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20/20 vision


Longjohn

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My eye surgeon says he can give me perfect vision when I have my cataract surgery for an extra $6,000 out of pocket. If I opt for the standard procedure I will have good distance vision and have to wear reading glasses for up close vision. If I expected to live another 20 years there would be no question but I have too many things wrong with me to live that long. I also don’t know what the extra procedure involves. The regular procedure is pretty well perfected and is quick and easy and I walk out of there with no eye patch or need for eye drops.

I’ll find out more at tomorrow’s 2 1/2 hr eye exam but I’ll have to make a decision tomorrow. Right now I’m thinking about getting the standard procedure and reading glasses. Reading glasses have always been a problem for me because one eye is near sighted and the other is farsighted. I can’t just grab a pair at the drug store. I always went with bifocals and they made them correct for each eye. I guess I could get custom reading glasses from the eye doctor or bifocals with clear lens on top and corrected lens in the bi-focal part.

I would guess the way they would correct my up close vision would be with LASIK surgery while I was getting my cataracts removed. I don’t know how long that takes. I wish my wife was here to discuss this with. It would also be nice if my wife could drive me. She would bring her crocheting and happily sit and crochet while she waits on me. My brother doesn’t crochet, I guess he will just have to play around on the internet while he waits.

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Just now, Randomguy said:

$6K seems like a lot, a couple of extra thousand as a   'convenience fee'.  I would haggle and hold out for $4k or a bit less, and tell him to find a way to be more creative with insurance so you pay less still.

My mom got it all done for free - cataracts and vision correction.  Maybe there was a co-pay?  No way she paid $6k or even $600 without telling all of us how expensive that was!

I don't know how easy it is to jump around Medicare plans, but maybe that's an option and put off until the one LJ chooses has the vision stuff covered more?

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I don't know how easy it is to jump around Medicare plans, but maybe that's an option and put off until the one LJ chooses has the vision stuff covered more?

This is the time of year you can change plans but with all my pre-existing conditions that will be difficult. When you retire and move from a private plan to Medicare they can’t turn you down for pre-existing conditions but after that one time they can.

I don’t think I want to wait any longer. I have waited over two years already because I couldn’t get it done while I was taking care of my wife and I couldn’t get it done while I was having heart attacks or chemotherapy. I’ve been driving using those Braille lines they put on the edge of the roads but all roads don’t have those.

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18 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

My eye surgeon says he can give me perfect vision when I have my cataract surgery for an extra $6,000 out of pocket. If I opt for the standard procedure I will have good distance vision and have to wear reading glasses for up close vision. If I expected to live another 20 years there would be no question but I have too many things wrong with me to live that long. I also don’t know what the extra procedure involves. The regular procedure is pretty well perfected and is quick and easy and I walk out of there with no eye patch or need for eye drops.

I’ll find out more at tomorrow’s 2 1/2 hr eye exam but I’ll have to make a decision tomorrow. Right now I’m thinking about getting the standard procedure and reading glasses. Reading glasses have always been a problem for me because one eye is near sighted and the other is farsighted. I can’t just grab a pair at the drug store. I always went with bifocals and they made them correct for each eye. I guess I could get custom reading glasses from the eye doctor or bifocals with clear lens on top and corrected lens in the bi-focal part.

I would guess the way they would correct my up close vision would be with LASIK surgery while I was getting my cataracts removed. I don’t know how long that takes. I wish my wife was here to discuss this with. It would also be nice if my wife could drive me. She would bring her crocheting and happily sit and crochet while she waits on me. My brother doesn’t crochet, I guess he will just have to play around on the internet while he waits.

In normal cataract surgery they replace your lenses (corrected for the vision of that eye) with a fixed focus lens that is similar to an old box camera, good for everything more than reading distance.  This is probably good for your car's dashboard, but not for reading or your watch or labels on a can at the store.  For all of that you will need your standard (eyes are corrected at surgery time) reading glasses.

The high tech stuff is a variable focus lens that is more tied into the muscles of your eye that used to focus the biological lens.  I opted for the standard as at the time the variables were not road tested well enough.  Ask about them, but you don't really need them.  Those of us that have had the standard surgery have survived just fine and are $6k richer.

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2 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

In normal cataract surgery they replace your lenses (corrected for the vision of that eye) with a fixed focus lens that is similar to an old box camera, good for everything more than reading distance.  This is probably good for your car's dashboard, but not for reading or your watch or labels on a can at the store.  For all of that you will need your standard (eyes are corrected at surgery time) reading glasses.

The high tech stuff is a variable focus lens that is more tied into the muscles of your eye that used to focus the biological lens.  I opted for the standard as at the time the variables were not road tested well enough.  Ask about them, but you don't really need them.  Those of us that have had the standard surgery have survived just fine and are $6k richer.

That's a good point and probably what my mom had done.  Maybe LJ's doc is looking to "upsell" the fancy $6k surgery, but the basic "cataract" surgery will actually be a "cataract + vision correction" process, so he will be 95% to the more expensive option?  Reading glasses aren't too bad after regular glasses/contacts for a lifetime.

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Just now, Razors Edge said:

That's a good point and probably what my mom had done.  Maybe LJ's doc is looking to "upsell" the fancy $6k surgery, but the basic "cataract" surgery will actually be a "cataract + vision correction" process, so he will be 95% to the more expensive option?  Reading glasses aren't too bad after regular glasses/contacts for a lifetime.

I've worn glasses all my life so I solved the problem by keeping my glasses with new lenses.......0 at the top and reading glasses at the bottom.  That paid off nicely when I developed more problems after the surgery and needed a prescription after all as the cataract lenses can't be changed at that point.

Or at least you may not want to go through what it takes to change them because it's not as simple as the original insertion.

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3 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

In normal cataract surgery they replace your lenses (corrected for the vision of that eye) with a fixed focus lens that is similar to an old box camera, good for everything more than reading distance.  This is probably good for your car's dashboard, but not for reading or your watch or labels on a can at the store.  For all of that you will need your standard (eyes are corrected at surgery time) reading glasses.

The high tech stuff is a variable focus lens that is more tied into the muscles of your eye that used to focus the biological lens.  I opted for the standard as at the time the variables were not road tested well enough.  Ask about them, but you don't really need them.  Those of us that have had the standard surgery have survived just fine and are $6k richer.

The variable lens option is an additional $4,000 out of pocket. I didn’t mention it because I already ruled it out. They said with that option you may still need reading glasses but each person is different and they can’t tell until after the surgery.

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I’m doing all this speculating before I see the surgeon tomorrow but he might limit my options after examining me. I also have glaucoma and leukemia. I don’t know if that makes any difference. I always wear safety glasses when I ride a bike or mow the lawn or work on the car. Any time there is a risk of eye injury. I think probably go with Maxx’s option of glasses with 0 correction on top and whatever is needed on the bottom. Spend some of that $6,000 I save and get riding glasses in clear and sunglasses plus probably a regular pair of glasses. Start with a regular pair and see how it works out. If I can read my Garmin without correction I won’t need riding glasses and just go with what I wear now.

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On 10/14/2021 at 10:11 AM, maddmaxx said:

I've worn glasses all my life so I solved the problem by keeping my glasses with new lenses.......0 at the top and reading glasses at the bottom.  That paid off nicely when I developed more problems after the surgery and needed a prescription after all as the cataract lenses can't be changed at that point.

Or at least you may not want to go through what it takes to change them because it's not as simple as the original insertion.

They didn’t try to sell me the upgrade, he said my retinas rule that out. I’m getting the standard lens and a quick glaucoma surgery.

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LJ,

When I had cataract surgery last year, for both eyes, I went with lenses that would give me vision at computer monitor distance without glasses.  I found that I do not need reading glasses unless I need to read 7 point or smaller type that is not well printed, and I still have decent enough distance vision to drive if necessary, although I still normally use glasses for that.  I have needed glasses for distance vision since high school anyway, and I will be wearing glasses when cycling in any case.

 

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If I wasn't a pilot, I would have gone infinite focus on lens replacement.  Some people experience light halos though.  I think your doctor is offering the best treatment available.  Get fixed focal length lenses, then adjust vision with Lasik.  My lenses are anti glare with blue light filters.  They are awesome.  When I stop flying, I will get the lassie to tune up near vision.  

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On 10/14/2021 at 9:42 AM, Longjohn said:

The regular procedure is pretty well perfected and is quick and easy and I walk out of there with no eye patch

Screw the regular procedure.  Take a walk on the wild side and go for the eye patch. 

The beard, the eye patch, and you're well on your way to starting your new career as a pirate.

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