Cataract Surgery - Lens Question

[zcaveman]

I am scheduled to have cataract surgery next week. They are asking me which type of lens do I want - the monofocal interocular lens or the multifocal interocular lens. I have to tell them this Wednesday when I go for my pre-op session.

Does anyone have experience with the multifocal lens? It sounds like it is harder to adjust to.

This might be a moot point if Medicare does not cover the multifocal lens. I will be calling them tomorrow to see if they do.

Thanks for any info you can give me.

Z

[dillywho]

I had cataract surgery last year on one eye. Medicare would only pay for the one I think you are referring to as the monofocal. I opted for the multifocal for a couple of reasons. I'm not sure that it is really multifocal, though. I'll try to explain it further. I had AK surgery in '94 on both eyes so that I did not have to continue wearing glasses. (AK is like RK but is for astigmatism instead of near-sightedness. At that time, laser was not being performed.) The surgery left me with what is called monovision which means that one eye was corrected for near and the other one for far vision. Since I only had one cataract, I needed the lens that would keep my vision where I would not have to have glassses. The lens was $600. Another one was/is available for $2500 which may be the true multifocal. That lens corrects the vision to 20/20. I would have opted for that one if I had needed to do both eyes. I hope this helps and does not confuse you, instead. I had Dr. Jank at Ocala Eye and am very pleased with him and his work. And he said that my doctor back home had done a beautiful job with my AK (one of the best he has ever seen) because it is pretty tricky to do. Whatever you decide, good luck to you. I hope you are as satisfied as I am. By the way, the most amazing thing to me after having it done is how vivid colors are.

[zcaveman]

Thanks for the response. After doing some research and finding what it would cost out of pocket, I decided to go for the monofocal lens and wear reading glasses.

[lmtemple]

I have had the multifocal for five years and have never had an issue - I had a +4.5 correction in one eye and a +6.5 in the other before the lens replacement - I seldom need "cheaters", and then only in very low-light or VERY small print. You'll LOVE them!

[Goffredo]

Generaly people with a high hyperope (farsighted) prescription do better.

People with smaller pupils tend to also do better because most lenses work with circlular power changes in the periphery for a bifocal.

People with larger pupils or dilated pupils while driving at night causes halos because of the bifocal area when your pupils dilate larger then the central part of the lens.

http://www.qualityicare.com/images/Restor.jpg

[KayakerNC]

"These new multifocal lenses are not a covered expense under most insurance plans (In the United States, Medicare decided to stop covering them in May 2005) and can cost the patient upwards of $2800 per eye."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intraocular_lens