Cataract Surgery Cost
Cataract surgery is among the most performed surgery around the world. Among all other surgeries the cataract surgery cost less. This is because in most cases the patient is not required to be hospitalized. Another reason is that, it is mostly performed on elderly people and almost all of them have health insurance. In some countries, the government covers the expenses of such a commonplace operation in the public-sector hospitals. According to the most recent surveys, cataract surgery for a single eye cost around $3500.
Cost depends on different factors:
Skill of the surgeon
The eye is a very complicated organ. Any slightest wrong move can cause complete blindness. The patient should select only the most skilled surgeon for this procedure. But the more skilled the surgeon is, the more he is going to charge. However, it is better to trust a highly priced skilled surgeon than a low priced un-experienced surgeon.
Type of the IOL implanted
The type of IOL implanted also makes the cost vary. High quality lenses or imported lenses are very expensive and not paid by the insurance companies. Toric lenses cost around $1500 whereas refractive lenses are even more expensive and cost around $2500 for a single eye. Premium lenses not only solve the cataract issue, but, they also resolve astigmatism and presbyopia.
Use of laser
If the surgeon is going to use laser during the cataract surgery it, will cost more than a traditional cataract surgery. According to Woodham eye clinic surgeon Femto laser-assisted cataract surgery is not worth the money. It costs so much and gives the same result as the non-laser surgery.
Choice and region of hospital
The price also varies with the hospital and the area where the patient is planning to get a surgery. High end hospital only employs experienced surgeon. Moreover, the equipment used in high end hospitals is also of top quality. Many high end hospitals use imported lens for replacement. However, in rural areas the prices are low as the surgeons are not experienced and equipment used is indigenous.
Post-operative visits, medications and test
The cost of the treatment increases in case the patient has to be hospitalized because of slow recovery time. Steroids are mostly given in order to reduce inflammation after surgery and steroids are also expensive.
Cost covered by Medicare
Medicare is the United States health insurance of people above 65 years of age who have served in an occupation. Medicare health insure is also applicable for cataract surgery. The Medicare covers 80% of the entire treatment. The rest has to be paid by the patient.
The standard Medicare procedure involves:
- Extraction of the previous lens.
- An implant of the monofocal lens.
- A pair of glasses that have to be worn after you get a cataract surgery.
What is not included in Medicare insurance?
In case the patient wants a premium lens implant, he can pay for it from personal expense. Moreover, the Medicare insurance doesn’t cover the cost of laser-assisted surgeries.