Cataract surgery
Replacing a cloudy natural lens with a clear implant. Standard surgery is billed to Medicare or insurance; lens upgrades are your choice.
- Time in surgery
- About 15 to 20 min per eye
- Eyes done
- One at a time, weeks apart
- Standard lens
- Billed to Medicare or insurance
01 · Overview
How Cataract surgery works
A cataract is your eye's natural lens turning cloudy, which happens slowly with age. Surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial lens, called an IOL.
Medicare and most insurance cover standard cataract surgery when a cataract affects your daily life. You choose the lens. A standard lens is covered. Upgrades that also correct astigmatism or reduce the need for readers cost extra, and we explain each one without pressure.
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01
Lens measurements
We measure your eye's length and curve to choose the implant power.
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02
Lens choice, together
Standard, astigmatism-correcting or extended-range. We explain what each can and cannot do.
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03
Surgery
With numbing drops and light sedation, the cloudy lens is broken up, removed and replaced through a tiny incision.
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04
Second eye
Usually a few weeks later, once the first eye has healed.
02 · Good fit?
Who Cataract surgery often suits, and who should wait
Often a good fit
- Cloudy or dim vision that makes driving, reading or hobbies harder
- Glare from headlights or sunlight that has crept up over time
- Glasses changes that no longer sharpen things
- A cataract confirmed on exam
Maybe not, or not yet
- Early cataracts that do not yet affect your daily life
- Some retina or cornea conditions, which change lens choices
- Upgrade lenses with large pupils or certain eye diseases
Only an in-person exam can decide. These lists help you know what to ask. Your corneal map, prescription history and eye health decide. Try the self-check
03 · Risks and side effects
Said plainly, before you book
We describe how often things happen in words, not percentages, and we go through them again at your screening with your own measurements in front of us. No surgery is risk-free, and no one can promise a specific result.
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Common
Clouding behind the lens later (PCO)
Months or years later, the capsule behind the implant can turn hazy. A quick in-office laser treatment usually clears it.
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Less common
Inflammation or raised pressure
Usually short term and treated with drops.
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Less common
Halos with extended-range lenses
Upgrade lenses that reduce reading glasses can cause rings around lights at night.
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Rare
Retinal detachment or infection
Serious but uncommon. We teach you the warning signs and you can reach the surgeon on call any time.
04 · Recovery
What the days and weeks after look like
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Surgery day
About two hours at the center. Someone drives you home.
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Next day
Your first check. Colors often look brighter right away.
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First weeks
Drops on a schedule, a shield at night, no heavy lifting at first.
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Weeks 3 to 6
Second eye if needed, then a final glasses check.
05 · Cost
Insurance billed
upgrades $1,200 to $4,000 per eye
Standard cataract surgery is billed to Medicare or your insurance, with your usual deductible and copays. Upgrades are self-pay per eye: astigmatism-correcting lenses about $1,200 to $2,000, extended-range or multifocal lenses about $2,500 to $4,000, and laser-assisted surgery about $800 to $1,500.
Pricing, financing and FSA/HSAWhat your quote includes
- Cataract evaluation, billed to insurance
- Lens measurements and a plain lens-options conversation
- Written quote for any upgrade before surgery day
Financing through outside lenders is subject to credit approval. Terms vary; you see them before you sign.
Is a premium lens worth it?
It depends on how you use your eyes and what you expect. Many people are happy with a standard lens and glasses for some tasks. We explain trade-offs, including halos, and never require an upgrade.
Can my adult child come to the consult?
Yes, and we encourage it. Bring a list of questions and your current glasses.
Also worth comparing
Free screening
Find out if Cataract surgery fits your eyes.
A free 90-minute screening, a surgeon who reads the results with you, and a written quote per eye if surgery makes sense. If it does not, we will tell you that too.