Most insurance companies cover most of the cost of cataract surgery. There are different reimbursement measurements. Mr. Kheterpal’s fees for surgery are as listed. There may be additional charges for specific enhancements to the procedure including premium lens implants.
Mr. Kheterpal consults at the Bridge Clinic in Maidenhead, Spire Thames Valley Hospital in Wexham, Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor and Optegra in Guildford. Cataract surgery is normally carried out at Spire Thames Valley Hospital or Optegra in Guildford or at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor.
There are small risks associated with cataract surgery as with any operation. The risks can be divided broadly into two categories. Firstly, risks of the operation itself which can very rarely result in loss or reduction of vision which may not be correctable with glasses or contact lenses. There is also a risk of over correction in terms of the lens prescription and a very small risk of intolerance of the vision associated with a particular lens necessitating an exchange of that lens.
We usually advise two days rest at home initially followed by taking things easy for a week. Light exercise can be commenced after that time and vigorous exercise after two weeks. Swimming should be avoided for four weeks and make-up can be applied after two weeks. We recommend no short haul travel for two weeks and long haul travel for four weeks.
The operation usually takes less than half an hour and you are in the surgical centre under half a day.
A referral from a general practitioner or optometrist is usually required for cataracts. Assessment is then carried by Mr. Kheterpal followed by appropriate testing for lens measurements and implantation if required. Surgery is usually carried out within two to four weeks under local anaesthetic as a day case.
A number of lens choices are available including single vision lenses, toric astigmatism correcting lenses, bifocal and trifocal lenses. Your suitability will be determined according to your preference, your eye examination and your consultation with Mr. Kheterpal, who will advise you accordingly.
A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye. Treatment options including continuing without an operation, glasses or contact lens and surgical extraction with a replacement lens implant.
The initial consultation and tests may take up to two hours depending on the treatment requested and complexity. If you are found to be suitable for surgery and you have considered the potential benefits and risks and choose to go ahead then laser surgery, either LASIK or LASEK, is usually carried out in our partner centre at Optegra in Guildford.
Both LASIK and LASEK are performed as an outpatient procedure, normally taking less than half an hour, although the whole process may take up to half a day in the surgical outpatient centre.
After LASIK, we usually recommend three or four days rest and after LASEK usually one week.
Usually, two weeks after surgery.
You should avoid rubbing your eyes, keeping soap and shampoo away, not swimming for one month and avoid contact sports for two weeks.
LASIK and LASEK cannot correct presbyopia, the age related loss of close up focusing power. With or without laser surgery almost everyone who has excellent distance vision will need reading glasses by the time they get to be 40 or 50. Some people choose this to be corrected with glasses or contact lenses and sometimes mono vision is used which is one eye distance sighted and the other eye near sighted.
It is important than anyone considering LASIK or LASEK has realistic expectations. This laser allows people to perform most of their everyday tasks without corrective lenses, however, people looking for perfect vision without glasses and contacts run the risk of being disappointed. Undercorrection or over correction can occur even with the best calculations of treatment and may require an enhancement procedure.
Permanent side effects are rare. The majority of people do very well. Very rarely, there can be loss of vision, change in prescription and long term dryness.
Initially, temporary side effects may include discomfort, hazy or blurry vision, halos, star bursts, red patches on the eye, scratches, dryness, glare, light sensitivity. These usually settle.
LASIK and LASEK like any surgery have risks and complications that should be carefully considered. Occasionally, there can be undercorrection and overcorrection. Most complications can be treated without any loss of vision. Permanent vision loss is very rare. There is a chance although very small that your vision may not be as good after surgery as before even with glasses or contact lenses.
Mr. Kheterpal and his team will perform a thorough eye examination and measurements to check for any abnormalities and determine suitability for treatment and may recommend conditions accordingly taking into account your visual needs, you eye examination and your expectations and requirements.
LASIK is performed under drops anesthesia in an outpatient surgical suite using a small eyelid holder to keep the eyelids open. A suction ring is applied and a laser flap created for the laser treatment. Drops are then instilled and the recovery then takes place over a number of days. LASEK is performed using an alcohol solution to remove the surface layer of the eye (epithelium) and the laser directly applied to the surface of the cornea. A bandage contact lens is then applied for comfort in the first postoperative days.
People who want to minimize their dependence on glasses or contact lenses are good candidates for LASIK, LASEK or phakic lens implants. Lifestyle, hobbies and the amount of correction needed are all factors that may determine the suitability. The ideal candidate is normally over 23 years of age, not pregnant and free of any eye disease. He/she should not have had any change of prescription in the last one year and have a refractive error within the suitable range. He/she must also be willing to accept potential risks, complications and side effects.
The procedure can be carried out using a standard ultrasound technique (phacoemulsification) Mr. Kheterpal will determine suitability and work with you to operate with the best possible technology at the surgical centre that is convenient to you and likely to give you the best possible outcome.
You should avoid rubbing your eyes, particularly at night for the first week after the operation. We advise two days of rest initially and up to one week of light exercise and then normal exercise can resume after one week. Heavy lifting and vigorous exercise after two weeks. Swimming is not recommended for four weeks. Mr. Kheterpal recommends avoiding short haul air travel for two weeks and long haul air travel for four weeks.
After two weeks.
We usually recommend a minimum of three to four days, but a week is often comfortable. The same applies to driving after an operation.
A consultation with Mr. Kheterpal and the preoperative tests can take up to two hours. Following this, appropriate counseling is carried out to determine your suitability and preferences regarding any surgical procedure. Measurements are then used to calculate the appropriate lens and surgery day planned at one of our local hospitals or partner centers. The operation itself takes under 30 minutes and you are usually in the surgery centre for less than half a day.
These are similar to cataract surgery. As with any surgery, there are small risks of the surgical procedure itself which include a number of factors that can result in reduction of visual function including quality of vision and loss of best corrected vision. The risks of this are low but if they do occur, then this may not be correctable with glasses or contact lenses. There is change of undercorrection or overcorrection of the focal length prescription possibly requiring an enhancement procedure in the months after the operation. A very small number of individuals find it difficult to tolerate the lens implant and require this to be removed or changed.
Some individuals require a procedure called YAG laser capsulotomy in the months after the operation to clear the natural membrane behind the lens implant which often becomes cloudy naturally after an operation.
The goal is to try and reduce your dependence on spectacles or contact lenses. Although we try and minimise this, there is always a chance that glasses are required for distance, intermediate and close work afterwards. The majority of patients do very well and have less dependence on spectacles/glasses than per-operatively and our goal is to make sure that we understand your requirements and that you are aware of the likely outcome scenario.
This is the process of removing the natural lens of the eye and replacing with artificial lens implant. It is similar to a cataract operation, but with more precise lens calculations, use of precision premium lens implants and a more particular course of pre and post operative care.