Cataracts have always been a serious eye condition among Indians, partly due to lack of awareness and inaccessibility to quality cataracts treatment on an affordable budget. Things have changed a lot recently.
Gone are those days when cataracts surgery was a significant cause of concern. The cataract treatment cost has gone down considerably along with the steep rise in success rate. Modern cataract surgery, like Phacoemulsification, has resolved challenges in quality and affordable cataracts treatment. Except for a fraction of cases with eye trauma or critical diabetic conditions, cataracts surgery is now an OPD procedure requiring only a handful of hours.
What are the factors affecting cataracts surgery cost?
To understand the costs of cataract surgery, you must know what are the determinants of the cost. Primarily, they are,
- The level of medical complications a patient might have.
- Skill and experience of the medical staffs conducting the surgery.
- The price of the intraocular lens (IOL) to be implanted.
- Use of modern medical instruments like laser technologies.
- The reputation of the hospital conducting the surgery.
- Pre & post-surgery care, medication and hospital visits.
- Pre & post-surgery diagnosis, if needed.
Among these factors, the availability of cutting edge medical infrastructure and quality IOLs have improved exponentially without increasing the cost. The number of medical colleges has also increased, improving the availability of trained eye surgeons and medical staffs. These factors have made cataracts surgeries safer, reliable and affordable than they were a decade or two back.
The eye cataract operation cost also varies with the complexity of the lens. There are different types of lenses depending on focal capabilities, like,
- Monofocal
- Multifocal
- Toric
Indian companies manufacture all types of IOLs today; they are less costly than imported ones.
The types of cataracts surgery
In general, eye surgeons conduct any of the following types of cataracts surgery depending on the medical necessity –
- Conventional Phaco – It requires an expert surgeon and a skilled team with experience in precision surgeries.
- Laser technology – The femtosecond laser and OCT-imaging help surgeons in precision incision without using a blade. It is popularly known as bladeless surgery. Though, laser eye surgery for cataracts costs a little more.
- Extracapsular Cataract Surgery – This type of surgery is necessary when phaco is not possible.
- Small Incision Cataract Surgery – This type allows ECS with a micro-incision.
Conventional Phacoemulsification is a widely-conducted and most affordable type of cataract surgery. However, phaco using laser technology is fast replacing conventional procedures for good. It is becoming more affordable too, with each passing day.
The average cataract operation costs in India
As we understand, the cost varies from city to city and hospital to hospital; we have tried to give an estimate of the average costs of standard cataracts surgeries.
- Phaco with made-in-India intraocular lens – Rs.16,000.
- Phaco with imported intraocular lens – Rs.20,000.
- Micro incision cataract surgery (MICS) with Imported lens – Rs.35,000.
- Phaco with made-in-India multifocal lens – Rs.45,000.
- Phaco with imported multifocal lens – Rs.75,000.
Patients might need to bear additional costs depending on the complexity of eye conditions and the lens type their eyes require.
Finally
Cataracts require your timely attention. Any preventive measure to counter cataracts works only in case of early detections. Beyond that, surgery is the only options. Even so, cataract operations are no longer a cause of concern. Medical insurances also cover almost the entire cost of cataract surgeries.
For patients living in and around Guwahati, Assam, The Retina Centre is a reputed name for cataracts treatment. Get an appointment with our cataract specialists if you feel any trouble with your vision.