Eye Surgery

On 4/19/2015 6:18 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-04-19 21:25:17 +0000, PeterN said:

On 4/18/2015 5:02 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-04-18 20:31:42 +0000, MB said:

On 15/04/2015 10:08, Whisky-dave wrote:
It's free no company is asked to pay the NHS. he hasn;t had to use
any of his own money to get the surgery I think that is the importent
p[oint . If he wanted to pay money then they'd do (privately as many
eyes as he requested doing)

Even the follow-up eye-drops were free, the optician seems to want me
to use drops for a bit longer so he will get the hospital to issue a
prescription so I will get them free also.

You don't get anything free here unless you are an individual who is
completely destitute.

Yup! I have been given my pre-op & post-op eye drop schedule for each
eye. That starts with one drop 3 days befor, and with an additional two
types of drops (3 total) for a three week schedule after each eye is
done.

I could have claimed travelling expenses up to the hospital and the
cost of overnight accommodation but did not bother.

If I had gone with the standard replacement lens, Medicare (which isn't
free) + my Blue Cross supplement would have covered it 100%.
As it is by choosing to have the toric replacement lenses, which will
also deal with my astigmatism, I will have additional out of pocket
expenses running some $4800. Otherwise there are also the pharmacy
dispensed medications, such as the eye drops which are covered by a
different section of the Medicare coverage plan & my supplement. For
those I have a small co-pay.

The good thing is I will probably have enough medical expenses this year
to be able to get a little of it back in my itemized tax deductions next
year.


My co-pay for the eye drops is $100. Available in Canada for much less.

Damn! What sort of Medicare supplement do you have? ...or do you have
one and/or a Plan D supplement for prescriptions?

My Rx co-pays vary for non-routine meds from $5-$25 for the Rx period or
up to 30 days supply, depending if they are generic or not, and if they
are on the Medicare/Blue Cross Plan D formulary. If not there can be a
higher co-pay, butnever higher than $70.
For my routine meds such as my BP medication I pay a $25 co-pay for a 90
day supply, if they are not on the formulary I pay $70 for a 90 day
supply. CalPers spoils me.


I have the most expensive supplement available. A ffew years ago they
tried to deny coverage for Niaspan, a slow release for of Niacin. my
doctor went to bat for me, and they agreed to coverageonly if I owuld
get it rom their mail order pharmacy. When they tried the same crap with
a renewal, a letter to Chuck Schumer, with a copy to them, solved the
problem. I get a very bad reaction to niacin, and the slow release
version makes my reaction far less severe.

--
PeterN

On 4/19/2015 7:12 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-04-19 21:43:53 +0000, PeterN said:

On 4/18/2015 7:31 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
In article ,
says...
On 2015-04-14 00:09:06 +0000, MI said:
On 4/13/15, 3:16 PM, in article
, "Savageduck"
wrote:
On 2015-04-13 19:23:43 +0000, Gary Eickmeier said:

Savage -

My Opto says mine aren't bad enough to get the insurance to pay
for the
operation.

Who are you seeing, an optometrist, or an opthamologist?
What insurance coverage do you have?
How old are you, and how comprehensive is your medical insurance?

I have cloudy, brownish darkish in my lenses,

Any spots or occlusions in the lens are termed cararacts. There are
different types and they can be positioned in different parts of the
lens. In my case they are positioned centrally, ans on the back
(retina) side of the lens. This creates a diffused shadow on the
retina
with light passing through the lens, particularly for me, that shadow
falls on the sensitive fovea. So currently I live in a very soft
focus
world

The main point is, does your condition reduce your visual acuity? If
so, is it in any way correctable with corrective lenses?
Again, refering to my situation, when I tested two years ago my
visual
acuity was impaired and my optometist told me then that this surgery
would be in my future, and as much as he would like to prescribe new
glasses, they would change nothing. Last month, I returned to my
optometrist, who put me through some additional diagnostic test,
confirmed that he would not be able to help, and refered me to an
opthalmologist. The opthalmologist verified that diagnosis and ran
through my various options. We set the dated for the surgery and the
various pre-surgery tests & measurements.

but I need to have glaring rings around bright lights at night to
qualify.

Why would that be the defining criterea for insurance? I certainly
don't have an issue with haloes around glaring lights at night.
Yet my
vision is impared and uncorrectable without surgery, as diagnosed and
verified by two vision specialists.

It is hard to tell directly how bad it has gotten,

It shouldn't be, a full and comprehensive eye exam should reveal
exactly how bad it has gotten, it did for me. That testing included
retinal photography, a slit lamp exam, and opthalmoscopy. Add to
those
standard visual acuity tests. You cannot trust just how much you can
accomodate the poor vision in your day-to-day life and how much you
discount it. I certainly do.

If you have decent insurance, you don't need to accept what some
insurance company clerk decided you qualify for. If your vision is
impaired, and only surgery can fix it, all that you should require is
confirmation of the diagnosis by the professional in the fild and
just
what procdure he/she prescribs/advices to relieve you of the
impairment. If they don't accept that, or you eye guy tells you
similar, you should consider changing insurance and/or get a second
opinion from a different eye guy, or even you family doctor.
BTW: I currently have Medicare and an Anthem Blue Cross Medicare
Supplement.

but I know my night vision hs gone down, and sometimes my color
vision
tells me something that makes my wife laugh at my descriptions of
the
colors of clothing.

As you know, it isn't particularly funny.

I want the operation.

The squeeky wheel gets the grease. You dont have to make your eye guy
happy. Complain.

Getting glasses tomorrow.

If they are some help that might buy you some time, but if they don't
improve things, remember your eye guy has a business selling glasses.
If he is responsible and has your interests in mind he should have
refered you to an opthalmologist.

I guess I'll just have to report some glare in my night vision
next exam.

Why wai? Do it after you get this new set of glasses. If the problem
persists there is no need to wait for the next exam.

Please let me know how your vision improves and what the op was
like.

I will post the progress report as it happens.


"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
It is all scheduled for my cataract surgery. Left eye on May 6, and
right eye on May 20. So my plans for new equipment is going to be
delayed until that is done.


I find the bit about getting a prescription odd. I don't go to an
optometrist as I have diabetes.

Usually diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy issues and
occasionally cataracts, but typically you need to see an opthalmologist
who specializes in retina issues.

I always see an ophthalmologist. He said he would do the surgery
whenever I felt that my eyesight was impaired. He
refused to give me a prescription as it would only be correct for a
short
space of time. He said no point wasting your money.

Exactly. That is why I wondered about Gary getting new glasses at this
stage, if his vision imparment is due to cataract which require a
surgical fix.

I do live in Canada, but eyeglasses aren't covered by our medical
system.

For vision correction they are not covered by any typical medical
insurance. I have vision coverage through VSP as part of my pension
package.

FWIW, Medicaid (the program for poor people of all ages, not to be
confused with Medicare) in CT covers one pair of glasses every two
years--cheap frames and no progressives but you can get around and see
well enough to work with them.


You can get progressive lenses with a varilux equivalent, for about
$200 ub Xoatxo. The high price is glasses and frames is caused by an
Italian monopoly.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/luxottica-eyewear-why-are-glasses-expensive/


"Xoatxo? Is that some strange Incan deity, or did you mean Xperio?

There are other manufacturers not tied up in that particular cartel.
http://www.marchon.com
and
http://www.silhouette.com/us/en/home/

For example. However, they dont give their frames away either.

Varilux is a French company with a US subsidiary, but there are also
progressive lenses from all sorts of folks who have a familiarity with
lenses of all types, starting with Zeiss, Hoya, Definity and several
others. I believe at one time American Optical produced a line of
progressive lenses, but it seems no longer.



Mor phat fingers. I meant Costco. I have also heard that Wallmart is not
subject to the Italian monopoly.
Not withstanding that I get my glasses for over twice that price from my
local optomotrist. He does a first class job of fitting and with
Varilux, that is the key.

--
PeterN

"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
On 2015-04-18 19:19:23 +0000, PeterN said:

On 4/10/2015 12:54 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 10 Apr 2015 09:16:07 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:
On 2015-04-10 16:06:28 +0000, Alan Browne said:
On 2015-04-09 22:17, Savageduck wrote:
It is all scheduled for my cataract surgery. Left eye on May 6,
and
right eye on May 20. So my plans for new equipment is going to be
delayed until that is done.

Great news. Clarity follows!

That soft focus can be a bitch sometimes.

Perhaps, after your surgery, you won't need to process in HDR to see
the details.

If you think he complains about my noisey images now........

I have been told the included astigmatism correction with the extra
$4800 replacement lenses, will have me seeing better than I have in
40+ years. So standby with that "artistic" noise of yours. :-)

--
Regards,

Savageduck

My best to you for a successful procedure.

I have astigmatism and may eventually need cataract surgery. I'm 55 and
there is a slight onset of a cataract in one eye which my doctor said is
nothing unusual for a diabetic.

On 2015-04-20 14:18:40 +0000, PAS said:

"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
On 2015-04-18 19:19:23 +0000, PeterN said:
On 4/10/2015 12:54 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 10 Apr 2015 09:16:07 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:
On 2015-04-10 16:06:28 +0000, Alan Browne said:
On 2015-04-09 22:17, Savageduck wrote:
It is all scheduled for my cataract surgery. Left eye on May 6, and
right eye on May 20. So my plans for new equipment is going to be
delayed until that is done.

Great news. Clarity follows!

That soft focus can be a bitch sometimes.

Perhaps, after your surgery, you won't need to process in HDR to see
the details.

If you think he complains about my noisey images now........

I have been told the included astigmatism correction with the extra
$4800 replacement lenses, will have me seeing better than I have in 40+
years. So standby with that "artistic" noise of yours. :-)

My best to you for a successful procedure.

Thanks.

I have astigmatism and may eventually need cataract surgery.

My astigmatic correction is quite severe. When I was younger my
youthful eyes managed to accommodate the issue, but once I was into my
20's I couldn't avoid glasses. Once I got my first Rx I couldn't
believe just how badly my vision was impaired, and I have lived with
glasses ever since. My optometrist and opthalmologist have both assured
me that using the toric (astigmatic) repacement lenses is going to have
me seeing better than I have fo the last 45-50 years.

The opthalmogist gave me my options for correcting my astigmatism, and
after measuring the cylinder correction needed for each cornea it was
too high to do the post cataract, laser "limbal Relaxing Incisions"
(LRI), leaving my options on the toric replacement lenses, or
continuing to correct th astigmatism with glasses.

I'm 55 and there is a slight onset of a cataract in one eye which my
doctor said is nothing unusual for a diabetic.

I am 66. With the cataracts my vision got to the stage where it could
not be tweaked in any way with a new prescription. Up until last year I
have been getting a new pair of glasses each year. Just keep monitoring
your diabetes and those pesky cataracts.


--
Regards,

Savageduck

"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
On 2015-04-20 14:18:40 +0000, PAS said:

"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
On 2015-04-18 19:19:23 +0000, PeterN said:
On 4/10/2015 12:54 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 10 Apr 2015 09:16:07 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:
On 2015-04-10 16:06:28 +0000, Alan Browne said:
On 2015-04-09 22:17, Savageduck wrote:
It is all scheduled for my cataract surgery. Left eye on May 6,
and
right eye on May 20. So my plans for new equipment is going to
be
delayed until that is done.

Great news. Clarity follows!

That soft focus can be a bitch sometimes.

Perhaps, after your surgery, you won't need to process in HDR to
see
the details.

If you think he complains about my noisey images now........

I have been told the included astigmatism correction with the extra
$4800 replacement lenses, will have me seeing better than I have in
40+ years. So standby with that "artistic" noise of yours. :-)

My best to you for a successful procedure.

Thanks.

I have astigmatism and may eventually need cataract surgery.

My astigmatic correction is quite severe. When I was younger my
youthful eyes managed to accommodate the issue, but once I was into my
20's I couldn't avoid glasses. Once I got my first Rx I couldn't
believe just how badly my vision was impaired, and I have lived with
glasses ever since. My optometrist and opthalmologist have both
assured me that using the toric (astigmatic) repacement lenses is
going to have me seeing better than I have fo the last 45-50 years.

I managed with the astigmatism into my 30s by squinting a lot. The
squinting compressed the lens more into the shape it should be so that I
could see better. I had glasses from a younger age but didn't wear them
as the squinting would take care of problem. That could not last
forever and eventually I had to wear the glasses more and more. Now, I
always wear them.

The opthalmogist gave me my options for correcting my astigmatism, and
after measuring the cylinder correction needed for each cornea it was
too high to do the post cataract, laser "limbal Relaxing Incisions"
(LRI), leaving my options on the toric replacement lenses, or
continuing to correct th astigmatism with glasses.

I'm 55 and there is a slight onset of a cataract in one eye which my
doctor said is nothing unusual for a diabetic.

I am 66. With the cataracts my vision got to the stage where it could
not be tweaked in any way with a new prescription. Up until last year
I have been getting a new pair of glasses each year. Just keep
monitoring your diabetes and those pesky cataracts.

I got diabetes when I was around 38. It runs in the family on my
mother's side but I neve gave it any thought. I certainly could have
had a better diet - all the Coca Cola may have taken its toll on me. I
managed fine with oral medication and watching what I eat. Eventually,
the oral medication wouldn't work and I have to take insulin along with
the same dosage of oral medication. I guess my body isn't handling it
well. It seems like I can't eat much without my blood sugar staying too
high. The insulin level will have to be increased. What I should do is
get a little willpower and just eat carb-free and lose some weight.
It's hard for me but that's no excuse. One of my cousins (on my
mother's side) never took care of himself and he died when he was 42.
It was really sad to see him kill himself like that.


--
Regards,

Savageduck

On 5/1/2015 6:21 AM, J. Clarke wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 4/19/2015 7:12 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-04-19 21:43:53 +0000, PeterN said:

On 4/18/2015 7:31 PM, J. Clarke wrote:
In article ,
says...
On 2015-04-14 00:09:06 +0000, MI said:
On 4/13/15, 3:16 PM, in article
, "Savageduck"
wrote:
On 2015-04-13 19:23:43 +0000, Gary Eickmeier said:

Savage -

My Opto says mine aren't bad enough to get the insurance to pay
for the
operation.

Who are you seeing, an optometrist, or an opthamologist?
What insurance coverage do you have?
How old are you, and how comprehensive is your medical insurance?

I have cloudy, brownish darkish in my lenses,

Any spots or occlusions in the lens are termed cararacts. There are
different types and they can be positioned in different parts of the
lens. In my case they are positioned centrally, ans on the back
(retina) side of the lens. This creates a diffused shadow on the
retina
with light passing through the lens, particularly for me, that shadow
falls on the sensitive fovea. So currently I live in a very soft
focus
world

The main point is, does your condition reduce your visual acuity? If
so, is it in any way correctable with corrective lenses?
Again, refering to my situation, when I tested two years ago my
visual
acuity was impaired and my optometist told me then that this surgery
would be in my future, and as much as he would like to prescribe new
glasses, they would change nothing. Last month, I returned to my
optometrist, who put me through some additional diagnostic test,
confirmed that he would not be able to help, and refered me to an
opthalmologist. The opthalmologist verified that diagnosis and ran
through my various options. We set the dated for the surgery and the
various pre-surgery tests & measurements.

but I need to have glaring rings around bright lights at night to
qualify.

Why would that be the defining criterea for insurance? I certainly
don't have an issue with haloes around glaring lights at night.
Yet my
vision is impared and uncorrectable without surgery, as diagnosed and
verified by two vision specialists.

It is hard to tell directly how bad it has gotten,

It shouldn't be, a full and comprehensive eye exam should reveal
exactly how bad it has gotten, it did for me. That testing included
retinal photography, a slit lamp exam, and opthalmoscopy. Add to
those
standard visual acuity tests. You cannot trust just how much you can
accomodate the poor vision in your day-to-day life and how much you
discount it. I certainly do.

If you have decent insurance, you don't need to accept what some
insurance company clerk decided you qualify for. If your vision is
impaired, and only surgery can fix it, all that you should require is
confirmation of the diagnosis by the professional in the fild and
just
what procdure he/she prescribs/advices to relieve you of the
impairment. If they don't accept that, or you eye guy tells you
similar, you should consider changing insurance and/or get a second
opinion from a different eye guy, or even you family doctor.
BTW: I currently have Medicare and an Anthem Blue Cross Medicare
Supplement.

but I know my night vision hs gone down, and sometimes my color
vision
tells me something that makes my wife laugh at my descriptions of
the
colors of clothing.

As you know, it isn't particularly funny.

I want the operation.

The squeeky wheel gets the grease. You dont have to make your eye guy
happy. Complain.

Getting glasses tomorrow.

If they are some help that might buy you some time, but if they don't
improve things, remember your eye guy has a business selling glasses.
If he is responsible and has your interests in mind he should have
refered you to an opthalmologist.

I guess I'll just have to report some glare in my night vision
next exam.

Why wai? Do it after you get this new set of glasses. If the problem
persists there is no need to wait for the next exam.

Please let me know how your vision improves and what the op was
like.

I will post the progress report as it happens.


"Savageduck" wrote in message
...
It is all scheduled for my cataract surgery. Left eye on May 6, and
right eye on May 20. So my plans for new equipment is going to be
delayed until that is done.


I find the bit about getting a prescription odd. I don't go to an
optometrist as I have diabetes.

Usually diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy issues and
occasionally cataracts, but typically you need to see an opthalmologist
who specializes in retina issues.

I always see an ophthalmologist. He said he would do the surgery
whenever I felt that my eyesight was impaired. He
refused to give me a prescription as it would only be correct for a
short
space of time. He said no point wasting your money.

Exactly. That is why I wondered about Gary getting new glasses at this
stage, if his vision imparment is due to cataract which require a
surgical fix.

I do live in Canada, but eyeglasses aren't covered by our medical
system.

For vision correction they are not covered by any typical medical
insurance. I have vision coverage through VSP as part of my pension
package.

FWIW, Medicaid (the program for poor people of all ages, not to be
confused with Medicare) in CT covers one pair of glasses every two
years--cheap frames and no progressives but you can get around and see
well enough to work with them.


You can get progressive lenses with a varilux equivalent, for about
$200 ub Xoatxo. The high price is glasses and frames is caused by an
Italian monopoly.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/luxottica-eyewear-why-are-glasses-expensive/


"Xoatxo? Is that some strange Incan deity, or did you mean Xperio?

There are other manufacturers not tied up in that particular cartel.
http://www.marchon.com
and
http://www.silhouette.com/us/en/home/

For example. However, they dont give their frames away either.

Varilux is a French company with a US subsidiary, but there are also
progressive lenses from all sorts of folks who have a familiarity with
lenses of all types, starting with Zeiss, Hoya, Definity and several
others. I believe at one time American Optical produced a line of
progressive lenses, but it seems no longer.



Mor phat fingers. I meant Costco. I have also heard that Wallmart is not
subject to the Italian monopoly.
Not withstanding that I get my glasses for over twice that price from my
local optomotrist. He does a first class job of fitting and with
Varilux, that is the key.

I don't know what "Italian monopoly" you are talking about. I paid $38
for the flex-titanium-framed progressives I am wearing right now. They
work fine. http://www.zennioptical.com


See link above.
Interesting site, great prices.
How do you get adjustmets done?


--
PeterN

On 5/1/2015 11:23 AM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 01 May 2015 08:37:56 -0400, PeterN
wrote:

I don't know what "Italian monopoly" you are talking about. I paid $38
for the flex-titanium-framed progressives I am wearing right now. They
work fine. http://www.zennioptical.com


See link above.
Interesting site, great prices.
How do you get adjustmets done?

I wear string frame glasses that often need adjustment. Either the
lenses pop out of the strings, or some other adjustment is needed.

If it's convenient, I take them to place where I purchased them, but
I've had them adjusted by other optical outlets many, many times. I've
never had anyone ask "Did you buy those here?".


Yes. When travelling I will go to the closest optcal store to get my
glasses adjusted.
But somehow, it's in my head that something is morally wrong with
purchasing glasses on line for less than the price of a lunch, and then
having them adjusted at a brick & mortar store.





--
PeterN

On 5/1/2015 12:01 PM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 01 May 2015 11:43:57 -0400, PeterN
wrote:

On 5/1/2015 11:23 AM, Tony Cooper wrote:
On Fri, 01 May 2015 08:37:56 -0400, PeterN
wrote:

I don't know what "Italian monopoly" you are talking about. I paid $38
for the flex-titanium-framed progressives I am wearing right now. They
work fine. http://www.zennioptical.com


See link above.
Interesting site, great prices.
How do you get adjustmets done?

I wear string frame glasses that often need adjustment. Either the
lenses pop out of the strings, or some other adjustment is needed.

If it's convenient, I take them to place where I purchased them, but
I've had them adjusted by other optical outlets many, many times. I've
never had anyone ask "Did you buy those here?".


Yes. When travelling I will go to the closest optcal store to get my
glasses adjusted.
But somehow, it's in my head that something is morally wrong with
purchasing glasses on line for less than the price of a lunch, and then
having them adjusted at a brick & mortar store.

I think there's something morally wrong with a $38 lunch.


Too many of them will fatten my waist and thin my wallet. I used to
walrk with someone who wuold frequently take me out for lunch at a
little after one, and I would be lucky to catch the 11:09.




--
PeterN