Should you have surgery for cataracts in your eyes?
During surgery, an eye surgeon will remove the natural lens of your eye if it has become clouded or has “spots” on it. He or she will replace your natural lens with an artificial lens implant.
Here’s the deal according the The Eye Care Sourcebook by Jay B. Lavine, M.D.
Dr. Lavine says that the clouding occurs for a variety of reasons and that it can affect your vision. Over time your vision may get more blurred but stronger eyeglasses can help a lot. He said that there is NO urgency to do the surgery unless it interferes with your day to day living and functioning. It is never an “urgent” surgery.
Nonetheless, there are doctors who treat it as urgent. I’ll tell you my story.
I saw an ad in the paper for a “free eye exam” for senior citizens. Being the nosy person that I am, and figuring I might learn something, and since I was having a bit of blurring in one eye, and knowing that there is no such thing as a “free kitten” I made an appointment.
The examiner acted as though he was going to do a regular eye exam through the testing lenses, in the darkened room, like a regular optometrist but guess what? He only had me give him 3 or 4 responses (“A” or “B”) before he said nothing could be done to improve my vision with glasses.
Then he took me into a room which was quite small and the only thing in the whole room (beside a table and 2 chairs) was a model of a human eye. It had removable parts so he could take out the lens.
He told me what a marvelous, wonderful surgery lens replacement is! He had a loving glow as he explained the progress that had been made over the years since the “coke bottle” type of eyeglass lenses that people had to wear prior to lens implants.
You know, it was right about then that I realized I was in a Cataract Surgery Mill.
I suspected it a few minutes earlier but now I knew for sure.
What’s a Mill? It’s a business whose business is to generate business. More surgeries equals more $$$$$.
Selling glasses? Some profit. Surgery? Lots of profit.
Why was this Mill giving “free” eye exams to senior citizens? Because Medicare will pay for cataract surgery so it’s easy to talk senior citizens into having the surgery–no money comes out of their personal pocket.
According to Dr. Lavine, if the surgery is necessary, have it.
But there are possibilities that there can be complications either at the time of the surgery or in the future. So, Dr. Lavine said, unless you NEED it because it is making it difficult to function, put it off.
It may turn out that you never need it and remember, it is never urgent to have cataract surgery.
As I was leaving the Mill, after NOT scheduling my “necessary” surgery, the very nice receptionist reminded me not to wait too long before I made my appointment because they want me to be able to see.
Ye$$$$$ indeed.
And actually, the way I “see” it, the more of our original body parts we keep the better off we are. Dr. Lavine said so, too!
2021 update: I did eventually have cataract surgery elsewhere when I needed it. My decision was made because my driving vision was becoming challenged and I didn’t want to risk an accident. My after-vision is superb!
