Using your private medical insurance

We are recognised by all major UK insurers and handle the authorisation paperwork on your behalf. Most members need an open referral or GP letter to claim, and some insurers require pre-authorisation for surgery. We will write to your insurer with the procedure code and clinical justification before treatment, so your cataract, oculoplastics or other consultant-led eye care can proceed smoothly.

Insurers we’re recognised by

We see insured patients from all major UK private medical insurers. Most policies need either an open referral or a named consultant, and Bupa members can use either route.

• Bupa — open referral or named consultant
• AXA Health & AXA PPP
• Aviva
• Vitality — Vitality Plus pathway
• Cigna
• WPA
• Healix
• SimplyHealth
• Benenden
• The Exeter

If your insurer isn’t listed, contact us — we can usually still help. We commonly support insured patients for cataract surgery and oculoplastics (eyelid, tear-duct and periocular conditions), as well as general ophthalmology consultations.

How insured eye treatment works

Insurers vary, but most insured eye-surgery journeys follow a similar pattern. The goal is to confirm medical necessity, ensure the consultant and facility are eligible, and obtain authorisation before treatment.

• Tell us what you need — share your symptoms, referral status and your insurer; if you already have an authorisation code, include it.
• We advise what to request — we’ll confirm the likely steps: referral requirements, consultation authorisation, and whether separate approval is needed for surgery.
• Consultation & investigations — your consultant assesses your eyes, discusses options and confirms whether surgery or another treatment is appropriate.
• Treatment planning & authorisation — we help ensure your insurer has the information they need to approve the procedure.
• Procedure & follow-up — aftercare is part of safe outcomes; we’ll explain follow-up appointments and what is typically included.

Many policies require separate authorisation for the initial consultation and for any subsequent procedure. If in doubt, ask your insurer: “Do I need authorisation for the consultation and a separate authorisation for surgery?” To reduce delays, it helps to have your insurer and policy number, your excess amount, any referral letter or optometrist report, and a note of which eye and symptoms are involved. If you were referred by your optometrist, see our refer a patient page.

Fees, excess and self-pay

Private medical insurance can reduce your out-of-pocket costs, but it doesn’t always mean everything is fully covered. A few points help prevent surprises:

• Your excess — some policies apply an excess once per year, others per claim. Ask: “Is my excess per policy year or per episode/claim?”
• Outpatient limits — some plans cap consultations, scans and diagnostics; if the limit is reached you may need to self-pay for remaining outpatient care.
• Shortfalls — if an insurer reimburses up to a schedule of fees, there can be a difference to pay; we’ll discuss any likely shortfall upfront where possible.
• What “covered” really means — some items, such as premium lens upgrades, may be classed as non-covered; we’ll clearly separate what may be insured versus self-pay.

If you’re not covered due to exclusions, limits or medical-necessity criteria, we can explain self-pay options. You may also choose to spread the cost — see our 0% finance page — and you can review all our procedure prices at any time.

Frequently asked questions