Cataract Surgery – Frequently Asked Questions
Cataract surgery can be a life changing opportunity to improve your vision! This blog post will outline and answer some of the more frequently asked questions we receive about the entire surgical process.
Where does Dr. Kelly perform cataract surgery?
a. Blue Ridge Surgery Center, located on Wesvill Court inside the Beltline, is an out-patient ambulatory surgical center offering femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.
b. Rex Hospital, located at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail and Blue Ridge Rd, is a hospital-based out-patient surgery center reserved for those individuals who’s medical history dictates surgery in a hospital. Rex Hospital also offers femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery.
c. WakeMed North, located at the intersection of Falls of Neuse Rd and Durant Rd, is a day surgery center in the northern part of Wake County and close to the Kelly Eye Center Wake Forest office.
d. Mariah Parham Medical Center is a day surgery center located in Henderson, NC.
Who bills my insurance company for cataract surgery?
There are 3 providers who file to insurance for cataract surgery:
The Surgeon – Dr. Kelly
The Surgical Center – see the list of centers above
Anesthesia – anesthesia is charged by the minute
Patients may have insurance copays, coinsurances or deductibles they are responsible per provider. After surgery, if you elect to share post-operative care with your primary optometrist, he or she will also file to insurance for the post-operative visits.
At the time of your evaluation with Dr. Kelly, Kelly Eye Center will provide you with a surgical insurance estimate, depending on the number of medical insurance policies you have, for Dr. Kelly only as the surgical centers and anesthesia are separate companies from Kelly Eye Center.
The surgical center will contact you prior to surgery to discuss their specific insurance estimate for your surgery.
Depending upon the lens implant recommendations, some patients may have “Cosmetic” or “Non-Covered” Out-of-Pocket fees that will be outlined along with the Kelly Eye Center insurance estimate.
Do I use eye drops for surgery and for how long?
With cataract surgery, Dr. Kelly typically has patients use 3 different types of drops: an antibiotic drop, an anti-inflammatory drop and a steroid drop. Patients begin the drops 3 days before surgery and are on drops for about 3 weeks following surgery. We have an easy to follow check-off sheet that will be provided to you to help keep track of how/when to use the eye drops.
Some patients may be candidates for Less Drops Cataract Surgery. Dr. Kelly will let you know if you are a candidate and you can read more here about this option. Patients who elect this option will use only 1 eye drop daily beginning 3 days before surgery and continuing for 3 weeks after surgery.
What lens implant option is best?
This is a great question! The easy answer is there is not a “best” option because everyone has their own visual needs. Dr. Kelly will make recommendations that are specific to you and the shape of your eyes. You can learn more about the lens implant options offered at Kelly Eye Center here.
Can my cataract come back?
Another great question we are often asked. The short answer is no. Once the cataract is removed, it cannot come back.
What may occur is a clouding of the capsule that helps hold the lens implant in place – this clouding occurs 30-40% of the time following cataract surgery. The clouding can occur days, weeks, months or years later. There is no way to predict when the clouding will occur. The cloudy capsule can be treated with an in-office laser procedure by Dr. Kelly.
These are some of the more frequently asked questions we receive. Should you have more specific questions related to your recommendations, please give our office a call to discuss with one of surgical counselors, 919-282-1100.
Life is beautiful, see it clearly!
