Refractive Insights does not have access to a single authoritative source for U.S. refractive procedure volume — no government body tracks elective refractive surgery the way CMS tracks Medicare-covered procedures. This piece explains how we build our procedure volume estimates from the sources that do exist.
Our approach combines CMS claims data (for the subset of RLE procedures billed as cataract surgery), industry survey data from equipment and lens manufacturers, and provider-reported figures gathered through our own outreach. Each source captures a different, overlapping slice of total volume, and no single one is treated as authoritative on its own.
Where sources diverge meaningfully, we report the range and explain the likely cause of the discrepancy rather than silently picking one figure. Every procedure volume statistic on this site is labeled as observed, modeled, or estimated according to which of these source types it’s built from — see the main methodology page for that framework in full.
Suggested excerpt: “How procedure volume estimates are built from CMS claims data, industry surveys, and provider reporting — and how we handle disagreement between sources.”
Related links to include: the main Methodology page, U.S. Refractive Lens Exchange Market Size, 2016–2026