Phakic intraocular lenses: Understand the real cost

There has been a lot of press lately about lens implants. Before undergoing surgery be sure you weight out all the potential risks. Get a second opinion. Find out for sure if LASIK or other vision correction procedures are possible options.

If you have already looked into phakic lenses, then you may already know that it is way more expensive than LASIK. How much more expensive.
Phakic implants can cost around $9000.

Even if you've already had an initial phakic consultation, take a look below at some potential phakic implant risks. I don't make any claims that this is an exhaustive list of risks. Other complications may be possible. Consult your doctor to find out more.

Phakic Lens Implant Risks

Vision loss. Some patients who underwent phakic lens implant surgery have lost vision as a result. These patients have not been able to regain their vision or correct it with glasses, contact lenses, or even another surgery. The amount of vision loss varies, and may be severe.

Debilitating visual symptoms. Some patients reported developing halos, double vision, glare, and/or decreased vision while in the presence of low level lighting. These symptom can cause difficulty with performing routine tasks, including driving, especially at night or in fog.

Increased intraocular pressure. After surgery, you may develop increased pressure inside your eye. This complication may require surgery or medication to control. Sometimes, long-term glaucoma treatment is necessary. In addition, if the pressure remain at too high a level, you may lose vision.

Necessary additional eye surgery. Your phakic lens implants may need to be replaced, repositioned, or removed if complications occur. These additional surgeries could be necessary for your safety or to improve your visual function. If your lenses have incorrect strength, then you may need a phakic lens exchange.

Your lens may require repositioning, removal, or replacement, if the lens does not stay in place, is the incorrect size, and/or causes debilitating visual symptoms. And every additional surgical procedure has its own risks.

You may be under treated or over treated. A number of treated patients do not achieve 20/20 vision after surgery. The strength of the implanted phakic lens may not match the patient's needs exactly.

Why would an implanted lens be incorrect? It's actually very difficult to determine exactly what power lens you need. What does this mean you for someone who has undergone lens implantation? It means that you will probably still need glasses or contact lenses to perform at least some tasks. You may need glasses for reading, even if you did not need them before surgery. You may also need a second surgery to replace your current lens with another, if the power of your original implant was too far from what you actually needed.

No long-term data available. Phakic lenses are a new technology and have only recently been approved by the FDA. Therefore, there may be other risks to having phakic lenses implanted that we don't yet know about.