Eyelid
When upper-eyelid surgery is medically necessary — the visual-field testing, photographs, and documentation insurers require, Medicare's rules, combined cosmetic billing, and how to appeal a denial.
Medically reviewed by Jon Caster, MDOculoplastic SurgeonLast updated June 2026
Insurance does not pay for eyelid surgery to look younger — it pays to restore vision. Blepharoplasty is covered when redundant upper-lid skin (dermatochalasis) hangs low enough to measurably block the superior visual field, and that obstruction is documented the way insurers require. Purely cosmetic surgery — including nearly all lower-eyelid surgery for under-eye bags — is an out-of-pocket expense.
This is part of our Eyelid Surgery Cost & Insurance guide. If your drooping comes from the lid margin itself rather than excess skin, see Ptosis Surgery Cost & Insurance — the criteria differ.
Exact requirements vary by insurer and plan, but most functional-blepharoplasty policies look for the same core evidence:
An oculoplastic practice performs this documentation routinely — the photographs, field testing, and chart language are assembled into a prior-authorization request before surgery is scheduled.
Traditional Medicare covers functional blepharoplasty and ptosis repair when the medical-necessity criteria in its coverage policies are met — typically the same triad of symptoms, photographs, and visual-field documentation. Traditional Medicare generally does not issue prior authorizations for these procedures; the documentation must stand on its own if the claim is reviewed after surgery, which is why experienced practices are rigorous about it. Medicare Advantage plans, by contrast, usually do require prior authorization, and their criteria can be stricter than traditional Medicare’s. Supplemental (Medigap) coverage follows Medicare’s determination.
Many patients qualify for functional upper-lid surgery and simultaneously want cosmetic work — lower lids, a brow lift, or laser resurfacing. That is routine: the covered portion is billed to insurance and the cosmetic portion is billed to you, each with its own fees. Two caveats worth knowing in advance: when blepharoplasty is performed at the same time as ptosis repair, the blepharoplasty portion is generally treated as cosmetic; and combining procedures changes anesthesia and facility charges, so ask for an itemized estimate that shows exactly which dollars are yours.
Denials are common and frequently reversible. The usual reasons are missing or non-standard photographs, a visual-field test that did not follow the plan’s taped/untaped protocol, or field loss below the plan’s threshold. Every plan has a formal appeal pathway: the office can resubmit with corrected documentation, request a peer-to-peer review between Dr. Caster and the plan’s medical director, or escalate to an external review. If the case is genuinely borderline, you can also simply proceed self-pay — see Financing Eyelid Surgery for how patients budget for it, and the cost guide for typical totals.
Whether your surgery can be covered is decided by measurements and documentation, not by guesswork — and the same examination determines which operation you actually need. An oculoplastic surgeon can tell you in one visit whether your case is functional, cosmetic, or both.
Find out if your case qualifies
Find an ASOPRS-trained oculoplastic surgeon near you — the examination, photographs, and visual-field testing that insurers require are all part of a standard functional evaluation.
Schedule a consultation with Jon Caster, MD to learn if this procedure is right for you.
