Cataract surgery — for Clalit members

Definition

In a healthy eye, light can pass through the transparent lens of the eye unobstructed and reach the retina. Light must pass through the lens undisturbed in order to ensure a high-accuracy image. Accordingly, clouding of the eye's lens (cataract) blocks the passage of light and impairs vision.

Most people who develop cataract are elderly. Although both eyes may experience the clouding of the lens in a state of cataract, usually one eye suffers more than the other. Cataract surgery is the preferred treatment for treating cataract. In this procedure, the eye's lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.

Symptoms

As noted, the signs of cataract appear mainly toward older age, since the quality of vision deteriorates over time. Accordingly, most patients report a blurred vision experience or clouded vision. Additional signs of cataract include a change in color perception, vision focusing problems and frequent replacement of the prescription in eyeglass lenses. Furthermore, changes in the effect of light intensity are also caused by cataract and may impair vision quality. For example, patients will have difficulty seeing certain details clearly in the presence of low light or strong light.

Diagnosis

For the most part, identifying cataract is possible in a relatively simple physical examination – especially situations in which the cataract is very advanced. But in most cases, diagnosing cataract reliably is carried out using a slit lamp (slit lamp) by a specialist eye doctor.

Prevention and treatments

To this day, various treatments have not proven effective in preventing the development of cataract. However, it should be noted that a link has been found between a faster development of cataract and smoking. Therefore, quitting smoking can reduce the chances of suffering from cataract.

As written earlier, the treatment of choice for cataract is surgery. However, most patients diagnosed with cataract are diagnosed at a relatively early stage of the disease, without a noticeable disturbance in vision quality. In such cases, the treating physician may decide that it is too early a stage to perform surgery. This is because cataract surgery is performed when the patient suffers from significant visual impairment and when there is significant room for improvement in vision quality after the treatment.

The surgeries for treating cataract have developed over the years. In the past, manual incisions were made in the cornea of the eye during the surgery, whereas today the main use is of a more precise laser. In addition to laser treatment, there are also other types of cataract surgeries. One of them is extracapsular cataract surgery, in which the cloudy eye lens is removed in one piece, without breaking it. The second is intracapsular cataract surgery, in which the lens is removed together with its capsule and the new lens is sutured in its place.

Cataract surgery at Clalit

Within the framework of Clalit health fund services, one can receive a wide range of surgical treatments for cataract in general and laser cataract surgery at Clalit in particular, together with different types of replacement lenses. Among others, in cataract surgeries at Clalit you can find the following lenses:

Types of lens

Monofocal lens

A lens characterized by a fixed focal point. Accordingly, this lens can be used to achieve optimal visual acuity for distance vision or for near vision – but not both, so there will still be a need to use glasses in the missing range.

Monovision lens

When different lenses with different focal points are implanted between the two eyes, the need to use glasses can be reduced.

Toric lens

Its purpose is to correct the corneal cylinder. If this lens is implanted at the appropriate angle, its optical power can be used to correct the existing cylinder.

Multifocal lens

Similar to multifocal eyeglass lenses, this lens allows suitable patients functional vision over wide ranges.

Price of cataract surgery Clalit Mushlam

Cataract surgeries at Clalit can be performed by different methods. The price of the surgery varies according to its type and according to the implanted lens. You can inquire about the different prices of the cataract surgeries at the health fund, since there are different advantages to performing cataract surgery at Clalit, cataract surgery at Clalit Mushlam, cataract surgery at Clalit Platinum, and so on. At the Clalit health fund basic cataract surgery is available, but you can also choose the operating physician for cataract, the dedicated lenses, or choose to undergo cataract surgery at Clalit using advanced technology such as laser.

Co-payment — at physicians under arrangement with Clalit

Clalit charges its members a co-payment when the cataract surgery is performed by a surgeon who is under arrangement with the fund, and the amount varies according to the supplemental insurance plan and according to the type of lens. These payments do not apply to private surgery with Prof. Mimouni, who is not under arrangement with Clalit. The prices are updated from time to time and are not detailed here — they should be checked directly with Clalit.

Those operated on pay a co-payment on the day of surgery according to the amount of the commitment they receive from Clalit.

Health fund co-payment prices depend on the Ministry of Health price list and are subject to change according to the Clalit price list.

Summary

Cataract causes the eye's lens to become cloudy and it leads to impairment of vision. Often surgery is required to treat this problem. During the surgery the clouded lens is replaced with a new lens. Depending on the type of surgery required and the type of lens preferred, one can choose from many treatments for cataract through the Clalit health fund.

About Dr. Mimouni

Prof. Michael Mimouni is a specialist surgeon ophthalmologist in cataract surgery, secondary cataract, corneal transplant , glasses removal and keratoconus. You can contact him to schedule an appointment through the contact form on the site or at the phone number that appears on the site.