Laser Vs Standard Cataract Surgery

Laser cataract surgery more than 1 5 million cataract surgeries are performed annually in the u s.

Laser vs standard cataract surgery.

It is recognized as being safe and effective. Laser cataract surgery also can reduce stress on the retina and other delicate tissues of the eye during cataract extraction. Laser cataract surgery usually is performed when a premium presbyopia correcting or astigmatism correcting iol is implanted. One in three mostly older americans will have the surgery at some point in their lives.

A standard cataract surgery may not be able to address that shape issue but it can be addressed with laser surgery. It creates a more reliable repeatable precise incision than a surgeon can do by hand. Not all cataract surgery is done by a laser these days. Medicare pays the same amount toward cataract surgery whether a surgeon conducts it with or without a laser.

Traditional cataract surgery and. The new artificial lens is inserted to replace the cloudy natural lens. Traditional cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries in the world. Laser cataract surgery is not covered by most insurance plans.

Laser surgery for cataracts is the removal of a lens that has a cataract followed by replacement of the lens in the eye with an artificial prescription lens. Laser cataract surgery also called refractive laser assisted cataract surgery relacs is an advanced type of cataract surgery that uses femtosecond laser technology to bring a new level of precision and accuracy to specific steps in cataract surgery that traditionally have been performed with hand held surgical tools. However laser surgery has a higher cost and is used for those who have astigmatism and. Laser assisted blade free cataract surgery both reduces the number of instruments used and increases the precision of the procedure.

In addition some types of cataract lenses must be implanted with laser surgery. Laser or advanced cataract surgery will provide the same outcome as traditional cataract surgery but the difference is in the tools used and overall method. The procedure is safe and effective but according to the american academy of opthalmology laser cataract surgery is more costly than the traditional method and the cost is not. It costs more than traditional cataract surgery as well.

Ultrasound waves break the cataract into tiny pieces which are then removed. The laser may be useful when correcting for astigmatism aligning an astigmatism correcting intraocular lens or softening a dense cataract. The added cost of the laser procedure typically is included in the price of the premium iol.