How Much Is Cataract Surgery For Cats

Can I Prevent Developing A Cataract

A cataract cannot be prevented as such however there are measures you can take to delay one from forming. These include:

• Wearing sunglasses when out in the sun.
• Quitting smoking. Kicking this habit will have several benefits to your eye health- as well as your overall health.
• Eat a balanced and healthy diet. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables spinach, kale, and spring greens are superfoods for the eyes. You can read up on the nutrients that will help to keep your eyes happy here.

How Much Does Laser Cataract Surgery Cost

Having cataracts can really affect your everyday living. This happens when the lens inside your eye gets clouded. This has different causes, such as aging, diabetes and even traumatisms, and results in cloudy vision. This condition is insidious since it isnt very noticeable at first but it progresses until you cant see very well and suddenly everything is foggy. Thankfully, like many other sciences, ophthalmology has advanced a lot and nowadays this condition can be treated by an eye specialist near you with lasers.

What Factors Impact Cost

The exact cost of treatment may differ substantially based on a variety of factors, including:

• The part of the country where the surgery is performed
• Whether the surgery is conducted in an out-patient surgery center or hospital
• The skill, reputation and experience of the surgeon
• The type of IOL you select
• Whether or not a laser is used
• Pre- and post-operative visits
• Post-operative medications
• Pre and post-operative testing

These factors can impact the on-paper cost of treatment, but the biggest factor impacting your true cost is the type of insurance coverage you have.

Recommended Reading: How Much Should A Cat Eat In One Day

What Is A Cataract

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye. The lens is madeof mostly protein and water and arranged in such a way that the lensstays clear. When the protein builds up and clumps together, a cataractis formed. Cat cataracts are normally caused by another primarycondition. They can be a result of trauma to the eye, prolonged eyeinflammation, or an underlying eye disorder such as uveitis. Catcataracts will become progressively worse, and may lead to blindness ifnot treated effectively.

Symptoms Of Cataracts In Cats

In the early stages of cataracts, you may not notice any unusual symptoms in your cat. Often, your veterinarian is the first person to alert you to the problem during your cats annual wellness visit. Early intervention will help to stem the growth of the cataract and preserve your cat’s sight. As the cataracts grow larger, youll eventually see a change in the appearance of the cats eye. A cloudy, milky spot will appear that can grow to cover the entire lens. You may notice your cat has one or all of these physical or behavioral symptoms:

• Change of iris color
• Tripping over its own feet
• Bumping into walls or furniture
• Not recognizing family members
• Difficulty locating its litter box
• Difficulty locating its food bowl
• Difficulty navigating stairs
• Exhibiting signs of stress or anxiety

Read Also: Whats The Biggest House Cat

A Guide To The Costs Of Our Services

All estimate ranges are dependent on patient size, drug volumes needed, anaesthetic time and amount of consumables used.

Consultation fees are not included in the surgical estimates.

This price list serves as a guideline only. Each case is different and a full written estimate will be given at the time of consultation before a surgical appointment is booked.

Price list effective from 1st December 2021

Consultations

At What Age Do Cats Get Cataracts

Cataracts and lenticular sclerosis are two of the most frequent eye issues found in cats over the age of nine, and they are both caused by aging of the lens. The slowly increasing alterations that result in lenticular sclerosis begin to manifest themselves in cats around the age of eight years and become visible in cats beyond the age of nine years.

Don’t Miss: Can Cats Eat Lavender Plants

Causes Of Cataracts In Cats

Cataracts develop in cats for many reasons, and sometimes, the reason for your cats cataracts remains unknown. Some cats carry the DNA that makes them more likely to develop cataracts while other cats may acquire cataracts in their later years due to the aging process, just like humans. Reasons why cats develop cataracts include the following triggers:

• Genetic predisposition
• Inflammation of the anterior uvea
• General inflammation
• Inability to metabolize certain chemicals
• Inability to metabolize certain proteins
• Electric shock

How Can You Reduce The Cost

When your dog is young, getting pet health insurance is the best way to plan for health issues throughout your pets life. If you sign up while he is young, there are far fewer preexisting conditions that bring the price way down for you. Having pet insurance before the diagnosis can help minimize unexpected expenses for dog cataract surgery and a host of other pet health expenses. Its not as expensive as you might think. But, you must have an active pet insurance policy in force before diagnosis for that condition to be covered.

Reputable pet insurance companies can help offset most of your pets unexpected health expenses. Our experts review the top pet health insurance providers. Read a customers testimonial about her experience with her pup, Nacho, who required cataract surgery.

Also Check: Blue Buffalo Cat Food Dry

Private Vs Nhs Cataract Removal

Choosing whether to go with the NHS or a private eye care specialist for cataract surgery doesnt need to be a headache.

One of the key differences wed like to bring to your attention, and one many of our patients find significant, is that the NHS can only offer cataract removal patients a monofocal lens implant.

This means that for those who desire complete independence from glasses, having treatment in a private clinic, with the use of a multifocal lens, may be a better option.

Take a look here at some of the key differences between NHS and private cataract surgery

How Cataract Surgery Can Help Your Dog

A cataract is an opacity in your dogs eye lens. It prevents light from passing through to the back of the eye or scatters the light so that your dogs vision is blurred. Normally, light passes through the lense and is processed at the back of their eye to create a clear image in your pets brain of what theyre seeing. Your dog may be affected by cataracts in one eye or both eyes.

After surgery, your dog may be hospitalized for a night to recover. Theyll need to wear a cone to keep them from scratching their eye. Your veterinarian will provide you with eye drops to give your dog at home and will schedule future appointments for checkups.

Recommended Reading: What Does A Male Cat Look Like

Determining Cataract Surgery Cost

Since most people who undergo cataract surgery in the U.S. have Medicare or private medical insurance, it can be somewhat challenging to determine the cost of the procedure for someone with no insurance coverage.

In such cases, many surgeons often charge the same fees for cataract surgery that they charge for an elective vision correction procedure called refractive lens exchange .

Refractive lens exchange is essentially the same procedure as cataract surgery, but the eye’s natural lens that is removed in RLE has not yet become clouded by a cataract. By replacing the eye’s natural lens with an IOL, the surgeon can correct significant amounts of nearsightedness or farsightedness, reducing the patient’s need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

In 2019, the average cost of refractive lens exchange with a standard monofocal IOL implant was $3,783 per eye, according to a large survey of U.S. cataract and refractive surgeons.

For RLE with a toric IOL for astigmatism, the average cost was $5,304 per eye, and the average cost of RLE with a presbyopia-correcting IOL ranged from $4,704 to $6,898 per eye.

How Can Cataract Surgery Help Your Dog/cat

Cataract surgery can help your dog in numerous ways, according to the vet at VetStreet.com. After the surgery, vision is corrected or improved. In some cases, its even possible to restore lost sight due to cataracts.

Your dog will be able to see better after surgery thanks to reduced cloudiness in the lens of the eye. It is especially beneficial for older dogs, as cataracts are more common in seniors.

The surgery can also help improve your dogs quality of life. With better vision, theyll be able to navigate their surroundings more easily and safely. They may also have a reduced risk of getting into accidents.

Cataract surgery is a relatively safe and common procedure. If your dog is suffering from cataracts, its worth considering this option to improve its quality of life.

Read Also: Realistic Cat Sketch

What To Expect Before The Procedure

Before your dogs cataract surgery, there are a few ways your vet will help to ensure your dogs safety throughout the procedure.

Your vet will first perform pre-anesthetic blood work that rules out any complication with their liver or kidneys.

This will not only let your vet know if anesthesia is safe for your pup, but also which medications your pup can relieve after their procedure.

Your vet will also perform diagnostics on your dogs eyes to rule out any other eye conditions, as this can lead to an unsuccessful cataract removal surgery.

If these tests reveal any underlying conditions, this may impact your dogs ability to have their cataracts removed.

However, if all tests come back normal, your pup should be free to move forward with their cataract removal surgery.

Examination At The Rvc

Re-examinations are vital to assess ocular health over time and to avoid complications to occur. Usually, a re-examination is required one week after surgery, then three weeks after, three months later and then six months later before seeing the patient once every nine to twelve months for life. This schedule will be adopted to suit the individual needs of each patient. Re-examination costs are not included in the surgery estimate.

If no severe complications, vision is recovered immediately after the surgery. However, in most animals vision improves slowly over the first few days after surgery. Eyes are normally red with mucoid discharge in the first few days after surgery. Sometimes the eyes look tired and may look a little sore or light sensitive over the first few days. Out of hours, the RVC operates an emergency service that you may contact if you are concerned after surgery. This service operates as any other emergency service, including the payment of an emergency fee that is not covered in the estimate for surgery. The RVC emergency service has access to an RVC ophthalmologist if required.

To find out more about cataracts, click here

You May Like: 10 Year Old Cat In Human Years

Nachos Cataract Surgery Story

Pet Parent: MaryannePet: Nacho, a two-year-old, medium-sized mixed breedCovered diagnostic tests and treatment: Cataract surgery, including blood work, anesthesia, IV fluids, hospitalization, and pre and post-op medicationsClaim cost: $2,667.98Healthy Paws reimbursement: $2,359.86 $308.12

Healthy Paws is amazing! Nacho, our rescue dog whos only 2-years-old, needed surgery for a cataract that was causing him to go blind. I wasnt sure if any of the costs would be covered, but thankfully Healthy Paws covered 90% of the surgical expenses. I submitted the claim on Monday and received my check by Saturday!

On top of their quick resolution, Healthy Paws contacted us a week later to follow up on Nachos recovery. We were so surprised at their thoughtful gesture! Im happy to say that Nacho is doing well. I cant give Healthy Paws enough praise. They are extremely professional, thoughtful, and caring. They treated our dog like their family member, rather than just being another insurance claim. Thank you, Healthy Paws. I highly recommend them if youre looking for pet insurance. Hopefully, youll never need to go through a major health problem with your dog, but if you do Healthy Paws will be there for you!

How Can I Best Care For My Pet After Surgery

Once your pet has had cataract surgery, it is important to keep a close eye on them to ensure a smooth recovery.

Keep your pets cone of shame on at all times, except for when they are eating or drinking.

Make sure your pet has plenty of water and food available and that they can eat and drink without difficulty.

Recommended Reading: How Much Food To Give A Cat

Can You Pay Monthly For Cataract Surgery

Yes, you can choose to take out a financial plan with your preferred eye care specialist and pay for your cataract surgery in digestible monthly instalments. Of course this will vary.

The majority of clinics will ask for a minimum deposit of £500-£1000. After this, monthly payments will depend on the length of time the plan has been taken out for.

Additionally, most private clinics offer interest-free credit.

How Much Does Cat Cataract Surgery Cost

Posted onAuthorJaime White

Cataract Surgery in Cats is Expensive. Depending on the severity of the cats disease, the surgeon may recommend that the troublesome lens be surgically removed. This is a very intrusive procedure to do. This form of cataract surgery ranges in price from $1,767 to $2,163 for one eye and from $2,757 to $3,516 for two eyes, depending on the surgeon.

Contents

• 18 What are the best replacement lenses for cataract surgery?

Recommended Reading: Why Do Cats Knead Before Laying Down

Cat Cataracts: Causes Symptoms Treatment And Prevention

By Autumn Sprabary reviewed by Matthew Belden, DVM

Cats are known for hiding health problems from their humans. When it comes to eye health, it’s easier to tell when something is wrong, specifically when dealing with cataracts in cats. Feline cataracts are usually caused by chronic eye inflammation and can be treated with medication and surgery.

Is Cataract Surgery Suitable For My Pet

Surgery is usually recommended when cataracts cause a significant visual deficit, when the cataract is progressing and vision loss is predictable and/or when the presence of a cataract is likely to affect the health of the eyes for other reasons. Prior to surgery, we need to determine if your pets eyes are healthy, apart from the cataracts if they are ready to see again when the cataracts have been removed. Some pets have concurrently additional problems, such as dry eye, inflammation , retinal degeneration, retinal detachment or glaucoma . These problems could make cataract surgery more risky. A thorough examination, followed by some tests are routinely performed to detect thisproblems:

• Ocular ultrasound: will allow us to look into the eye behind the lens. This test is usually performed before the surgery under topical anaesthesia.
• Electroretinography : will allow us to check if the retina works. This test is usually performed under general anaesthesia just before the surgery.
• Other tests: blood tests and urine analysis may be required to assess if your pet is fit for the general anaesthesia.

Recommended Reading: Kitten Fleas Dawn Soap

How Cat Cataracts Are Diagnosed

A veterinarian will examine your cat’s eyes to find out whether their symptoms are caused by cataracts, or if nuclear sclerosis is to blame. If the veterinarian thinks your cat has cataracts, they may send you to a veterinary ophthalmologist.

A veterinary ophthalmologist focuses on eye conditions that affect animals. They will run a series of tests to confirm cataracts and find the cause.

These tests include:

• Ultrasound imaging to look for problems in the retina, located at the back of the eye

• Blood testing to check for infection, inflammation and metabolic disease

• Urine tests to check kidney, liver and pancreas function

• Testing your cat’s eye pressure

• Electroretinogram, which tests how well the retina is functioning with the cataract

How Did My Cat Get Cataracts

Some cats have a genetic predisposition to cataracts. In certain cat breeds, the eye condition can show up in younger cats under 5 years of age. In contrast, most cat cataracts show up after 10 years of age.

These cat breeds are genetically most likely to develop cataracts over their lifetime:

Your veterinarian can diagnose a cataract with a thorough an eye exam. If there is any question whether or not your cat has cataracts, you will be referred to a veterinary ophthalmologist.

Also Check: What Was The Name Of Hp Lovecrafts Cat

What Does Cataract Surgery Usually Cost

Cataract removal in dogs has become a common practice in most veterinary ophthalmology centers.

There is a long list of veterinarians across the country performing this procedure, meaning there is quite a range of costs to expect.

The cheapest dog cataract surgery may be around $1,500 per eye, where other specialists may charge up to $4,000 per eye.

The average price can range based on how severe your dogs cataracts are, if they have any other medical complications, and if they have any post-op complications.

If your canine friend needs cataract removal, we always suggest calling around to gather as many options as possible.

Once you have done this, you can choose the option that best fits your budget.

Private Insurance Coverage & Medicare

Since cataract surgery is considered a medically necessary procedure, the cost of cataract surgery is largely covered by private insurance or Medicare, the latter of which covers most patients. Medicare is the U.S. federal health insurance program that covers people aged 65 and older. Although Medicare Part A is free for most people, Part B has a monthly premium .

Cataract surgery is typically an out-patient procedure, meaning that you have the surgery in a hospital or doctors office, then go home the same day. As such, it falls under Medicare Part B . Though Medicare and private insurance generally cover standard cataract surgery with monofocal implants, they do not cover the additional cost of refractive cataract surgery, which includes a premium IOL and/or a laser. Medicare covers approximately 80% of the cost associated with standard cataract surgery, leaving the patient responsible for the remaining 20% after the deductible is met .

To provide an example of what the cost breakdown might be for someone getting standard cataract surgery covered by Medicare, consult the table below.

For standard surgery, Medicare covers:

• The removal of the cataract
• Basic lens implants
• One set of prescription eyeglasses or one set of contact lenses after the surgery

Essentially, premium cataract surgery can nearly double or triple the potential out-of-pocket costs.

Don’t Miss: Phoebe Cates Marriage