Cataract Surgery: Costs & Results

If your vision is impaired due to cataract disease, your ophthalmologist may recommend cataract surgery to remove the blurred lens in your eye and replace it with intraocular lenses.

Cataract surgery is known as a relatively common and safe surgery. Keep reading on The Moj Aramesh Amitis Health Tourism Company’s website to learn more about cataract disease and related costs and results.

Cataract Symptoms

If you have cataracts, that doesn’t always mean you need surgery. Even in some cases, the person may not notice a change in their vision. Some people with cataracts may not need cataract surgery if they wear contact lenses and prescription glasses. But as the cataract grows, symptoms become more obvious. Therefore, you may need cataract surgery over time. Blurred vision, diplopia, and difficulty driving (especially at night) are common symptoms of cataracts. You will usually notice these symptoms during reading different texts, working with your computer, and doing anything else that requires normal and proper vision. Cataracts can make your eyes more sensitive to sunlight. In this case, you may see a glare around bright lights. These symptoms may interfere with daily activities. For example, if you have cataracts, you may not be able to do your favorite exercise. Sometimes, even if your cataract surgery does not bother you, you may still need to undergo surgery. Seeing an ophthalmologist is the best way to determine whether you need cataract surgery. An ophthalmologist can determine whether you need cataract surgery by examining your eye.

Cataract Surgery Results

Most people who undergo cataract surgery can successfully restore their vision. People who have had cataract surgery may develop secondary cataracts. The medical term for this complication is called Posterior Capsule Opacity (PCO). This happens when the back of the lens capsule (the part of the lens that is not removed during cataract surgery and supports the lens implants) becomes cloudy and impairs your vision. PCO is treated with a painless, five-minute outpatient procedure called yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy. In YAG laser capsulotomy, a laser beam is used to make a small opening in the clouded capsule to provide a clear path through which the light can pass. After cataract surgery, you will usually stay in the ophthalmologist’s office for about an hour to make sure your eye pressure does not rise. Other complications associated with cataract surgery are very rare. These rare complications include increased eye pressure and retinal detachment. You may have a lot of questions in your mind about cataract surgery. In the following, we will mention and answer some frequently asked questions of applicants for cataract surgery from The Moj Aramesh Amitis Health Tourism Company.

Some common questions for cataract surgery applicants are:

 

1. How much does cataract surgery cost without insurance?

Since cataract disease has become relatively common today, most people undergo cataract surgery. The costs of cataract surgery will be lower for people with health insurance than those who are not covered by any type of insurance. Determining the cost of cataract surgery is a bit difficult and challenging for people who are not covered by any type of insurance. Because a person who is not covered by any insurance has to pay all the costs related to cataract surgery.

 

2. What are the reasons an insurance company does not cover the costs of cataract surgery?

Insurance companies may not cover cataract surgery for a variety of reasons. In the continuation of this article from The Moj Aramesh Amitis Health Tourism Company, we point out some of the reasons that insurance companies may not cover the costs of cataract surgery.

Some of the reasons why different insurance companies may not cover the cost of cataract surgery are:

• According to many insurance companies, wearing prescription glasses is much more cost-effective than cataract surgery and intraocular lenses. Insurance companies believe that the use of prescription glasses can provide a good vision for the patient. Therefore, cataract surgery is not considered an emergency surgery.
• Many people with common refractive defects related to the eye (such as myopia and hyperopia) have to pay all the costs to buy prescription glasses for these types of eye problems. Unless they have supplemental eye insurance. Normal health insurance usually does not cover these types of vision problems, so you have to pay all the necessary expenses, such as buying glasses, personally.
• People who undergo refractive surgeries, such as LASIK, to correct common vision problems must also pay for all of their surgery expenses personally. Because these types of surgeries are usually not covered by insurance. Therefore, vision correction through cataract surgery is also considered a non-emergency medical problem. Because, as mentioned, you can use cheap glasses to improve your vision.

3. If cataract surgery is covered by insurance companies, how much will the costs of the surgery be?

In general, some of the costs you have to pay for your cataract surgery are costs that are not covered by various health insurance companies, since they are not medically necessary according to the insurance companies. For example, implanting a standard single-focus intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery is considered medically necessary. This is because, during cataract surgery and implantation of a single focal intraocular lens, the natural lens of the eye is removed due to a loss of transparency. In this case, you will need a prosthetic lens as an alternative to your natural eye lens to restore your vision. Therefore, the use of this type of intraocular lens for cataract surgery is covered by insurance.

4. What factors affect the cost of cataract surgery?

The cost of cataract surgery depends on several factors, including:

• Whether or not you are covered by insurance
• The type of insurance you are covered
• Whether your cataract surgery is considered a medical emergency
• The type of intraocular lens used to perform cataract surgery on your eye
• The type of technology used during cataract surgery
• Surgeon’s skills and experience

Fortunately, most cataract surgeries are fully or partially covered by health insurance companies nowadays. If cataract surgery uses a single-focal intraocular lens, surgery may not cost much.

5. Is it still necessary to wear prescription glasses after cataract surgery?

Today, many people who undergo cataract surgery want to avoid wearing glasses as much as possible after the surgery. It should be noted that today, thanks to the advancement of science and methods of cataract surgery as well as increasing the diversity of intraocular lenses, this is possible for many people. However, the amount of vision improvement after cataract surgery depends on the amount of damage to the eye, the surgical procedure chosen for your eye surgery, the intraocular lens used during the surgery, as well as the skill of the eye surgeon. Of course, an extra fee will be charged if you want to undergo this surgery performed by expert and experienced surgeons, using up-to-date surgical tools, and using the best type of intraocular lens. In these cases, even if you use a single-focal intraocular lens to perform cataract surgery on your eye, you may have to pay more even if the surgery is covered by insurance.

 

6. Does the insurance company I am covered by need medical approval to confirm the necessity of cataract surgery?

Some insurance companies require the approval of a reputable eye surgeon to ensure cataract surgery is necessary. Also, some insurance companies may only accept the approval of some specific physicians, who usually have a contract with the insurance company. Therefore, it is advising to consult with the insurance company you are covered by before performing cataract surgery so that you can visit an ophthalmologist approved by the company. By confirming the necessity of cataract surgery for you by an ophthalmologist approved by your insurance company, the insurance company will pay the majority of the costs associated with your surgery.

The Cost of Cataract Surgery in Iran

Iran is one of the most affordable countries for cataract surgery. In addition to having specialized eye clinics, well-equipped hospitals, and skilled and experienced surgeons, international patients will pay less for this surgery in Iran compared to other countries. Therefore, by choosing Iran as a destination for your cataract surgery, in addition to benefiting from advanced facilities, using equipped clinics and hospitals, as well as treatment by experienced and skilled surgeons, you can pay less for your cataract surgery. If you plan to save money in addition to undergoing cataract surgery in a leading country in various surgeries, including eye surgeries, Iran can be a very suitable and ideal choice for you.

Concluding Remarks

In this article from The Moj Aramesh Amitis Health Tourism Company, cataract surgery costs, the results of cataract surgery, and some common questions about cataract surgery were fully discussed. It is also important to know that the results of cataract surgery vary for different people. In general, the success rate of cataract surgery and the results of this surgery depend on the skill of the eye surgeon, the intraocular lens used for your eye, the technologies used to perform cataract surgery, and other factors mentioned throughout this article. Determining the cost of cataract surgery also depends on these factors.

Author: Sh. Khazai

Translator: N. Rahimifar