A Surprising Visit to the Eye Doctor

I have had cataract surgery on both my eyes. My right eye procedure was done in 2002 and my left eye in 2005. Today's cataract procedures are a far cry from how they were done in the previous generation. My father Larkin Scott (1917-1990) had cataract surgery at about my age and it was quite unpleasant. In those days they cut a large incision around your cornea and removed the natural lens. The incision was sewn shut with several stitches and the recovery time was long and painful. In order to restore normal vision you had to wear either a contact lens or thick cataract glasses. Today the procedure is streamlined and requires only a tiny slit in the cornea which heals quickly and without stitches. Furthermore, your natural lens is replaced with an implant lens that mimics the function of the original. Both of my cataracts were done in this manner.

Following both procedures my eyesight improved dramatically. Prior to surgery on my right eye I was unable to focus my cameras using that eye. Driving at night was annoying because cataracts are a clouding of your eye's lens and make everything look like you are looking through a heavy fog. The cataract in my left eye took a little longer to develop but it eventually got bad enough that I had it done three years later. Again, the improvement in my vision was dramatic. With both eyes repaired I now had 20-20 vision at distance without glasses or contacts and required only cheap drugstore magnifying glasses for reading.

Everything was fine until a few months ago when I noticed that the vision in my right eye was beginning to be a little blurry, almost like the cataract was coming back. I knew that was impossible because the natural lens was gone and plastic implant lenses can't get cataracts. I began to worry that I might have some other vision problem, even going so far as to imagine I might have a brain tumor or some such thing. One of the distinct characteristics of males is that "ignorance is bliss" when it comes to things related to your health. I put off going to the eye doctor for several months. Finally I could not endure the deteriorating vision in my right eye any longer because once again I was no longer able to focus my cameras with that eye. I booked an appointment with my eye doctor.

Today I went to my eye doctor for that appointment. They did the usual stuff: have you read the eye chart, check your ocular pressure, put in some drops and aim incredibly bright lights into your eyes. Most of this was done by an intern and he did not volunteer much information. Eventually the doctor who did the original surgery on both eyes arrived and took a look. He recognized the problem immediately and explained that it was common with post-operative cataract patients. Approximately 50% of all successful cataract surgery patients will ultimately experience some post-operative clouding or blurring. What gets cloudy is the back portion of eye's natural lens capsule which is left intact at the time of the surgery to support the implanted lens. This is referred to as a "secondary cataract".

So I am thinking "Oh great, more surgery, recovery time and fees". Then the doctor says "You want that fixed today?" I am flabbergasted. Today? How? He explains that in the past in order to correct the situation a small incision had to be made in the eye, a small knife inserted and used to create a small opening in the cloudy membrane. However, today it can all be done with a laser, specifically a YAG laser. No incisions, no chance for infection, no anesthesia and no hospital.

The procedure itself took only a few minutes. I put my head in a little supporting device, the doctor aimed a thing that looked like a horizontal microscope at my eye and zap! Actually there were four little zaps each looking like tiny sparks in my eye. After that I got up and walked out like nothing happened. My vision improved immediately. Once again I could see perfectly out of my right eye.

We actually spent more time on hold with the insurance company prior to the procedure trying to confirm coverage than on the procedure itself. Coverage was confirmed but since I had not met my deductible I would have to pay for the whole thing out of pocket. I was prepared for that because I have a high deductible policy ($2500) and being the first of the year I knew that there was no way I had met it. The lady working with me at the doctor's office told me that the price for the YAG laser procedure was $1500. I gulped, but was ready to pony up that amount to get my good vision back. Then she explained that even though the insurance company was not paying the fee that the doctor would charge only what the insurance would pay for the procedure: $276.39! Now that is a discount I can live with and I whipped out my Amex card. The moral to this story is that if you have insurance and even if it is not actually paying, you still get the "brother-in-law" discount. It does pay to have insurance.