Aetna announced earlier this month that it has added NovaSight’s CureSight to its insurance policy as a medically necessary treatment for amblyopia.
First, a refresh on CureSight.
Granted FDA 510(k) clearance in 2022, CureSight is an eye-tracking binocular system intended to replace traditional methods—such as eye patching—for pediatric amblyopia treatment.
Included in the system are two key components:
- A medical device (with a screen)
- One pair of red-blue glasses
Take note: Both items are shipped directly to a patient’s home and collected following the end of their treatment sessions.
Speaking of patients, what’s the target age group for this?
CureSight is designed for pediatric patients aged 4 to 9 who are diagnosed with:
- Anisometropic amblyopia (no strabismus)
- Mild strabismus of up to 5 prism diopters (D)
Now to the actual treatment—what does it entail?
To start: A patient watches streamed content, of their choosing, from home on the special device. (Take note: this is a stark contrast to standard eye-patching treatment.)
- During the viewing session: The device provides real-time monitoring via remote supervision by an eyecare professional (ECP) by way of a web platform and NovaSight’s CureSight Monitoring Center.
How this is done: Through embedded eye-tracking sensors following the patient’s eyes’ gaze position via an integrated cloud platform that aggregates all data from the system, enabling an ECP to:
- Monitor patients’ treatment, progress reports, and image processing—again, all in real time while the patient is using the device
- Access patients’ complete vision summary at any point in time
Explain how this tracking works.
With this eye tracking, the system blurs the center of vision of a patient’s dominant eye and provides their amblyopic (lazy) eye with a normal, sharp image of the video stream.
By doing this: The visual system is prompted to use the information gathered from the amblyopic eye to “process the fine details”—ultimately resulting in visual acuity improvement and the development of stereoacuity as a patient’s eyes learn how to work together.
And how does the system ensure a patient’s treatment is going to plan?
That aforementioned monitoring center is at the core of this, directed by practicing ophthalmologists and featuring certified ophthalmic professionals and patient engagement specialists.
- Offering compliance monitoring, troubleshooting, training, and education as well as technical support, the center tracks the patient’s compliance and verifies the treatment is working in alignment with its regimen.
Gotcha. So about this treatment, how long does it take?
At least 90 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
See here for the clinical data supporting this regimen (not to mention the vision gains in the long-term).
- And while we’re on the subject, see here for more recent data, reported in September 2024.
Alrighty, now to the new Aetna coverage.
Per a July 22 alert from NovaSight, Aetna has updated its clinical policy bulletin to deem CureSight as a medically necessary treatment for amblyopia under the company’s orthoptic and vision therapy policy.
Specifically: The update was noted as applying to eye-tracking-based digital systems—which, to date, makes CureSight the first and only amblyopia therapy device currently covered under the new policy.
And how does this impact reimbursement and claims processing for the therapy?
Good question. Aetna noted that, given how recent this update is, the company is “currently evaluating the implications” for both patients and ECPs using the therapy’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes.
- Remember: Three unique Category III CPT codes—0704T and 0705T for patient reimbursement and 0706T for ECP reimbursement—were established in July 2021 to apply directly to NovaSight’s amblyopia technology.
- See here for details on the CureSight Referral Program, which allows ECPs to refer their amblyopic patients for the therapy
- And click here for info on the CureSight Assurance Program, designed for patients denied reimbursement for CureSight by their health insurance
Back to Aetna: The insurance provider added that it will share further updates and guidance on this in the coming weeks.
Duly noted. Now, this isn’t the first insurance coverage win for CureSight, is it?
It’s certainly not. In fact, in May 2025, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced it would start covering amblyopia digital therapy under its insurance plans.
And on that note: In June 2025, Anthem also added Luminopia’s namesake amblyopia treatment.