These organizations and companies provide financial assistance for your glaucoma care. Talk to your pharmacist and eye care provider about options for your medications.
Pharmaceutical companies have established Patient Assistance Programs which provide financial support for medications to eligible patients in the United States who are unable to afford the cost of their medication. Note, qualification criteria for each of these pharmaceutical patient assistance programs may vary or change over time.
Company
Medications such as:
Website/phone number:
Alcon
Simbrinza® (brinzolamide/brimonidine)
Rocklatan® (netarsudil/latanoprost)
Rhopressa® (netarsudil)
Allergan
Lumigan® (bimatoprost)
Alphagan® P (brimonidine)
Combigan® (brimonidine tartrate/timolol)
Novartis
Travatan Z® (travoprost)
Azopt® (brinzolamide)
Thea
Betimol® (timolol)
Zioptan® (tafluprost)
Cosopt® PF (dorzalomide/timolol)
(844) 202-5909
The American Academy of Ophthalmology
EyeCare America® Program
P.O. Box 429098
San Francisco, CA 94142-9098
Phone: (877) 887-6327
Fax: (415) 561-8567
Email: EyeCareAmerica@aao.org
EyeCare America provides eye care to US citizens and legal residents through volunteer ophthalmologists, often at no out-of-pocket cost to those who qualify. Visit aao.org/EyeCare-America to find out if you or someone you know qualifies for eye care. More than 90 percent of care provided is at no out-of-pocket cost to EyeCare America patients. Complete an online form to see if you or someone you know is eligible.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
American Glaucoma Society Cares
American Glaucoma Society
655 Beach Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 561-8587
Fax: (415) 561-8531
Email: ags@aao.org
AmericanGlaucomaSociety.net/patients/ags-cares
AGS Cares is a public service program of the AGS Foundation that is dedicated to providing surgical glaucoma care at no cost to uninsured patients who qualify for such care. The glaucoma care is provided by members of a national network of volunteers comprising glaucoma surgeons who are AGS active or provisional members.
Resource for:
- Glaucoma
Medicare – Glaucoma Benefits
Office of External Affairs
7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21244
Phone: (800) MEDICARE (633-4227)
Medicare beneficiaries, family members, and caregivers can visit the Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare, for the latest information on Medicare enrollment, benefits, and other helpful tools.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers glaucoma tests once every 12 months if you meet the high-risk criteria for glaucoma.
You are considered at high-risk for glaucoma if one or more of these applies to you:
- You have diabetes
- You have a family history of glaucoma
- You are African American and age 50 or older
- You are Hispanic and age 65 or older
You are responsible 20% of Medicare’s payment to the provider for the services or, if care is sought in a hospital outpatient setting, a standard copayment. The Part B deductible applies to these services. If your doctor recommends you receive services more often than is allowable under Medicare or recommends services that are not provided under Medicare, you may need to pay all costs.
Be sure to ask your provider about these costs before you receive treatment.
The tests to screen for glaucoma include:
- Dilated eye examination
- Intraocular pressure measurement
- Direct ophthalmoscopic examination, or a slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination
Prescription Drug Benefits (Medicare Part D)
All Medicare beneficiaries should know that help is available for the costs of prescription drugs, including those taken for their eyes. It is important to follow your eye doctor’s instructions for how often to take eye medications. Missed dosages can lead to increased risk of vision loss.
Medicare prescription drug coverage is an optional benefit offered to everyone who has Medicare. This includes eye medications. You must enroll to access this benefit. Note, there are penalties for people who miss enrollment deadlines.
Medicare plans will vary depending on where you live, and each plan is different. This can be confusing, but there are resources which can help you to understand your choices.
Resource for:
- Adults age 65+
Medicare
Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs
ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/prescriptionhelp
Medicare beneficiaries can qualify for Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. To qualify for the Extra Help, a person must be receiving Medicare, have limited resources and income, and reside in one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia. For further assistance with the program, visit the PAN Foundation website.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
Blink Health
Phone: (844) 265-6444
Email: info@blinkhealth.com
Blink Health provides discounted prescription prices on over 15,000 medications. Pay online and pick up at any of their 35,000+ participating pharmacies nationwide, or get your Rx delivered right to your door. Online doctor visits are offered for select conditions.
Resource for:
- Anyone
Cost Plus Drug Company
Email: info@costplusdrugs.com
Cost Plus Drug Company offers hundreds of prescription medications at affordable prices. Find out if your medication is available by searching the name of the drug at costplusdrugs.com/medications.
Resource for:
- Anyone
GoodRX
GoodRx keeps up with changes in prescription prices across 70,000 pharmacies in the U.S., so you know you are always paying the best price either through GoodRx coupons, manufacturer copay cards, or insurance.
Resource for:
- Anyone
NeedyMeds, Inc.
50 Whittemore St.
Gloucester, MA 01930
Helpline: (800) 503-6897
Fax: (206) 260-8850
Email: info@needymeds.org
NeedyMeds provides information obtained directly from the drug manufacturers regarding special programs to assist people who cannot afford to buy the drugs they need.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
RxAssist
Email: info@rxassist.org
RxAssist is an online resource center that provides information about free and low-cost medicine programs and other ways to manage your medication costs. Visit rxassist.org to print a prescription discount card and browse the database of patient assistance programs.
Resource for:
- Anyone
RxHope
RxHope provides help to people in need in obtaining critical medications that they would normally have trouble affording. RxHope acts as your advocate in making the patient assistance program journey easier and faster by supplying vital information and help.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
Rx Outreach
Phone: (888) 796-1234
Rx Outreach offers more than 1,000 medications via mail order that cover most chronic diseases for 30, 60, 90, or 180 days at a time. Rx Outreach is available to qualifying individuals and families whose income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. Patients can quickly check their eligibility online. Patients can be on Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance and still qualify for Rx Outreach.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
SingleCare
Phone: (844) 234-3057, 24/7 except major holidays
Email: support@singlecare.com
SingleCare is a free-to-use prescription discount service. You can search for coupons for your medications, print a prescription discount card, or download the app.
Resource for:
- Anyone
BenefitsCheckUp®
BenefitsCheckUp® connects millions of older adults and people with disabilities with benefits programs that can help pay for health care, medicine, food, utilities, and more. See what’s available in your area by entering your ZIP code on the webpage.
Resource for:
- Older adults
- People With Disabilities
Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT)
Phone: (571) 350-8643
PhRMA’s Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT) is a search engine designed to help patients, caregivers and health care providers learn more about the resources available through the various biopharmaceutical industry programs. MAT is not its own patient assistance program, but rather a search engine for many of the patient assistance resources that the biopharmaceutical industry offers.
Resource for:
- Anyone
Nanodropper
Nanodropper.com/gtgov-apply
Nanodropper is a volume-reducing adaptor for eyedrop bottles.
The company offers the Give the Gift of Vision program where they provide free Nanodropper Adaptors for those in need through an application process.
Resource for:
- Those who qualify
PAN Foundation
P.O. Box 30500
Bethesda, MD 20824
Phone: (866) 316-PANF (7263)
Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm ET
Fax: (866) 316-7261
Email: Contact@patientaccessnetwork.org
The Patient Access Network (PAN Foundation) is dedicated to helping people living with life-threatening, chronic and rare diseases with the out-of-pocket costs for their prescribed medications. PAN provides the underinsured population access to the healthcare treatments they need to best manage their conditions and focus on improving their quality of life.
Created by the PAN Foundation, FundFinder is a web-based app designed to help patients with life-threatening, chronic or rare diseases quickly find financial assistance.
Transportation Assistance
In addition, the PAN Foundation Transportation Assistance program provides financial support to patients with life-threatening, chronic, or rare conditions so they can access affordable and reliable transportation to and from their medical treatments and pharmacy. To learn more about the Transportation Assistance program, visit: panfoundation.org/funds/transportation
Resource for:
- Anyone
For additional resources:
The information provided by Prevent Blindness has been compiled from sources considered to be accurate as of the last update. Links to resources will take you to web content outside PreventBlindness.org. Prevent Blindness is not responsible for the content on external websites.
