All articles 5 min read

Medicare Costs for Vision, Hearing, and Dental Care

Adapted from Your Medicare Benefits, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The selected guidance concerns Medicare coverage and payment, not a recommendation for medical treatment. Numbered page references below refer to the linked source publication.

Coverage can depend on medical necessity, the setting, provider participation, and your plan’s rules. Use the cited publication for the full conditions and check the plan year when comparing costs or enrollment choices.

Cataract surgery

Cataract surgery removes a cloudy natural lens from your eye and, in most cases, replaces it with a clear artificial lens. Medicare may cover cataract surgery that implants conventional intraocular lenses, depending on where you live.

Medicare doesn’t usually cover eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, Part B covers one pair of eyeglasses with standard frames (or one set of contact lenses) after each cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens.

Costs

For covered cataract surgery you get in a hospital outpatient setting or ambulatory surgical center: After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount to both the facility and the doctor who performs your surgery.
For covered cataract surgery you get in a doctor’s office: After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for both the intraocular lens and the surgery to implant it.

Things to know If Medicare covers cataract surgery in your area, you can get it using traditional surgical techniques or lasers.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/cataract-surgery.

Eye exams (for diabetes)

Part B covers eye exams for diabetic retinopathy. You must get the exam from an eye doctor who’s legally allowed to do the test in your state.

How often Once a year.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for your doctor’s services. In a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay a copayment.

More information

Go to “Diabetes services” and “Diabetes supplies” on page 35.
Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/eye-exams-for-diabetes.

Eye exams (routine)

Eye exams check for overall eye health and look for signs of vision problems or disease. Medicare doesn’t cover routine eye exams (sometimes called “eye refractions”) for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Costs You pay all costs for non-covered services, including routine eye exams for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/eye-exams-routine.

Eyeglasses & contact lenses

Costs

You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most eyeglasses or contact lenses.
After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for corrective lenses after each covered cataract surgery with an intraocular lens.
You pay any additional costs for upgraded frames. Medicare will only pay for contact lenses or eyeglasses from a supplier that participates in Medicare, whether you or your provider submits the claim.

More information

Go to “Cataract surgery” on page 20.
Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/eyeglasses-contact-lenses.

Glaucoma screenings

Glaucoma screenings painlessly check your vision and optic nerve health to look for signs of the eye disease glaucoma. Part B covers this screening if you’re at high risk for developing glaucoma.

You’re considered high risk if at least one of these conditions applies to you:

You have diabetes.
You have a family history of glaucoma.
You’re African American and 50 or older.
You’re Hispanic and 65 or older.

How often Once every 12 months.

Costs

After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.
In a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay a copayment.

Things to know An eye doctor who’s legally allowed to do glaucoma tests in your state must do or supervise your screening.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/glaucoma-screenings.

Macular degeneration tests & treatment

Macular degeneration is an eye disease that can blur or reduce your central vision. Part B may cover certain diagnostic tests and treatments (including treatment with certain injectable drugs) if you have age-related macular degeneration.

Costs

In most cases, after you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the drug and your doctor’s services.
In a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay a separate facility copayment.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/macular-degeneration-tests-treatment.

Hearing & balance exams

These exams evaluate your hearing and balance to diagnose or manage various conditions. Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance (fall risk) exams if your doctor or other health care provider orders them to find out if you need medical treatment.

You can also visit an audiologist once every 12 months without an order from your health care provider, but only for:

Non-acute hearing conditions (like hearing loss that happens over many years).
Diagnostic services related to hearing loss treated with surgically implanted hearing devices.

Costs

After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.
In a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay the hospital a copayment.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/hearing-balance-exams.

Hearing aids

Hearing aids are electronic devices that help people with hearing loss hear better. Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids.

Costs You pay all costs for non-covered services, including hearing aids and exams.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/hearing-aids.

Dental services

In most cases, Medicare doesn’t cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions (removals), or items like dentures and implants.

Medicare may cover:

Some dental services you get when you’re admitted as a hospital inpatient for your dental procedure, either because of your underlying medical condition or the severity of the procedure.
Specific inpatient or outpatient dental services directly related to certain covered medical treatments. In these cases, you must get the dental service because it’s linked to the success of the medical treatment you need, like:
An oral exam and dental treatment before you get a heart valve replacement or a bone marrow, organ, or kidney transplant.
A procedure (like a tooth extraction) to treat a mouth infection before you get cancer treatment services like chemotherapy.
Treatment for a complication you experience while getting head and neck cancer treatment services.
Dental or oral exams before or while getting Medicare-covered dialysis services (if you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)).
Medically necessary tests and treatments to remove an oral or dental infection before or while getting Medicare-covered dialysis services (if you have ESRD).

Costs

You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most dental care.
For Part B-covered dental services, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet the Part B deductible. If you get the covered service in an outpatient hospital or other facility setting, you’ll also pay a copayment to the facility.
For Part A inpatient hospital cost information, go to pages 58–59.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/dental-services.

Source and further reading

Your Medicare Benefits — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Public domain U.S. government educational material, accessed October 28, 2026. Fynoptic has selected sections, removed print navigation, and reformatted the text for this guide. The agency does not endorse Fynoptic.

Back to all articles