Cataract Surgery

[gcode]

Unreported  Truths

I wondered why my ophthalmologist was pushing cataract surgery so hard.

Two weeks ago, I posted about an ophthalmologist who pushed my mother to have cataract surgery for $5,000 to $9,000 per eye though she had no real vision problems. Some of you asked why she was being told to pay so much. After all, Medicare covers the cost of cataract surgery for a few hundred dollars an eye.

But physicians also wrote in, explaining companies have introduced newer "multifocal" lenses that improve vision, reducing the need for reading glasses when implanted. Medicare won't cover those, as not needing reading glasses is considered optional.

The lack of coverage is a feature, not a bug, for ophthalmologists. Because Medicare isn't involved, they do not face price caps on procedures with the newer lenses. So they can make far more money on the multifocals. Many seniors will (understandably) pay thousands of dollars to save or help their vision, and they're unlikely to quibble over the price.

[beej]

I once had a similar deal with a dentist.

I had really good dental insurance. went for an exam and teeth cleaning, he found 13 cavities! I was beating myself up over the fact that I had such bad teeth. I went home and was looking at my teeth in the mirror. I could see one, but none of the others.

before I could get my teeth filled, our company switched insurances and went with a "HMO" type of dental insurance. That dentist was on the list of that insurance company so I was relieved, but when I went to get my teeth filled they dropped me as a customer saying that although they were on the list, they were not taking new customers with that insurance.

I went to a different dentist and told him about all the cavities, he did an exam and found only the one cavity that I could see. Now I didn't know who to trust. he asked me to retrieve the ex-rays from the other dentist. They refused to give them to me. I had to have my sister-in-law who was a legal secretary write them a letter before they would give them to me. The new dentist looked them over. There was just the one cavity. 25 years later still no new cavities.

[neurosis]

. There was just the one cavity. 25 years later still no new cavities.

Damn. That's pretty good.

I have 6 crowns and a bridge for my front bottom four teeth.  The front bottom teeth were knocked loose by a big, mean Samoan guy due to my mouth writing a check my ass couldn't cash.  They were loose for years and I finally had to get them pulled.

I grind my teeth at night so I've had a lot of cracked teeth over the years.  I wear dental guards to sleep now.

[gcode]

The front bottom teeth were knocked loose by a big, mean Samoan guy

He couldn't have been that mean or you would not have survived.. those guys are tough.
Back in my drinking days there were a bunch of Samoans that hung at my bar for a while.
They used to fight each other with 2 x 4's .... for fun....   seriously.

There was this one guy that hobbled around on crutches for a couple of weeks.
One day he came in without his crutches. He was obviously in severe pain and could barely walk.
I asked him what was wrong.
Long story short.. he wrecked a motorcycle and broke his leg. He didn't go to the hospital because he was was afraid of being deported.  After 2 weeks his friends took his crutches away, because " it was time he learned to walk again."

I bought him a half dozen drinks, poured him into my car and took him to the hospital.
We were there for over 18 hours but he left with a shiny new cast and a new pair of crutches.
Those guys are some seriously hard core people.

[YoDoug]

I once had a similar deal with a dentist.

I had really good dental insurance. went for an exam and teeth cleaning, he found 13 cavities! I was beating myself up over the fact that I had such bad teeth. I went home and was looking at my teeth in the mirror. I could see one, but none of the others.

before I could get my teeth filled, our company switched insurances and went with a "HMO" type of dental insurance. That dentist was on the list of that insurance company so I was relieved, but when I went to get my teeth filled they dropped me as a customer saying that although they were on the list, they were not taking new customers with that insurance.

I went to a different dentist and told him about all the cavities, he did an exam and found only the one cavity that I could see. Now I didn't know who to trust. he asked me to retrieve the ex-rays from the other dentist. They refused to give them to me. I had to have my sister-in-law who was a legal secretary write them a letter before they would give them to me. The new dentist looked them over. There was just the one cavity. 25 years later still no new cavities.

Years ago when my kids were young my wife started taking them to this fresh out of college young dentist. She wore crazy expensive jewelry, drove $100k+ BMW (this was 15 years ago), and dressed the part. Every single time the kids went in for a checkup she claimed to find multiple cavities. She told me I had 4 cavities, I found a new dentist that said my teeth were fine. He was a very straight to the point dentist from India. He told me doing porcelain fillings was the biggest money maker for dentists.

[neurosis]

He couldn't have been that mean or you would not have survived.. those guys are tough.
Back in my drinking days

I was fairly inebriated when this took place. I didn't see the first punch coming. The second, I ducked my head down and let him hit me in the forehead. I think he must have broken his hand, or at least hurt it. He didn't throw any more punches. 

I knew the guy from high-school. He was one of the star football players in his senior year. I ran in to him at a party about 6 months later. He asked, "no hard feelings"?  I said, "do you think I'd tell you if there were"?  He just laughed.

Moral of the story - don't shit talk a Samoan when you've had too much to drink? 

Or maybe at all? 

[RetiredRoger]

When I was in the army I was stationed over in Korea for a year.  During the time we spent on the DMZ there wasn't much to do.  But they had a racquetball court where I use to play this BIG SAMOAN sergeant.  He would break the ball like every other game!  I sure as hell didn't want to get hit with the ball! 

[Smit]

Unreported  Truths

I wondered why my ophthalmologist was pushing cataract surgery so hard.

I paid around $2600 per eye for my lenses after cataract surgery. Now I have 20/20 vision and rarely have to use reading glasses. Considering it's a rest of your life thing I regard it as money well spent.

$5000 to $9000 per eye sounds like gouging. Pushing it when she's not having vision problems definitely sounds like gouging. Let the buyer beware!

[gcode]

I paid around $2600 per eye

This is what I was quoted.
As a rule, I avoid surgery like the plague.
However, my cataracts are getting bad enough that they are affecting my work and quality of life.
I've got another appointment coming up.
Maybe I'll seek out a 2nd opinion. I don't much like the doctor I'm seeing now.
He acts more like a high pressure used car salesman than a doctor.

[Smit]

This is what I was quoted.
As a rule, I avoid surgery like the plague.
However, my cataracts are getting bad enough that they are affecting my work and quality of life.
I've got another appointment coming up.
Maybe I'll seek out a 2nd opinion. I don't much like the doctor I'm seeing now.
He acts more like a high pressure used car salesman than a doctor.

I had a new dentist buy in to a partnership in my long time dentists office when he was gearing up for retirement. When I went in for a routine cleaning he pushed hard for me and the wife to spend 10s of thousands of dollars for cosmetic dentistry.

Long story short, after the 2nd visit with the same experience the wife and I found new dentists who give more of a shit about the health of our teeth and less of a shit about up selling the cosmetic stuff.

I heard my older dentist came out of retirement to try to save his practice but I'm not sure how that worked out for him 'cause I never went back.

[gcode]

I heard my older dentist came out of retirement to try to save his practice

He probably sold the practice for a down payment and a payment plan... and the payments aren't being made.

Something similar happened to our optometrist. We have been going there for 25 years.
She retired and sold out to a group.. Where there was 1 optometrist, there are now 3.
They use a different lab and the glasses they make suck. All the excellent front office help has been let go as well.
They are not hard selling anything but the whole organization is incompetent.... and very expensive.
Time to start looking.
 

[Surface]

I don't remember the cost, but Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) surgery was worth it for me. I didn't have cataracts.

Eyesight is such a God given gift, and my eyesight was poor. Surgery eliminated the need to wear eyeglasses or contacts.


Multi-focal lenses were an option, but I understood they can cause a halo-effect when looking at lights, so I opted for traditional lenses and now have one eye better focused for distance and the other for seeing closer objects.


Following my surgery, the doctor was heading to India for a week. He and a team go there every year to treat people who would otherwise be virtually blind by cataracts. The doctor told me, in India, they have hospital gurneys filled with patients lined up-and-down the hallways. They work on the people like an assembly line, completing as many surgeries as the can during their short visit. The surgeon took great pride in revealing his 'best time' of less than 8 minutes.

[gcode]

I ducked my head down and let him hit me in the forehead.

Luckily he hit you in the head, otherwise, you might have been hurt 

[Incogneeto]

I ducked my head down and let him hit me in the forehead. I think he must have broken his hand, or at least hurt it.

Luckily he hit you in the head, otherwise, you might have been hurt 

That loud Hollow 'Thunk" and those two Peas Rattling Around...

[Clamper Todd]

https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/why-your-eye-surgeon-wants-you-to

Just reading this the other day. I'll be needing this soon as well.