Advantages and problems of presbyopia-correcting IOLs

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 1:34 pm Post in Eye Diseases

It is amazing that presbyopia correction can be achieved through cataract surgery, which is a good example of “killing two birds with one stone”. As commonly known, conventional single vision IOLs that are inserted during cataract surgery can only provide clear vision at a certain distance, so that patients still need kinds of eyeglasses or contacts to correct other vision problems. Also called presbyopia-correcting IOLs, multifocal and accommodation IOLs inserted during cataract surgery can restore a full range of vision without eyeglasses or additional contact lenses.

Those presbyopia-correcting IOLs have received FDA approval only for several years. They have proved to be effective in reducing dependency on reading glasses after cataract surgery. However, these lenses are not covered by Medicare and most insurance plans, because FDA considers them as elective devices, or a type of luxury. The out-of-pocket cost can be up to $2,500 per eye. The reason for the high expense is that these presbyopia-correcting lenses require more skill and time for development and production.

Most surgeons are quite skilled with the operation of monovision or single-vision IOLs during a cataract surgery. However, problems still exist on presbyopia-correcting IOLs and experienced surgeon of specific presbyopia-correcting IOL is a critical factor in the surgical success. Failed to get full independence from eyeglasses, the patient needs to receive enhancements which involve a few steps.

These enhancements including LASIK and additional IOLs are always used to get the best possible uncorrected vision after the surgery. The extra fees of enhancement are not covered by Medicare as well. A possibly worse condition is that after-surgery complications may occur, such as glare, halos, infections as well as unfortunately vision loss. It is necessary for patients to make a prior consultation about these concerns.