Tri-focal lens for cataract replacement

[skorts]

Anyone have recent experience of the price of a PanOptix lens?
 

I appreciate the surgeon and hospital costs will vary but I have been quoted between ฿36,000 and ฿92,000 for the PanOptix lens by different hospitals. This is the price for the lens only. 
 

Given the hospitals do not produce the lens and will purchase from a supplier I would expect the lens price to be similar at different hospitals. 
 

Based on my personal experience this is clearly not the case. 
 

Thanks for any feedback. 
 

 

[Yellowtail]

Why would you expect the price to be the same? Different businesses have different costs and different markups. 

 

A can of pop that costs fifty-cents at 7/11 costs three dollars at a hotel. 

 

[ThreeCardMonte]

I had the SuperSight surgery at Bangkok Pattaya hospital several years ago.  Dr Somchai.

 

Not sure if  this is the same or similar surgery as the OP is describing.

[mahjongguy]

Just this advice:  Do all the reading you can about patients who bought into the hype regarding multi-focus lenses.   

[scubascuba3]

23 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

Just this advice:  Do all the reading you can about patients who bought into the hype regarding multi-focus lenses.   

I was chatting to a pilot friend the other day who said pilots generally don't get lasik or new lenses, not worth the risk 

[jas007]

51 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

Just this advice:  Do all the reading you can about patients who bought into the hype regarding multi-focus lenses.   

I looked into this once upon a time and found that not everyone was happy with the results.  In the end, I opted for the singe focus lens.  Needing reading glasses was no big deal for me. 

[Yellowtail]

2 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I looked into this once upon a time and found that not everyone was happy with the results.  In the end, I opted for the singe focus lens.  Needing reading glasses was no big del for me. 

I thought they did one eye near and the other far, no?

[jas007]

6 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I thought they did one eye near and the other far, no?

I think that's what they usually do. When I had my surgeries, they were spaced one month apart. Adjusting to the new lenses may actually take more time than that, so if you're having both eyes done and the surgeries are both completed before your eyes have had time to fully adjust, you might be sorry with the eventual results.   And it's not a cheap surgery for anyone who has to pay out of pocket, at least in the USA. 

[SweatySock]

Had my right lens replaced on May 6th the left is scheduled for June 10th.

[Yellowtail]

8 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I think that's what they usually do. When I had my surgeries, they were spaced one month apart. Adjusting to the new lenses may actually take more time than that, so if you're having both eyes done and the surgeries are both completed before your eyes have had time to fully adjust, you might be sorry with the eventual results.   And it's not a cheap surgery for anyone who has to pay out of pocket, at least in the USA. 

Huh. I've thought about it, but my eyes are not that bad. I wear progressive/multi-focal lenses, but I think I could get along without glasses altogether but for reading. 

 

When I looked at it, I would have been cheaper in the US (Texas) than in Thailand. Texas is generally great for medical and dental not typically covered by insurance. 

[scubascuba3]

20 minutes ago, SweatySock said:

Had my right lens replaced on May 6th the left is scheduled for June 10th.

Thailand? 

[jas007]

9 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

When I looked at it, I would have been cheaper in the US (Texas) than in Thailand. Texas is generally great for medical and dental not typically covered by insurance. 

Medicare covered my surgeries, I believe, but they would only pay for the standard inserts.  I'm not sure how much extra, exactly, the progressive inserts would have cost, but I think it wasn't cheap and for me, not worth the risk   

 

I also have BCBS as a secondary payor, but I'm not sure how that would have worked out in terms of paying for the progressive lenses.  I didn't look into it that far.   

[Yellowtail]

7 minutes ago, jas007 said:

Medicare covered my surgeries, I believe, but they would only pay for the standard inserts.  I'm not sure how much extra, exactly, the progressive inserts would have cost, but I think it wasn't cheap and for me, not worth the risk   

 

I also have BCBS as a secondary payor, but I'm not sure how that would have worked out in terms of paying for the progressive lenses.  I didn't look into it that far.   

I think for the PanOptix lenses it's about $6-8K an eye all in. 

 

I have Medicare, but I've never used it. 

 

[ravip]

There's a ton of information about choosing an IOL. I too read quite a lot, and decided that the best for me would be IOL for distance (mono), and spectacles for reading.

 

Multi focal IOL's may cause issues with night driving due to halos, it seems.

 

Make sure to do a lot of research and decide the best for you - if possible, speak with your Doctor and get his expert opinion/recommendation too.

 

 

 

[SweatySock]

27 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Thailand? 

Yes, Nong Bua Lamphu.

[jas007]

11 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I think for the PanOptix lenses it's about $6-8K an eye all in. 

 

I have Medicare, but I've never used it. 

 

I think my eye surgeries are the only thing I ever used Medicare for. I usually don't get sick t all.

 

Anyway, the way Medicare works is that for providers who "accept assignment," Medicare pays the provider directly, and quickly, so the provider is assured of payment.  In return, the provider agrees to take the amount Medicare thinks the surgery is worth.  So, for example, the doctor's charges and the cost of the surgery center might be $30,000 per eye, and yet Medicare might only pay $10,000. The provider knows that but takes the money anyway and perhaps adjusts his fees higher so that other people not on Medicare end up paying more money.  

 

It's all a crazy game and all out of control. People without insurance have a problem.  

 

All I know is that between Medicare and BCBS, I've never paid a penny for any of my surgeries.  I paid some money in Bangkok for some testes they ran, and I could have filed a claim with BCBS, but for me the aggravation is not worth it.  

[scubascuba3]

12 minutes ago, SweatySock said:

Yes, Nong Bua Lamphu.

Good they do one eye at a time, every post I've read suggests people get both done here 

[Yellowtail]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

Good they do one eye at a time, every post I've read suggests people get both done here 

I've been looking into that for years and I do not think I have heard that. 

 

For lasik maybe

[BKKBike09]

2 hours ago, mahjongguy said:

Just this advice:  Do all the reading you can about patients who bought into the hype regarding multi-focus lenses.   

 

I think this is sound advice.

 

My optometrist in UK said that simplest is best ie monofocal lens and just use reading glasses. Since no surgery has guaranteed results, he also said people who have it and understand that they may still need glasses for all distances post-surgery are less likely to be disappointed. This is a guy I've seen for 30+ years (and is well-respected within the London community of opthalmologists) so I trust his opinion.

 

Basically go for improved clarity of vision as the goal, not 20/20 acuity at all focal distances. There's a diopter range for the surgery outcome  (i.e. target 0.0 but may end up +0.5 or - 0.5 or whatever). For some people ending up slightly short-sighted works better than slightly long-sighted post surgery, particularly for near / intermediate vision. But ultimately all really depends on what is important to you / what you do in daily life.

 

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I've been looking into that for years and I do not think I have heard that. 

 

For lasik maybe

What have you heard? On here nearly every comment says they had both eyes done the same time in Thailand

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

What have you heard? On here nearly every comment says they had both eyes done the same time in Thailand

I have heard one eye at a time. 

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I thought they did one eye near and the other far, no?

That is one option.

 

Not the same as tri-focal lenses.

 

OP should indeed read up on this, greatly adds to cost and not everyone is able to adjust to them.

 

As to OP's question on cost, there is no way PanOptix lens can cost only 36k. likely  the person respondng to the question did not know what was meant.

 

Not every hospital will carry this lens. 

 

The 92k sounds about right. 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

That is one option.

 

Not thd same as tri-fical lenses.

 

OP should indeed read up on this, greatly adds to cost and not everyone is able to adjust to them.

 

As to OP's question on cost, there is no way PanOptix lens can cost only 36k. likely  the person respondng to the question did not know what was meant.

 

Not every hosputal will carry this lens. 

 

The 92k sounds about right. 

 

 

Hey Sheryl, the 92k one eye or both? 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Hey Sheryl, the 92k one eye or both? 

One eye. These ard very exoensive lenses imported ftom Europe. 

 

Wholesale cost int west is around  is around 70k baht equivslentb. Add to that the  import tax on the device and hospital mark up, 92k perfecyly possible. 

 

 

[skorts]

35 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

One eye. These ard very exoensive lenses imported ftom Europe. 

 

Wholesale cost int west is around  is around 70k baht equivslentb. Add to that the  import tax on the device and hospital mark up, 92k perfecyly possible. 

 

 

I agree Sheryl and assumed the ฿36k  was incorrect. The ฿92k does seem more realistic for the reasons you outline. 
 

Thanks to you and everyone else for your feedback on this and recommending researching the multi-focal option. My wife is the one requiring the surgery so trying to help her consider all options. She has worn multi-focal contact lenses for many years and says she already gets halos at night - not sure if this might be due to the cataract rather than the lenses. 
 

So the multi-focal halo and glare at night might not be such an issue. She doesn’t drive otherwise the night glare and halos could rule the multi-focal lens out. She has already consulted with two different surgeons at different hospitals to get as much insight and advice into the options available before making any decisions. She will have one eye done first and then wait a while to see how the lens she chooses works out. The cataract in her other eye isn’t as bad and both surgeons have said there is no need to rush into getting the second cataract done.