In this article, we wanted to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance with Optic Neuritis.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What rate (or price) can I qualify for?
• What can I do to help ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance if I’ve been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. The only problem is that there are many different pre-existing medical conditions that can cause someone to develop Optic Neuritis, many of which can affect one’s life insurance application.

It’s also why…

You may want to consider avoiding applying for a no medical exam term life insurance policy as well, seeing how these policies tend to be more difficult to qualify for after someone has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition like Optic Neuritis.

Or, at the very least…

You will want to make sure that the company you are applying with is aware of this condition from the start so that you may be able to avoid being denied coverage due to an abundance of caution by the insurer.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?

The main reason why most of the best term life insurance companies (in our humble opinion) are going “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis is that that it can often be a symptom of some other “kind” of pre-existing medical condition which can be quite serious. 

For this reason, we wanted to take a moment to discuss what Optic Neuritis is and highlight some of the most common symptoms associated with this disease.

Optic Neuritis Defined:

Optic Neuritis is a term used to describe when the optic nerve itself becomes inflamed. As a result, an individual may suffer from one of the following symptoms, including:

• Pain,
• Temporary loss of vision in one eye,
• Dyschromatopsia or the inability to see colors correctly.

The most serious complication of Optic Neuritis may include the total loss of vision in the affected eye.

Common causes of Optic Neuritis may include:

• Physical injury,
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS),
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,
• Meningioma or brain tumor,
• Sarcoidosis,
• Infections including:
  • Lyme disease,
  • Measles,
  • Meningitis,
  • Mumps,
  • Sinusitis,
  • Ect…
• Reaction to certain medications and/or drugs,
• Etc…

Fortunately…

It’s quite common that a case of Optic Neuritis may improve on its own absent any medical care. In some cases, however, use of a steroid medication may help reduce inflammation, which is why it’s always important to seek out the advice of a medical professional any time you’re suffering from an infection like this.

“Which brings us to an important point that we think we ought to mention.”

First…

If you think you have a medical issue, don’t use the internet to try and diagnose yourself. After all, if you do and you’re correct, you’re still going to need to see the doctor, and if you’re wrong, the time you spend being your own doctor could really harm yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we ware is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be really good at helping individuals find and qualify for the life insurance that they’re looking for. 

So please don’t mistake any of the medical information that we talk about as medical advice because it’s not!

We’re just…

Trying to “prep” you for what it might be like to apply for a life insurance policy after you have been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis… that’s it! This brings us to our next topic, which is…

What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?

Common questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• When were you first diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?
• Who diagnosed your Optic Neuritis? A general practitioner? A specialist? Yourself?
• What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
• Do you know why you have developed Optic Neuritis?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• What treatment options did you pursue to treat your Optic Neuritis?
• Do you currently suffer from any symptoms related to your Optic Neuritis?
• Are you taking any prescription medications now?
• In the past two years, have you been admitted into a hospital for any reason?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

As you can see, there are many variables that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual diagnosed with Optic Neuritis. This is why it’s almost impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said however…

Most individuals who have been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis will usually fall into one of three different categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

Those who have developed Optic Neuritis due to some kind of physical injury. In these types of cases, what we’ll generally find is that most life insurance companies aren’t going to necessarily use an Optic Neuritis diagnosis as a factor during the underwriting process if the Optic Neuritis isn’t too severe especially if the applicant hasn’t suffered from any kind of permanent vision loss.

Which means that…

In cases like these, someone might be able to qualify for a Preferred rate if they can meet all of the other requirements for such a rate.

Category #2.

Individuals who will fall into this category will be one’s that suffer from some type of “pre-existing medical condition”, which caused them to develop Optic Neuritis. In cases like these, we’re generally going to find that the underlying pre-existing condition, not the symptom of Optic Neuritis is what’s REALLY going to determine what kind of “rate” you’ll be able to qualify for. 

For more information about the condition that is causing you to suffer from Optic Neuritis and how it may affect the outcome of your life insurance application, we would recommend that you take a look at our Pre-Existing Medical Conditions page.

Category #3.

The last group that we’ll commonly encounter when trying to help someone that has been diagnosed with Optic Neuritis is the group who isn’t sure “why” they have developed their Optic Neuritis. In cases like these, what’s generally going to happen is that the life insurance companies are going to spend a considerable amount of time trying to rule out any “potential” causes before they’ll “typically” decide to approve you at a “high risk” or “sub-standard” rate.

The good news is…

That regardless of your situation, we here at IBUSA can help because we have tons of experience helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions like yours and are committed to helping all of our clients find the “best” life insurance policy that they can qualify for. This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss, which is…

What can I do to help ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

In our experience here at IBUSA, what we have found that usually, the folks who seem to find the “best” life insurance policy for them are those that:

• Take their time reviewing their options.
• Ask a lot of questions.

And seek out those life insurance agents who not only have experience working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a wide variety of pre-existing medical conditions but also have access to dozens of different life insurance companies so that when it comes time to helping a more “challenging” case, they don’t have to rely on a…

“One size fits all approach!”

The good news is that this is exactly what you’re going to find here at IBUSA!

Now, will we be able to help out everyone who has been previously diagnosed with Optic Neuritis?

No, probably not. But what we can tell you is that in addition to offering a wide variety of different term and whole life insurance policies, IBUSA has also worked very hard to establish relationships with many of the Best Final Expense Insurance Companies as well so that in the event that someone isn’t able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, chances are there may be some other “type” of product that you CAN qualify for.

So, if you’re ready to see what options might be available to you, just give us a call!