IOL cost in Canada

Private cataract surgery clinics are found in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

Saskatchewan. I see there is a lasikmd in saskatoon.

I have really crappy vision and saw this as an opportunity to ditch the glasses.

Hi Peter - don’t recommend going through this surgery just to ditch the glasses.  I had no choice - at 53 my eyes couldn’t be corrected even with glasses due to cataracts .  Also Canadian medicate will not cover any part of your surgeries unless the cataracts affect your vision.  I think I the benchmark is 20/40 and this cannot be corrected any better with glasses or contacts.   How bad are your cataracts?  

If you are needing cataract surgery as I mentioned investigate your options.  I am happy with Symfony lenses and do t require glasses for anything (although some on these forums mention needing readers).  I do have night vision issues with seeing multiple concentric circles around certain light sources at night.  Although I knew about these ahead of my surgery they are still not something everyone wants to have or learn to cope with.

I'm assuming not too bad yet because he didn't give me a new prescription

The same eye surgeon did both my cataract surgeries, and I had monofocal lenses.  

Private surgery using standard soft lens like what I had, it would be C$1,750/eye - C$2,000/eye.

You mentioned your husband has Symfony lenses.   Just curious why you didn’t opt for them as well.   

My eye surgeon made the decision for me as one of my eyes is low vision, and I am comfortable with that. I trust him implicitly, even though he has a private practice on the side he never once mentions it. He is a very good eye surgeon, not chatty somewhat stern but compassionate - not easily detected but he would say "no need to buy new specs save the money as no big changes in diopter" etc.

 

Great to have a doctor that has your best interest.    

Peter, Sue.An is right about you doing your due diligence before plunging into it.  My eye surgeon's website mentions IOL lens exchange for people over 50yo.  Are you over half-a-century old yet?

We have LasikMD here in Vancouver as well, but they only do laser PRK. Same with Pacific Laser Centre, as their Dr Lin only does laser PRK, no IOL lens exchange nor cataract surgery.

The only place I would do an IOL lens exchange here in Vancouver is at BoydVision, because Dr Boyd is a highly skilled and experienced cataract surgeon.  Go to his website to read up more information, and go to his facebook where you can ask questions.

Yes Peter that is exactly what I am saying.  Maybe down the road there will be better lenses (IOLs) but right now no lens is perfect.  I chose the latest ones on the market and my surgery was covered by Medicare as my eyes would not correct better than 20/50 and 20/60 with glasses.  I paid out of pocket just for IOLs $1,800.  And although I see well at all distances I have night vision issues.  I see 10 concentric circles around car break lights and stop lights and LED lights at night.  I also need good lighting to read in dim lit conditions.  IE upscale restaurants I need to use iPhone flashlight to read menu.

And (I stress) I got a good result.  Some if you read on these forums can’t read well at all with Symfony lenses even with good lighting.   Cataract surgery itself can cause additional astigmatism.  In younger makes it can cause retina detachment.  The IOLs are only 6mm in diameter which is less than one’s natural lens.  In younger patients especially their pupils dilate beyond diameter of IOL so the edge of the IOL interferes with vision - they see flash of light at certain angles from the side and an arc of light.

The calculations to determine the power you need are not an exact science.  The surgeons will target a distance (you select with them) but it could be off by as much as 0.75.   The IOLs come in .50 diopters (not like glasses which come in 0.25 diopters) so an exact fit may not be possible.  Think shoe sizes.  They come in 1 or half sizes and sometimes finding that perfect fit isn’t easy and some brands don’t have a shoe size for you.

Also the IOL is Bot as thick as your natural lens.  First 4 to 6 weeks after surgery that lens moves back and forth till it adheres to tissue which also causes variation in your eyesight.

Not meaning to scare you but this surgery today is meant for those with cataracts and whose eyesight has deteriorated anyways.  

At least surgeons (most of them) in Canada are more upfront with the details.  But that could be changing with more and more private clinics.  Why pay for this now when our Medicare will cover it once your eyesight is worse than 20/40 (benchmark for driving test)?

I don’t want to scare you but please do some homework- you’ll be glad you did.  You can’t easily undo this.  My own surgeon flat out said he doesn’t do lens exchanges.  Those can’t be easily done and requires a more skilled surgeon.

perhaps better lenses that can be corrected after implantation are in the near future but they aren’t right now.

Please please do think this through and know what you are getting into.

You think your eyesight is crappy now but believe me there are people on this forum who would like to have their crappy old eyesight back.

I was 53 and so wish I didn’t have cataracts.  I was so blindsided with the diagnosis.

I will be upfront and say I am not for clear lens exchange or PresbyVision.

One extra thing - if you’ve had prior lasik surgery it is harder for surgeons to even predict the power you’ll need in an IOL.  They will ask to see your pre lasik measurements.

Again I strongly suggest you look into this and make an informed decision.