Cause and cost of cataract surgery

A majority of adults have heard of an eye disease called cataract. This condition usually happens to senior men and women. Only a very small fraction of teens and young adults suffer from this problem. In other words, cataract is largely an age-related eye disease that is closely linked with the eye’s aging process. Cataract patients will get blurred eyesight more and more seriously as the disease progresses. The cloudiness on the lens surface will deteriorate during the same process. In fact, there are some other causes of cataract and surgical treatment is always necessary.

Possible causes of cataract

To some extent, cataracts are inevitable among the old. But there are many other factors that contribute to the development of cataracts, such as exposure to intensive UV light or high-energy x-rays, cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing, drugs e.g. steroids, certain diseases e.g. diabetes and so forth. Maternal infections caused cataracts and traumatic cataracts are also possible. With proper methods, cataracts in younger individuals can be possibly prevented or slowed down.

Age-related cataract and posterior sub-capsular cataract

Congenital cataract occurs at a rate of approximately 0.03%, 20% of which have a family history of the disease. Age-related cataract appears in yellowish and grayish colors. In rare cases, some people develop white cataract, which is usually associated with posterior sub-capsular cataract (PSC). PSC cataract progresses much faster than age-related cataract and requires surgical removal at an early stage. In most cases, the surgical removal of PSC cataracts in two eyes is decoupled.

Surgical lens implantation is the standard treatment

Thick aphakic contact lenses are quite likely to cause corneal infections, resulting in painful ulcer and other symptoms. In this case, patients can switch to intraocular lens implantation for permanent vision correction. But this procedure is only suitable for adults, because the eyes of children continue to grow and develop. Cataract surgery in infants and children involves more risks. Some fragments of the original cataracts may be left during the surgery and a secondary cataract may develop quickly in the posterior capsule of those thriving children. Younger people who have a vitrectomy may suffer cataract sooner at a higher risk. For these patients, multifocal IOLs can help.

Expense of cataract surgery

For cataract surgery costs, it is better off consulting specific surgeons. Surgeon fee per eye can vary from $1,500 to $2,500, and the facility fee is totally between $2,000 and $5,000. This expense includes typically the cost of a non-premium monofocal intraocular lens implant. For additional vision correction, patients can resort to multifocal or accommodation IOLs, which cost about $2,500 per eye out-of-pocket.