Seosan City to Provide Eye Surgery Support for Low-Income Households... Up to 3 Million Won

Seosan City Hall view. /Seosan Photo by Choi Byungmin

On the 5th, Seosan City in South Chungcheong Province announced that it will implement an "Eye Surgery Expense Support Program" for low-income individuals who are unable to undergo surgeries for vision recovery or blindness prevention due to financial difficulties.

This program provides financial support for surgeries and injections to prevent blindness caused by ophthalmic diseases such as cataracts, retinal diseases (macular degeneration), glaucoma, and tear duct disorders.

The eligible recipients are basic livelihood security beneficiaries, the near-poor, and single-parent families aged 60 or older. However, those who are classified as Type 1 medical aid recipients among basic livelihood security beneficiaries are excluded from the program.

Applications are accepted at any time. Eligible individuals can apply at the public health center in their jurisdiction by submitting an ophthalmology diagnosis or medical opinion from the hospital where the surgery will be performed, along with a certificate of eligibility such as a basic livelihood security certificate issued by the local administrative welfare center.

The Korea Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness will provide the surgery expenses. The foundation will review the submitted documents from the public health center and individually notify the applicants of the support decision within 10 days from the date of application.

Once selected, recipients will receive support for various surgeries including cataract, glaucoma, strabismus, and ptosis surgeries, with support ranging from 100,000 KRW to 3,000,000 KRW depending on the type of surgery.

However, medical expenses incurred before the support decision, outpatient treatment costs, and certain non-covered items are excluded from support.

In addition, the city plans to conduct ophthalmic examinations for local residents aged 60 or older at the Jigok-myeon Administrative Welfare Center in April, with an ophthalmology examination team from the Korea Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, which includes ophthalmologists.

Kim Yongran, head of the Seosan City Public Health Center, said, "We will do our best to prevent blindness and help low-income individuals lead healthy lives by providing support for eye surgery expenses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.