If you are like some people in Northern Colorado who need cataract surgery, the option may be available of paying extra for new presbyopia-correcting IOLs that have the potential to restore total eye vision without the use of eyeglasses.
Presbyopia-correcting IOLs are fairly new on the scene of vision correction, some questions you might find yourself asking are:
1. What are presbyopia-correcting IOLs?
There are several different types of IOLs available today in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, these are as follows:
- Presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs) are lens implants that have the ability to correct both distance and near vision. This advanced level of vision correction allows for much more freedom from the need for glasses post cataract surgery than standard IOLs. They are available today in two types: multifocal lenses and accommodating lenses.
- Multifocal lenses which are similar to multifocal contact lenses – they contain more than one lens power for different viewing distances.
- Accommodating IOLs have just one lens power, but the lens is mounted on flexible “legs” which then give the lens the ability to move forward or backward within your eye in response to focusing effort thus enabling you to see more clearly at different points of vision.
2. Aren’t presbyopia-correcting IOLs a lot more expensive? How much extra do I have to pay?
Yes, presbyopia-correcting IOLs are more expensive than standard IOLs. While the costs does vary, depending on the type of IOL used, you can anticipate the price tag to be in the ballpark of up to $2,500 extra per eye. This additional amount is not usually covered by Medicare or other health insurance policies. It would be considered an “out-of-pocket” expense should you elect to have this advanced type of IOL as part of your cataract surgery package. The question you need to ask yourself is: does the value of having the added benefit of consistently clearer vision outweigh the added expense of the advanced IOLs? How would having the advanced IOLs make my life easier?
3. Why won’t Medicare or health insurance cover the full cost of presbyopia-correcting IOLs?
Today, in Northern Colorado, a multifocal or accommodating IOL is not considered ‘medically necessary’ by Medicare or other health insurances. Because of the way that Medicare or your insurance have coverages set up they will pay only the cost of a basic IOL and accompanying cataract surgery. Many people in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley find that the use of a more expensive, presbyopia-correcting lens is seen an ‘elective refractive procedure’ by Medicaid and insurance companies, or as a type of luxury. LASIK and PRK also fall into this category of refractive procedures that are also not commonly covered by health insurances.
4. Can my local cataract surgeon perform presbyopia-correcting surgery?
No, not every cataract surgeon uses presbyopia-correcting IOLs in their cataract surgery practice. Please make sure that the eye surgeon you choose has plenty of experience with these lenses if you decide to go with a multifocal or accommodating IOL. Research has seen that surgeon experience is a key factor in the success of outcomes from these surgeries. Especially related to whether you will need to wear eyeglasses following cataract surgery (which is the point of having the advanced IOLs).
5. Are any problems associated with presbyopia-correcting IOLs?
In the 2007 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery conference, there were some reports that indicated that even the most experienced cataract surgeons needed to perform enhancements for 13% to 15% of their cases involving the use of presbyopia-correcting IOLs. What does having an enhancement mean? It doesn’t mean that the procedure itself was a failure; you will most often see just fine with eyeglasses even if the results of the surgery were not quite perfect. But it is possible that you might need a follow up surgical procedure (such as LASIK) to correct any uncorrected vision after cataract surgery using a presbyopia-correcting IOL. Depending on the financial arrangements that you make with your eye surgeon, you might have these additional enhancements as an added “out of pocket” expense as well.
For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please call 970-204-4020 or click on the link on the side of the page.
