are hundreds of dollars, and diagnostic tests aren’t cheap either. If surgery is needed, that’s thousands more. The expenses just keep coming with all the follow-ups. Plus, it’s annoying how insurance coverage varies so much, leaving us with hefty out-of-pocket costs. And let’s be real, who has the time to focus on diet and exercise when juggling all these expenses?
🧾 User-Reported Cost: Just a casual few hundred to thousands for vision. no big deal, right? And those follow-up appointments? They really know how to keep our wallets light, don’t they?