Medicare Patients Now Opt for Upgrade to Bifocal Lens Implants

STONEHAM, MA – Medicare patients now have an important eye care option available courtesy of a rules change by the FDA. They can elect to pay the difference for Multifocal Lens Implants (Intraocular Lens or IOL) that turn your eyes into bifocals! In the past it was all or nothing, now Medicare will cover the normal cost with a standard, single-focus lens and allow the patient to pay the up charge on the lens only.

Most lens implants, up until this time, were able to focus at only one distance, and would always require glasses for all other distances.

With the new Multifocal Lens Implants, 90% of patients are glasses free. This implant is inserted at the time of cataract surgery, but is not covered by Medicare. Now, however, Medicare allows patients to pay the difference while still covering the surgery.

Internationally, where it has been done for several years, presbyopic patients are even having it done to correct reading vision.

It’s still considered “refractive surgery,” a non-covered service, but Congress now allows Medicare patients to pay the difference and upgrade, if they wish.

The Sheth-Horsley Eye Center is located at 3 Woodland Road, Suite 120 in Stoneham, 781-979-0960.