Cataracts #1 surgery in US Patient conversion to 'Premium' IOL extra push in tough economy?

I know asking in a medical/ophthalmic arena would not get highly unbiased input, as most experts are paid consultants (and some, even shareholders) by major manufacturers.

So thought I'd ask on ATS.

It's a longshot if any other ATS is in the optical/medical field, has a loved one with whom they were involved in lens selection, or faced this very decision on how they would see the world the rest of theirlives, themselves. However, it would be most appreciated if any of you could chime in on whats the deal with "premium" IOLs I mean why did the industry choose such a.... CAPITALIST term for a medical device? It's like putting it up front that I have to pay a PREMIUM if I want better than standard vision correction... And that multifocal will never be standard, but always premium, lol. Ive already ruled out accomodating OILs because on a similar industry misnomer, they are anything but accomodating as they do now show any substantial flexing as the real lens does, in vivo. And I've ruled out bilateral monovision because I dont like the idea of 2 extremes between the 2 eyes (one for near, one for far). So for me it boils down to bilateral multifocal, bilateral monofocal. Personally I'd go for multifocal in one eye and monofocal in the other, but apparently doctors discourage this since the brain fundamentally has a problem learning multifocus between 2 focal zones in one eye, since the other remains accustomed to one focus for all zones near and far.

Cataracts being the #1 most performed surgery in America, I thought there would be a topic on IOLs but guess this is the first. Thanks in advance for anyone's personal, non-medical opinions on the "premium" aspect of a multifocal lens vs the necessity of monofocal.... or whatever your thoughts/experience are!

www.ophthalmicprofessional.com...

reply to post by tropic


these multifocal IOLs have been around for quite some time but remain an out-of-pocket option for patients considering cataract surgery. there are 2 or 3 different styles available depending on your particular surgeon. it has been my experience that most folks who end up using them in either one or both eyes are still relatively dependent on reading glasses for certain tasks. the patient's distance acuity is typically not as good either. depending on your visual demands, they can be a perfectly good option if you don't mind the extra cost. if, for example, you're an accountant and you need to be 100% sure you're seeing an 8 vs a 6 and so on, your best bet is probably single vision implants (covered by Medicare) and reading or bifocal specs (also paid for by Medicare). either way, those ophthalmologists are raking it in. they can usually bang out a case in about ten minutes or so.