- A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens which prevents a clear image from forming on the retina and impairs vision.
- About half of people over age 55 and more than 70 percent of those older than 75 develop cataracts. While natural aging is the most frequent cause of cataracts, injury, chronic eye disease and other system-wide diseases, such as diabetes, can also lead to cataracts.
- Intraocular lenses (IOLs) can be surgically implanted in patient’s eyes to replace the cataractous lenses. Advances in diagnostic technology allow a quick and precise determination of the proper IOL optical power for implantation.
- During IOL implant surgery, the physician uses an instrument the size of a pen tip to break up the cloudy natural lens and replace it with the permanent IOL. The entire procedure takes less than an hour, allowing patients to return home within hours of their surgery.
- The latest generation of multifocal IOLs provides cataract patients with greater independence from glasses than previously developed lens technology. Lens manufacturers indicate that the majority of multifocal IOL patients seldom or never have to wear glasses again.
- Less than a generation ago, treating cataracts required patients to undergo invasive surgery and stay in the hospital for up to one week. Today patients are treated safely with minimally invasive techniques that allow them to return home the same day as their surgery.
- Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed and successful surgeries in the United States, with more than two million performed annually.
- The total cost for cataract replacement surgery today, when inflation rates are taken into account, is equal to what it was at its inception 30 years ago.1
- A 2001 study concluded that the costs of modern cataract surgery are more than justified by its substantial benefits to Medicare beneficiaries and society as a whole. The study noted that the dramatic technological improvements in cataract surgery translate into better vision, fewer complications, shorter operating room time, reduced hospital stays and improved rehabilitation. These enhancements to cataract patients’ quality of life enable each patient to contribute $95,000 more in economic productivity than they would have without surgery.
- Research has shown that death rates sharply decline in older cataract patients who receive an IOL, as they are less likely to accidentally harm themselves.2
- A seven-year study found that patients who underwent cataract surgery and IOL implantation had a 50 percent lower rate of automobile crashes than patients who chose not to have surgery.3
- A recent study found that patients experienced a diminished IQ prior to cataract surgery; however, following the implantation surgery the patients’ average IQ was restored to a level equivalent to their levels during the ages of 18-30.4
Benefits of Cataract Surgery
| Auto Accidents | 50% lower incidence of crashes3 | | IQ, Intelligence Quotient | 14 point average increase in IQ4 | | Value of Innovations, 1969 to 1998 | $95,000/patient1 |
- McClellan M, Cutler D. “Is technological change in medicine worth it?” Health Affairs 20(5) (2001):11-29.
- Christen W, Glynn R, Ajani U, et al. “Baseline self-reported cataract and subsequent mortality in Physicians' Health Study I.” Ophthalmic Epidemiology 7(2) (2000):115-25.
- Owsley C, McGwin G Jr, Sloane M, et al. “Impact of cataract surgery on motor vehicle crash involvement by older adults.” New England Journal of Medicine 288(7) (2002):841-9.
- Lehrl S, Gerstmeyer K. “Additional IQ increase in mentally fit patients by cataract surgery.” American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Meeting; April 2003.
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