Home Preparing for Your Cataract Evaluation

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We’re looking forward to seeing you for your cataract evaluation! You’re already nearly halfway through your journey and we want to make this next step as simple as possible.

We know you’re probably asking, “what’s next” so we put together a few things to help you feel more confident, comfortable, and prepared.

Preparing for your appointment is easy!

If it seems like you’ve gotten a lot of information about your consultation and you’re not sure how you’re going to remember it all, don’t worry – we’ve broken it down for you. There are probably a million things you’re thinking about, but here are the ones we think are most important to think about before your appointment. If this page doesn’t do it’s job and you still have questions, give us a call!

  • What to Bring

    Please be sure to bring your Driver’s License or State ID and insurance cards to your appointment, along with a list of current medications, including dosage and frequency and a list of previous surgical procedures, including dates.

  • Cost and Financing

    During your consultation, you and your counselor will review the costs of various vision correction procedures, as well as financing and payment options. We offer financing and payment plans and accept FSA and HSA funds.

  • Illustration of intraocular l lens at ICON Eyecare
    Insurance Coverage

    Insurance coverage and the cataract surgery cost depends on the type of intraocular lens (IOL) you choose. There are numerous options of IOL and your choice can depend on your vision goals following surgery.

Will I be Dilated at my Appointment? And What About my Contacts?

During the medical eye evaluation, you will be dilated to allow for advanced testing. Dilated eye exams typically last 1.5 hours and can cause sensitivity to light for an average of 6 hours following dilation. We suggest you bring sunglasses for your drive home.

We ask all patients coming for a cataract evaluation to be out of their contacts for at least 7 days prior to your appointment. This will allow for more accurate testing and view of your complete eye health.

If you wear hard contacts, we do need you to be out of them for 2 weeks prior to your consultation.

What will happen during my appointment?

  • The first step of your cataract evaluation is the medical eye exam. Your surgeon will guide you through a comprehensive, dilated eye exam that will include where we will take measurements and get a complete view of your eye.
  • Following testing, you will meet with your surgeon. This will be the time for you and your surgeon to discuss your lifestyle, daily activities, and vision goals following cataract surgery. Your surgeon will share more about ICON Eyecare’s lens options and how each lens may fit your vision goals.
    • ICON offers many lens options and your surgeon will help you navigate those options, suggesting a lens to fit your lifestyle and eye health needs.
  • After discussing your lens options, you’ll sit down with one of our expert cataract counselors to talk about surgery in general and discuss costs and financing.
    • Depending on your technology and lens choices, your counselor can discuss insurance related costs as well.
  • Once you’ve gotten any and all of your questions answered, it’s time to schedule your surgery and starting looking forward to seeing clearly with confidence!

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Cataract Lens Options

An intraocular lens (IOL) is an artificial lens that is implanted into the eye during cataract surgery. The intraocular lens acts as a replacement for the eye’s natural lens (or cloudy lens) which is removed during the surgery. At ICON, we are proud to offer the latest innovations in cataract eye surgery and advanced IOLs. The team at ICON Eyecare will help you understand your lens options and choose the best intraocular lenses for your lifestyle during your consultation.

  • Multifocal IOL: An ideal option for patients who wish to reduce their dependency on corrective lenses after cataract surgery.
  • Toric IOL: Customizable treatment option designed for patients who wish to reduce their dependency on corrective eyewear for distance vision, astigmatism correction, or monovision correction.
  • Monofocal IOL: Standard lens option partially or fully covered by most insurance plans. This option can improve distance vision, however glasses will still be needed for reading and intermediate vision as well as astigmatism correction. Monovision is possible with this type of lens option.
INSURANCE AND COSTS

What Does Cataract Surgery Cost?

Because the cost of cataract surgery depends on your insurance plan, copays, and deductibles, it’s difficult to provide an accurate range. At ICON Eyecare out-of-pocket upgrade costs after insurance is applied can range from $2,200/eye to $4,500/eye. ICON’s team of highly-skilled surgeons uses the latest technology to ensure your safety, comfort, and results and we committed to helping everyone achieve the vision they deserve.

We financing through CareCredit and Alphaeon Credit (subject to credit approval) and accept HSAs and FSAs. You can learn more about our payment plans and options here. During your consultation, our team will help you determine what your insurance policy covers, what payment options are available, and how to make cataract surgery as affordable as possible.

Preparing for Surgery

Once you’ve scheduled surgery it’s time to start planning all the things you’ll be able to see and do when you’ve said goodbye to your cataracts and blurry vision!

Depending on your surgical choice, you’ll have pre-surgery instructions and eye drop schedules to follow. Make sure you read all of your paperwork ahead of time and follow those drop schedules, they’re crucial for a successful surgery day.

Preparing for Recovery

Depending on which type of cataract surgery you’ve chosen, your recovery will be unique but typically cataract surgery recovery is 2-3 days with full recovery typically taking about four weeks. Cataract surgery is done one eye at a time, about a week in between the first and second eye.

During the days and weeks following the operation, patients’ vision becomes gradually clearer and more focused as the eye heals.

Keep in mind that recovery is different for every patient and your doctor will share more detailed information about recovery times for each vision correction option.

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