Intra Ocular Lens Implants

Consultation and Treatment

For some patients an intraocular lens implant may be the right option for vision enhancement as  there are times that it may not be appropriate to consider laser vision correction at all. This may either be due to the extreme refractive error like; severe short sight, severe long sight or astigmatism, unusual corneal findings or other eye health concerns.

For such patients another good alternative to laser vision correction is the option of surgically implanting an Intra Ocular Lens into the eye to improve vision and to reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses.

Is IOL Implant Covered by Medical Insurance?

This selective procedure is not covered by medical insurance. If you are considering having a cataract procedure and would like to upgrade your lens to a refractive lens instead of a monofocal, your medical insurance may be willing to pay for part of your refractive procedure to cover the cataract cost. Each insurance company is different however, so it is important that you speak to them before you start your treatment.

Intraocular lenses are being used as a replacement when the natural lens of the eye is damaged due to illness - eye cataract for example that has over 19 million cases of blindness worldwide in line with trachoma and Glaucoma. On the other hand, if the natural lens of the eye is not damaged and only requires correction, implantable lenses can be used. No data has been presented yet pertaining to the number blindness or visual loss caused by eye injury worldwide. In the United States cataract is the third leading cause of legal blindness.

A wider range of myopia can also be corrected by lens implant than laser refractive procedures that is why this is often crooked and known as the alternative to laser intrusion.

Known as Phakic intraocular lenses, these are implanted in the eye in a form of surgery performed by an experienced ophthalmologist in less than 30 minutes. A small incision is made in the eye so the lens can be inserted. Recovery period takes 2-weeks.

The procedure is performed on one eye at a time and is being done under local anesthesia as a treatment for a person suffering from eye cataract. After the operation, patients are asked to avoid everything that raises high blood pressure or any strenuous exercise. Risk on a case to case basis would include inflammation, wound leakage, and infection.

The implant has 90% success rate with regular visit to your ophthalmologist. The implant also gives result such as better vision and the fact that you've gain freedom from maintaining your contact lenses its solutions and containers and the need for prescription glasses, biofocals etc. Now that the natural lens of your eyes has been removed, cataract will not return. Depending on the kind of lens that was implanted the eye's capacity in terms of focus has to be reduced or eliminated.

The cost of the lens implant may vary based on the country where the surgery is performed and the surgeon you choose. The average cost is $1,500 to $3,000 per eye. Insurance companies also cover the cost of a lens implant especially if it is required to replace the natural lens of the eye during the surgery. However, if the intraocular lens implant is for vision correction only the cost will not be covered.

It is always best to visit your local ophthalmologist for more information as most of them offer IOL financing to help you with the cost.