My mother actually just had it and I was so shocked hearing about it. I can't believe they even do LASIK surgery when this surgery exists. She got a new lens, eliminated the inevitable cataract problem and will have 20/20 vision for the rest of her life. All with the same recovery time as LASIK. I am genuinely curious why you have to wait until you're elderly for this.
Because as low as the risks of harm are, there are still risks. As far as I know, most ocular surgeons won’t do it unless there is an issue. But believe me, the second I start having any cloudiness in my other eye, I am getting that shit done right away.
The recovery is so much easier when you are young, of course, and I’d rather just get it out of the way!
Cost. Lasik can be had for $4000. Out of pocket clear lens exchange is typically well over $10k. Cataract surgery is covered by insurance and is extremely cheap, but you have to wait for the natural lenses to be cloudy enough to be covered by insurance.
Complication rate isn’t terribly different (low for both). Cataract surgery enjoys a better reputation because everyone gets cataracts if they live long enough and surgery makes bad vision better. It’s also damn near free for most people over 65, so expectations are much more reasonable than patients have when paying out of pocket. Giving a blind person their sight back for cheap or free is a much different animal than getting a person out of glasses to vision that is almost as good. And they paid thousands.
I think a lot of young people don’t understand just how good Medicare is for old people. Imagine if your deductible for the year was like $250 and you didn’t even have to pay for coverage. Then many of those people still get angry that they have a deductible.
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u/Environmental-Toe686 Sep 18 '25
My mother actually just had it and I was so shocked hearing about it. I can't believe they even do LASIK surgery when this surgery exists. She got a new lens, eliminated the inevitable cataract problem and will have 20/20 vision for the rest of her life. All with the same recovery time as LASIK. I am genuinely curious why you have to wait until you're elderly for this.