UPDATE On Cateract surgery consultation

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

My eyes are still dialated as I write. Consultation went very well...very nice office. I decided to go with the Toric lens.

https://www.changcataract.com/los-altos/cataract-center/frequent-questions-about-accommodating-lens-...

I will see good far, might still need reading glasses for close up work. That sounds good to me. I have my two surgeries scheduled in January. It will cost $1200 extra over what insurance covers PER EYE for this lense. Over time it will pay for itself as I will no longer need prescription eye glasses or contacts. I love the thought of seeing distance clearly without needing glasses etc!

What a treat it will be!👍👍🙂 A present to myself!

seaBreeze · ‎02-04-2014

My neighbor (age 66) just had her two cataracts removed .... no glasses for distance is the best payoff, plus night driving is now tolerable for her. Best wishes @SeaMaiden on your forthcoming procedure for your new "eyes"!

Jordan2 · ‎03-16-2010

@SeaMaiden wrote:
My eyes are still dialated as I write. Consultation went very well...very nice office. I decided to go with the Toric lens.

https://www.changcataract.com/los-altos/cataract-center/frequent-questions-about-accommodating-lens-...

I will see good far, might still need reading glasses for close up work. That sounds good to me. I have my two surgeries scheduled in January. It will cost $1200 extra over what insurance covers PER EYE for this lense. Over time it will pay for itself as I will no longer need prescription eye glasses or contacts. I love the thought of seeing distance clearly without needing glasses etc!

What a treat it will be!👍👍🙂 A present to myself!

@SeaMaiden, I had cataract surgery in July 2016. My doctor never gave me an option of the more expensive lens, I don't know why. The guy that cuts my mother's hair had both eyes done, he paid the extra money, he is very happy. As for me, I'm not that happy, I am nearsighted and prior to the surgery (before I really needed it), I could read the smallest print with no glasses. Now I use glasses from the drugstore so I can see better, or I have to hold what I'm reading far away! I wish you good luck on your upcoming surgeries.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

I had a Toric lens inserted during my cataract surgery and it didn't cost me anything. I had no choice, that is the lens type my doctor uses. Afterward, I got a card to use with my drivers license showing I had a permanent lens inserted. My drivers license sates that I need RX lenses to drive.

It was covered by my insurance company 100%. I do not have Medicare.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Jordan2 It is possible that your eyes would do better with the lens they used....every eye condition is individual and not all the lenses are an option .

I am also very nearsighted like you, and right now can read small print quite well. After surgery I will be able to see far away without needing glasses or contacts but I will not have the ability to read close as I do now. So I will need reading glasses....and that is OK.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Carmie wrote:
I had a Toric lens inserted during my cataract surgery and it didn't cost me anything. I had no choice, that is the lens type my doctor uses. Afterward, I got a card to use with my drivers license showing I had a permanent lens inserted. My drivers license sates that I need RX lenses to drive.

It was covered by my insurance company 100%. I do not have Medicare.

@Carmie Wow, that is interesting! I was told today that insurance would not cover completely if I chose the optional lense. Only would cover the lense where I would need to wear glasses or contacts after surgery.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@SeaMaiden I had cataract surgery on my right eye when I was in my early 50’s. It was done about a year after a failed LASIK surgery that left me with worse vision than I had before. The same doctor did both surgeries.

I wonder if he just provided the lens at no cost because the LASIK failed or if my PPO insurance plan paid for it. I wasn’t given an option. I wouldn’t even know it was Toric lens except for the info on the wallet card he gave me. Sadly, the lens did not help at all. My cornea was ruined and I can’t even see with a magnifying glass with my right eye.

i now wear a super big contact lens with a hard center and a soft skirt around it. It keeps,my cornea smooth and light can refract correctly. I can see well with the contact lens, thank goodness. The special contact costs $600 and my medical insurance pays for it. It is considered an eye prosthetic.

i suppose when I get cataract surgery on my left eye someday, I will have Medicare. I better start saving for a corrective lens for that eye.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Carmie Wow, you have went through so much. I am glad the special contact makes seeing better out of that eye. Thank you for sharing your personal story. ❤️

BirkiLady · ‎02-22-2015

@Carmie wrote:
@SeaMaiden I had cataract surgery on my right eye when I was in my early 50’s. It was done about a year after a failed LASIK surgery that left me with worse vision than I had before. The same doctor did both surgeries.

I wonder if he just provided the lens at no cost because the LASIK failed or if my PPO insurance plan paid for it. I wasn’t given an option. I wouldn’t even know it was Toric lens except for the info on the wallet card he gave me. Sadly, the lens did not help at all. My cornea was ruined and I can’t even see with a magnifying glass with my right eye.

i now wear a super big contact lens with a hard center and a soft skirt around it. It keeps,my cornea smooth and light can refract correctly. I can see well with the contact lens, thank goodness. The special contact costs $600 and my medical insurance pays for it. It is considered an eye prosthetic.

i suppose when I get cataract surgery on my left eye someday, I will have Medicare. I better start saving for a corrective lens for that eye.

My mom had a very similar experience in her mid-60's. Not only did she wear the "prosthetic" contact lense, but she also used eye drops both AM and PM. When she became a dementia patient about age 80, the nursing staff in the Assisted Living Center took over the care of her eyes. She was so relieved. But, she lived to 94 without wearing glasses again!

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Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

I have a toric lens in one eye, because I have severe astigmatism in that eye, and it works beautifully. I have a regular lens in the other eye, as I don’t have astigmatism in that eye.

I’ve been so nearsighted all my life, since childhood, that there’s no way I could ever have gone without glasses no matter what kind of implants I had put in. It’s just a fact of my life. I was (and still remain) furious at my doctor for allowing me to believe I could mostly go without.

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