Impact of insurance status on toric premium intraocular lens selection for patients undergoing cataract surgery with astigmatism

Insurance status significantly influences toric IOL selection, with lower utilization observed among patients with Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Many patients deemed eligible for toric correction did not receive a toric IOL, suggesting underutilization likely driven by cost and insurance coverage limitations. With astigmatic correction becoming more common in cataract surgery, policy discussions should balance clinical efficacy and affordability of toric IOLs to improve access and visual outcomes.