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Cataract Surgery Lens Implant Cost

Boston Cataract Surgeon, Francis D’Ambrosio Jr., M.D. explained, “The cost of cataract surgeryand lens implants can get a little confusing. Almost all insurances and Medicare cover the bulk of the cost of cataract surgery and basic lens implants. HOWEVER, deductibles, co-pays and the extent to which certain services are or are not covered can affect the actual amount you might need to pay out of pocket.” 

Here is some helpful information that will help patients better understand cataract surgery and lens implant cost.

Preoperative Testing and Consultation

With the exception of co-pays and deductibles specific to your insurance plan the eye examination, consultation and measurements necessary for cataract surgery and basic Intraocular Lens (IOL) implantation are covered services. If there are specialized tests that might be required such as more precise types of testing for multifocal lens implants or toric lens implants, you may need to pay for these tests out of pocket as your insurance and Medicare may only cover the basic testing. If this is the case, these extra tests may range in cost up to a few or several hundred dollars depending on the scope of the necessary testing.

Surgery Center Facility Fee

The surgery center facility fee is generally covered by insurances and Medicare although there may be a small co-pay or deductible with certain plans. This fee will cover the use of the facility including the operating room, the nursing staff, the instrumentation and equipment and all related operating room supplies. Depending on the types of anesthesia used it is possible that there will be an additional fee-mostly covered by your insurance or Medicare-for the administration of anesthesia and the staff.

Cataract Surgeon’s Fee
The cataract surgeon’s fee is generally covered by insurances and Medicare although there may be a small co-pay or deductible with certain plans.

Lens Implant Fee

The cost of a basic Monofocal lens implant lens implant is generally covered by insurances and Medicare within the facility fee. However, should you and your cataract surgeon elect to use an astigmatism correcting toric lens implant or multifocal lens implant there will be an out of pocket fee as most insurances and Medicare do not cover these more advanced types of lens implants.

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Contact Lens Care

Contact lens care is an important part of comfortable and successful contact lens wear. Properly fit contact lenses can provide clear, comfortable vision. Maintaining good vision requires that patients properly care for their lenses. Proper cleaning, disinfection, and regular replacement of lenses are required to maintain healthy vision. 

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Lens Implants for Cataracts in Boston

Boston eye care patients with cataracts will find that choosing a lens implant for cataract surgery is an important decision. “The decision on exactly how to correct your vision after cataract surgery used to be a decision that was the sole responsibility of your cataract surgeon,” said Francis A. DAmbrosio, Jr., M.D., Massachusetts Ophthalmologist and Medical Director of DAmbrosio Eye Care. “As more advanced types of lens implant technology became available that could do some extra things for patients, we were able to offer our cataract patients some options for their vision correction,” said Dr. DAmbrosio, Jr.

“While I had been participating in FDA trials of multifocal lens Implants for cataract surgery some years earlier, beginning around 2005 it became necessary for cataract surgeons to discuss lens implant options with patients so together they could choose the most appropriate lens implant for the lifestyle needs of the patient,” said Dr. DAmbrosio Jr. “ Only after the cataract evaluation can we make a firm recommendation for each patient because the choice of lens implant really depends on several factors including the patient’s prescription, the overall health of their eyes, whether they have any other health problems such as diabetes and most importantly how they use their eyes throughout their daily routine," he further noted.

A type of lens implant called an aspheric lens implant seems to give the sharpest, most crisp vision-but only corrects distance vision and requires you to wear reading glasses or bifocals after cataract surgery. This might be fine for a truck driver who needs cataract surgery, but might not be the best choice for a sales clerk who uses his or her eyes at many distances all day. A type of lens implant called a toric lens implant is often selected for cataract patients who have correction their eyeglasses. If you have a toric lens implant to correct your vision after cataract surgery, you will still need to correct you near vision to see up close with reading glasses of some sort. For those patients who do a number of things throughout the day that require seeing far away, at arm’s length-say for the computer and also to see up close, if you are a good candidate, we can offer you a multifocal lens implant that corrects near vision and presbyopia and so it will help you see at a range of distances without being totally dependent on eyeglasses.

Choosing a lens implant is a joint effort between you and your eye surgeon. It is not your decision alone. It’s not like buying a pair of shoes or a car where you can ask your friends for a good “brand” or you can read a brochure or see a TV commercial and then you can choose. It requires the careful evaluation and recommendation of skilled and experienced cataract surgeon to help you make the best choice.

DAmbrosio Eye Care is a leading eye care practice serving the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area including Acton, Athol, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, treatment of cataracts with cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

If you or someone you know has cataracts and need help with cataract surgery and lens implants information, please feel free to call DAmbrosio Eye Care at 800-325-3937. You may also request an appointment at facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare.

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Progressive No Line Eyeglass Lens Choices

Considering there are hundreds of progressive lens designs how do you choose which is right for you? You don’t. You leave that up to the licensed professionals at D’Ambrosio Eye Care. We are here to guide and educate you so you can obtain optimal vision at all distances.

Early progressive lens designs had smaller zones of clear vision that resulted in frequent head movements and the need to move your head toward the object to see it clearly. This blurry vision in the periphery gives wearers a “swim” effect during quick head movement, making new wearers less likely to adapt. Unfortunately, most of these lenses are still on the market. Why? Boldly put, they are cheaper to purchase and in turn are less expensive for the patient. That doesn’t make selling you these lenses fair or right since we are in the business of better vision. When shopping you do need to compare “apples to apples” as the patient is generally not educated regarding the quality of the design they are purchasing.

At D’Ambrosio Eye Care we are always educating our staff on the latest technology and offer the designs we feel are the best quality and we sell them at a fair price. We have a few lens offerings but our #1 selling lens is Varilux Physio, a digital lens that increases clear vision range by 30% compared to conventional progressive lenses. Vision and contrast sensitivity is improved, creating sharp vision, especially during night driving. Peripheral distortion is also controlled or eliminated.

There are studies and science behind every lens, but to easily put a comparison together you could get anywhere from the old black and white antenna tube TVs to the latest High Definition flat screen TV. One does cost more than the other; but the result are vastly different. It is hard to purchase something you cannot see through yourself but that is why you should be properly educated when purchasing your next pair of progressive lenses.

For any questions about lens options, please stop by any of our optical departments or call us at 800-325-3937, we’re happy to help. You may also request an appointment at D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare.

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

DAmbrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice serving Athol, Acton, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.

Reference sources: Eyecare Business, Essilor, Signet Armorlite, Optician’s Handbook, Varilux USA and Wikipedia.

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Multifocal Lens Implants IOL at D’Ambrosio Eye Care

Intraocular lenses, or IOLs as they are more commonly known, are artificial lenses that are used to replace natural lenses that have become clouded with cataracts. They can also be used as a solution for people who suffer from presbyopia, a condition in which the lens becomes less flexible, thus losing its ability to focus on near objects. Before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of intraocular lenses in 1981, patients who had cataract surgery were forced to wear thick eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their vision.

Monofocal Lens Implants vs. Multifocal Lens Implants
Traditional, or Monofocal IOLs, can only offer patients improvement at one set distance, usually for seeing far away. At D’Ambrosio Eye Care we offer our patients Multifocal Implants to help our presbyopic and Cataract Surgery patients see more clearly at a range of distances. This technology allows us to replace the eye’s natural lens with a new, artificial lens that can help restore visual clarity to near, intermediate and distance vision.

If you have any questions about Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants please feel free to phone D’Ambrosio Eye Care Toll Free at 800.325.3937 to schedule a consultation and examination.

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Eyeglass Lens Materials Comfort Cosmetics

Ever wonder why your eyeglasses look thicker than other peoples? Or why you have red marks on your nose at the end of the day? Yes, it depends greatly on your personal Rx, but even with a more difficult Rx you can still choose the right frame and lenses to obtain greater comfort and cosmetics. Farsighted (+ Rx) patients have lenses with thicker centers. The stronger the prescription, the more the center of the lens bulges forward from the frame. These lenses give the wearer’s eye an unnaturally magnified “bug-eyed” look. While nearsighted (- Rx) patients have lenses with thicker edges. The stronger your prescription, the more edge thickness. This makes the lens highly visible in the frame. These lenses make the wearer’s eye look smaller, and have a “beady-eyed” appearance. Even your frame choice is important to the cosmetics of your lenses. 

Most of today’s frames are made of plastic or metal with rims thinner than the lens itself. Also, popular rimless mountings mean that the lens edges are completely exposed. In either case, the lens edges are highly visible, and thicker edges can detract from the appearance of your eyewear.

For those patients with a prescription over a 3.00 (+ or -) we recommend a high-index material. Some stores will inform you their lens is high-index but a lot of the time they are selling you polycarbonate. High-Index to us here at D’Ambrosio Eye Care is an aspheric design and this design adds to the ability to bend light more efficiently so it can be designed to be thinner, which requires less material which then also reduces the overall weight of the lens. Generally, the higher the index the more cost to the patient so we are careful to recommend the most suitable index.

High-Index 1.67 is the lens choice for rimless and semi-rimless frames because it drills with more success and is thinner for the higher prescriptions. In any frame we would recommend this lens if your Rx was over 3.00 to 5.00 because it will be up to 55% thinner and lighter than plastic.

Hi-Index 1.70 is recommended for single vision wearers with an Rx over 3.00, and will be up to 60% thinner and lighter than plastic. Hi-Index 1.74 is the highest lens on the current market and is up to 65% thinner and lighter than plastic and we recommend this lens when the Rx is over 5.00. All High-Index lenses should be paired with Crizal™ Avance with Scotchgard ™ Protector non-glare, most manufactures require non-glare as it improves the clarity of vision by reducing any reflections off the lens and also makes the lenses appear thinner, improving appearance.

For more information on lenses and materials, please stop by any optical department at D’Ambrosio Eye Care or schedule an eye examination at D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help identify the possible causes and recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.
DAmbrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice serving the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area including Acton, Athol, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.
Reference sources: Eyecare Business, Wikipedia, All About Vision, Essilor, Eyetopics, American Academy of Ophthalmology

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Lens Implant Patient Story

My story is about having Lens Implants. I am providing my comments concerning my Lens Implant surgeries because it was a really good experience.

• Surgery was performed on each of my eyes two weeks apart.
• Prior to my surgeries, I did not have vision in one eye and limited vision in the other eye. Additionally, it was not safe for me to drive and I could not pass a driver license vision test.
• Though I had had two serious surgeries in the past, I was very concerned about having surgery performed on my eyes. 
• What I learned was Lens Implant surgery is a “piece of cake”. You are aware of what’s going on; there is not any pain during or after the surgery and the surgery is approximately ten to fifteen minutes long and shortly thereafter you are on your way home. 
• Due to the surgeries, I can now see out of both eyes, can safely drive and have passed a driver license vision test. Also, the only glasses I need now are reading glasses.
• Dr. D’Ambrosio and his entire staff are professional, courteous and make you feel at ease at all times.

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Cataract Lens Implants for Astigmatism

Massachusetts Cataract Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. commented on correcting astigmatism after cataract surgery with toric lens implants. “Most cataract patients know from their eye exams or eyeglass prescriptions that they have some amount of astigmatism. However, sometimes they don’t realize that it is important for their cataract surgeon to correct that astigmatism in order to get the best visual results after cataract surgery,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner.

Astigmatism is a common refractive eye condition that that is most often due to an uneven curvature of the cornea. If the cornea were perfectly shaped, it would have a spherical round even shape, like a basketball. In eyes that have astigmatism, the cornea is typically curved more like an oblong, football-like shape, similar to the shape of the back of a teaspoon. “Depending on the degree and orientation of the unequal curvatures, astigmatism can cause mild or even severe blurry vision,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio.

Patients with cataracts and who are in need of cataract surgery have three choices when considering how to correct their astigmatism.

First, patients can simply choose to be dependent on wearing eyeglasses after cataract surgery in order to correct astigmatism.

Second, if appropriate, some patients may opt to have an additional surgical procedure called Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI) or third, patients can elect have an astigmatism correcting toric lens implant in which the astigmatism correction is incorporated into the lens prescription just as in eyeglasses. “Toric lens implants are placed in the eye in exactly the same manner as ordinary lens implants at the time of cataract surgery and correct the astigmatism as part of the cataract surgery operation,” further explained Dr. D’Ambrosio.

If you or someone you know has cataracts or is considering cataract surgery and has astigmatism please feel free to schedule an eye examination at D’Ambrosio Eye Care by calling us at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help recommend an appropriate treatment plan.

Staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

DAmbrosio Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice in Athol, Lancaster, Gardner and Acton that serves the greater Boston and central Massachusetts area including Acton, Athol, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Boxborough, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Fitchburg, Gardner, Greenfield, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lexington, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Milford, Shelburne Falls, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Westminster, Westborough, Winchendon and Worcester, Massachusetts.

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Trivex Our Newest Lens Material

We wanted to share some information about Trivex® Lens material for eyeglasses. First, let’s start off by briefly explaining ABBE value. This is an indicator of light dispersion and should be considered when describing the technical affects of materials but the negative effects of light dispersion is rarely a problem in eyewear today. 

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Boston Surgeons on Cataracts Lens Implants Glasses

Boston Cataract Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., commented on the possibility of not needing glasses after cataract surgery with advanced lens implants. “As more and more patients approach the age of the development of cataracts they are asking many questions about cataract surgery, lens implants and the need-or not-for eyeglasses after cataract surgery. These questions are really pretty relevant as over the past 5 years, patient expectations and technology have driven a convergence of the goals cataract surgery and refractive surgery,” explained Dr. D’Ambrosio Jr. 

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Lens Implants for Cataracts in Massachusetts

Massachusetts eye surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. advises us about lens implants being the best choice for vision correction after cataract surgery. “As the “baby boomer” population surges in size, each day it seems as if more and more patients seem to want to know about cataracts”, commented Francis A. D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., Medical Director of D’Ambrosio Eye Care. “Pretty much everyone knows someone who has a cataract or had cataract surgery but today patients with cataracts all want to know if they will have to wear glasses after their cataract removal. They do not necessarily know or realize the options and positive results we achieve with lens implants for vision correction after cataract surgery today.”

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Exercise after Cataract Surgery Lens Implants

Boston Cataract Surgeon Francis D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. reviewed guidelines for resuming exercise after cataract surgery and lens implants. “The cataract surgery and lens implant operation allows for a much quicker practical and visual recovery,” stated Dr. D’Ambrosio, Jr., of D’Ambrosio Eye Care with offices in Athol, Lancaster, Acton & Gardner, Massachusetts. “This is important to so many patients-especially as they want to be able to resume their daily activities and lifestyle quickly. One area we always discuss with patients is how long they need to wait or restrict their exercise routine,” Dr. Dr. D’Ambrosio, Jr. further explained. “Certainly exercise guidelines may vary slightly depending on your cataract surgeon and on the specific details of your cataract surgery, but in general within 24 to 48 hours you should be able to do light walking. Avoid any heavy lifting or bending from the waist to get objects from the floor until you get approval to do so from your cataract surgeon. Swimming and water activities should be avoided for at least the first week after surgery because getting water in your eyes could increase the risk for infection. However, most patients are completely back to their exercise routines within one month after surgery.”

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