You Have Choices!

There are five options for you to consider for correcting your vision after cataract surgery.  You need to consider your lifestyle and your daily activities to help you decide which is going to be the best option for you.  Before your surgery, you need to consider these options for your lens replacement and vision enhancement so that you will have the most comfortable vision (for you) after surgery.  You need to know that not all these options are available for every patient.  Your doctor will answer all your questions about these choices and will assist you in making the best possible decision for your eyes.

During cataract surgery, the natural lens of your eye which is cloudy is removed and an artificial lens (IOL) is implanted to permanently correct your vision.  Below you will find a number of possible choices for this lens and other options that will enhance post operative vision.

1.  Premium Intraocular Lens Implant (Presbyopia Correcting):

 These lenses are the ‘state-of-the-art’ choice in intraocular lens implants and they offer the  highest possibility of spectacle freedom after cataract or refractive lens surgery of any option!  These lenses provide a range of uncorrected (no glasses correction) vision after surgery, with studies showing 85-90% of patients seldom or never needing glasses for distance, intermediate, or near tasks.

If you choose this option, your insurance company will probably only cover the amount that they would normally pay for a ‘standard’ IOL and standard surgical care.  This means that you will most likely have an additional, out-of-pocket expense to the ambulatory surgery center for the lens, AND you will have an additional expense to your surgeon for the enhanced procedure.  Medicare never covers either the increased cost of the Premium lens or the increased cost for the surgeon to perform this enhanced procedure.

A few insurance companies have begun to recognize the benefits of this technology and the enhanced procedure and have started allowing some of these fees. Some BCBS insurances require us to collect ALL the fees here, rather than allowing the ambulatory surgery centers to collect separately.  We can work with you to determine what your insurance company will allow before your surgery.

Even with the increased cost to our patients, we have found that many patients choose this option because they feel that the potential freedom from glasses after surgery is well worth the additional costs!  Financing options are available for your convenience.

2.  Two Step Plan:

In this option you will choose to have a ‘standard’ IOL implanted during your cataract surgery, AND a few months after your initial cataract surgery (once your eye is fully healed), you will have another procedure done in the office called a Conductive Keratoplasty (CK), usually just in one eye.  The CK procedure uses a controlled release of radiofrequency heat to change how the eye focuses light by reshaping the cornea to reduce farsightedness.  This procedure will reduce your need for reading glasses for MOST close up tasks.

If you choose this option, your insurance company will only cover the amount that they would normally pay for a ‘standard’ IOL and standard surgical care.  This means that you will have an additional expense to your surgeon for the CK procedure.  Medicare never covers the cost of CK.

Even with the increased cost to our patients, we have found that many patients choose this option because they feel that the potential freedom from glasses after surgery is well worth the additional costs!  Financing options are available for your convenience.

3.  Toric Intraocular Lens Implant (Astigmatism Correcting):

For those patients who have moderate amounts of astigmatism (corneal curvature irregularity) this lens implant offers an excellent opportunity to correct one of the most common ocular imperfections with cataract surgery.  This lens allows the patient the best possibility of unaided DISTANCE vision.  The refractive surgical component of this option and the upgraded lens cost is not covered by Medicare or other insurance companies.   Financing options are available for your convenience.

Many patients will qualify and choose this option to improve their chances of unaided DISTANCE vision correction post operatively compared with a Standard Lens Implant.  Patients who have a Toric Intraocular Lens Implant will still need reader glasses for near work.

4.  Monovision Lens Implant (Dominant Eye for Distance, Non-dominant Eye for Near Vision):

Another alternative for the patient who would like to reduce their dependence on glasses after cataract surgery is a Monovision (Pseudophakic) Lens Implant.  Many patients have successfully used this option with contact lenses and LASIK, and it is a good option for the cataract surgery patient as well.  There is extensive preoperative testing required to test the patient’s candidacy, and this may require a contact lens trial prior to surgery for some patients.  There are additional fees for these tests, assessments AND any follow-up testing after surgery.  There is no additional expense for the lens implant.

The additional fees are not covered by Medicare or insurance companies.  Financing options are available for your convenience.

5.  Standard Intraocular Lens Implant:

These lenses use the latest in standard lens implant designs, the aspheric monofocal lens, and offer patients excellent vision results WITH GLASSES for most activities after surgery.  This is a great lens implant, and it is the most common lens received by our patients.  These lenses may allow patients good uncorrected distance vision without glasses IF astigmatism is not present.

This lens is a covered expense by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies.  If you do not mind wearing glasses for most tasks after your surgery, this is an excellent option and is the most affordable choice.