Eye surgery... all the details

On Monday afternoon we went back for a follow up appointment regarding our eye surgery. Bottom line, everything is proceeding exactly the way it should be. But there is more to it, so for anybody considering the same thing, here are ALL the details...

What we had done is called Refractive Lens Exchange.

It's exactly the same surgery as cataract surgery, with one difference. We didn't have cataracts.

However, we did have to wear glasses. And we were tired of wearing them. So we started exploring all the options.

And there are a LOT of options available to correct your vision, but you really can't start doing research into all of this until you can figure out what options apply to your situation. And the only way to do that is that you need to see an eye specialist to narrow down which options are best for you.

We knew that eye care (and dental work and plastic surgery) are typically less expensive in Turkey, so we made an appointment at the Dünyagöz Eye Hospital in Antalya. There, we paid 817 lira ($136 CAD, $110 USD) for some tests and a consultation with an ophthalmologist. 

We found out later that this eye hospital chain is known to be expensive. What we paid for the tests and consultation should have been half of that. While I'm sure they do good work, they are too expensive.

We ended up at the office of Dr. Fersat Muhacir. (He speaks perfect English, by the way!). And the prices were, let's say... more Turkish.

The results of our consultation with Dr. Muhacir were that I could have Refractive Lens Exchange Surgery done for both eyes at a total cost of 18,000 lira ($3,000 CAD, $2,500 USD) using Tecnis Symfony Extended Range Intraocular Lenses (IOL).

Ruth was not a candidate for those lenses, however she could use the Tecnis Eyhace IOL at a lesser cost of 15,000 lira ($2,500 CAD, $2,000 USD) for both eyes.

Having this surgery done now would solve several problems. It would allow me to enjoy life without glasses, probably for the rest of my life. So with any luck at all, perhaps another 25 years. No more glasses, no more annual prescription eye tests. It would also mean that I would never have to undergo cataract surgery in my later years, when I would be unlikely to recover as well and be able to enjoy the benefits of the surgery.

For Ruth, she would be able to see at distance and intermediate, but may need reading glasses.

I want to talk a little about insurance.

Many folks have cataract surgery done, normally later in life. In fact, cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in Canada and the United States! 

And most people wait until their cataracts are affecting their eyes bad enough that their insurance will pay for the costs of the cataract surgery procedure. But even when insurance will pay, they will only pay for the most basic type of IOL replacement.

The basic corrective lens will only fix your distance vision (or your reading vision, whatever your choice) but you will still need glasses for either option. If you want the upgraded lenses, you would be paying out of pocket for the upgrade. In discussions with a lot of people who have had the procedure done, it seems that many people in Canada are not given information about all the choices and their options. They also don't do enough research of their own. We definitely get the impression that when you get insurance payable cataract surgery done in Canada, you are just a number and there is very little personalized service from your ophthalmologist.

We had a LOT of problems finding out accurate information regarding the costs in both Canada and the U.S.. I can't figure out why the industry keeps it such a secret. It seems to me that there is a WIDE variety of pricing done by the individual doctors, and that it pays to shop around. The problem is that most people don't shop around. Suffice to say, that in Canada and the United States, if you want the same types of lenses that we had installed, you could pay what we paid... on top of what the insurance has already paid for the basic procedure!

In Canada, each province is different... however there is generally a six month wait for cataract surgery. In other words, from the time your doctor says you need the surgery, and the insurance then agrees to pay for it, you will wait another six months to have it done. Some people will wait as long as a year. In British Columbia alone, there are currently 22,000 people on the waiting list. Here in Turkey, we waited six days. 

Our Doctor, with his assistants!

Now, back to our situation.

As I said, we went for another follow up on Monday afternoon. The actual surgical procedure and recovery is fine... no issues at all, and everything is the way it is supposed to be.

It's getting used to our new eyes that is taking some time.

We are both able to do everything without glasses. But none of it is perfect.

And we were told that going into it, but it's hard to judge what that means until you actually get it done. So here's the situation...

My first eye is really good. I can see distance perfectly and I can see intermediate distance very well. And I can see up close not too bad... I could even use my phone if I held it slightly less than arms length.

He purposely adjusted the second eye to have better reading distance. So it is not very good at distance, it is pretty good at intermediate, and it is really perfect for closeup. 

But it means that your brain has to adjust to these parameters. And it can take between one and six months for that to happen, depending on the person. So while I can currently do anything day to day without glasses, it feels like one eye or the other is constantly working a little harder to try to correct things. He tells me it will take time, and everything I have read online agrees with that.

Ruth's eyes are both about the same, and they were done to be that way. Her distance vision is acceptable, and so is her intermediate. She can use her computer without glasses. She can even read a book without glasses provided the lighting is good. Again, the brain has to adjust and get used to the new vision. The doctor says that Ruth will adapt to her new lenses faster then me.

So, considering it has only been 11 days since the first eye, and 7 days since the second eye... I think we're pretty happy! And things will only get better.

By the way, we have totally no reservations about recommending Dr. Muhacir. You could come to Turkey, have your eyes fixed, and get a free vacation out of the deal compared to what you would pay out of pocket to have this done in Canada or the United States. Just be aware that Dr. Muhacir doesn't do "tourist surgery", and that you need to plan for one month in Turkey in order to get this type of procedure done.

By the way, even paying for this outside of Canada, it is a valid tax deductible medical expense.

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