Cataract Surgery

Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure that takes less than 15 minutes to perform using only light sedation for relaxation.

Most patients experience no pain and have a rapid recovery. Our approach involves advanced technology to improve your vision and gets you back to enjoying your normal activities as quickly as possible.

What is Refractive Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery?

Refractive cataract surgery is a custom cataract removal procedure offered at Triangle Eye Consultants. Traditional cataract surgery has always involved replacing the cloudy lens, or cataract with an artificial lens through a small incision made in the cornea.

Refractive technology allows the surgeon to plan and perform cataract surgery with high precision utilizing advanced laser methodology. Laser-assisted cataract surgery has several advances over traditional cataract surgery, including ability to manage astigmatism for optimal visual outcomes and additional precision for incision creation and energy reduction.

Types of Lenses
Monofocal Lenses

When considering cataract surgery, it is important to understand your lens implant options, so you can choose a lens that best matches your lifestyle. Monofocal lens implants focus at one primary point (single vision) and that point can be set at distance or near. If not electing Refractive cataract surgery, you will likely need to wear glasses for distance and near tasks. If choosing Refractive cataract surgery, this lens may be used in combination with other technology, such as the femtosecond laser, to set your vision to be excellent for distance. Reading glasses or bifocals are necessary with this option to give you the best possible intermediate and near vision. Our standard monofocal lenses are the most advanced in their category, designed for distance and improving image quality.

Toric Lens for High Astigmatism Correction

Astigmatism can be a significant cause of blurred vision. For patients with high levels of astigmatism we offer the Toric lens to achieve optimal correction of the astigmatism that is creating blur. For patients choosing this option, the lens is typically used in conjunction with the femtosecond laser, and your vision will be set for distance and reading glasses will be necessary for near and intermediate work.

Extended Depth of Focus Lens (EDOF)

The Clareon Vivity® intraocular lens is an extended depth of focus lens that elongates the wavelength of light to allow an enhanced range of vision from distance all the way through intermediate distance without glasses. Patients do not typically have the side effect of glare and halo with this implant, as which may occur with diffractive trifocal lenses.  Patients receiving an EDOF lens generally do not need glasses to see at dashboard distance and beyond. Most find that over the counter reading glasses are required for smaller print and near work (inside of 20 inches).

Trifocal Lenses

The Clareon PanOptix® Trifocal IOL is an FDA-approved trifocal lens implant. This exciting lens technology offers an exceptional combination of near, intermediate, and distance vision for patients with active lifestyles. The range of vision offered by the PanOptix® trifocal lens substantially reduces the need for glasses after cataract surgery at both distance and near. The PanOptix® trifocal lens was developed using ENLIGHTEN® Optical Technology, which optimizes intermediate vision without compromising the quality of near and distance vision. This unique innovation in lens technology offers patients a wide range of vision in one lens. In addition, the PanOptix® lens is offered as a spherical lens or toric lens, expanding lens options to patients with astigmatism. Based on the FDA study, over 99% of patients who receive the PanOptix® lens would choose the same lens again. It is important to note that this is a diffractive lens, which means that it splits light to the 3 zones: distance, intermediate, and near vision. As such, a natural byproduct is some halo and glare in dim lighting. Some patients may not adapt well to this while others do.  It is possible to notice contrast vision changes with any diffractive implant. It is important to have a full examination to best determine if you are a good candidate for this technology.

Cost of Cataract Surgery

Basic cataract surgery can be filed to medical insurance if medically appropriate. The CPT code for basic cataract surgery is 66984. Depending upon your insurance plan you may have a copay, co-insurance, and/or deductible for which your insurance company and plan deem you responsible. We encourage you to call your insurance company to find out the information that is specific to your plan so you can know exact amounts you may be charged by your insurance company. If you select premium upgraded technology such as the femtosecond laser to manage astigmatism or advanced technology lenses (such as Toric, EDOF, or Trifocal lenses) you will be responsible for the additional out of pocket expense as these are deemed elective options at the time of surgery. Fees for these services are considered “non-covered” by insurance companies, and the patient is fully responsible for payment for these services. You have a choice and do not have to select these advanced services, however, many of our patients do choose to adopt premium technology for their cataract surgery to help reduce dependency on glasses as well as using advanced technology to perform the procedure.  You will meet with our surgical coordinator on the day of your evaluation. She will help you schedule surgery and navigate the appropriate technology options recommended by Dr. Gupta at the time of your evaluation.  Our office also provides interest free financing, via Care Credit, for upgraded options if needed. Offerings can be found by selecting our practice name on the Care Credit website www.carecredit.com.

Making a decision about your vision should not be rushed, and we aim to provide education and serve as a resource for questions you may have.