This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Femtosecond lasers, improved IOLs may spur refractive cataract surgery boom
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Evolving femtosecond laser technology, an aging population and burgeoning developments in premium IOL design may induce an increasing number of patients to undergo femtosecond laser-based refractive cataract surgery, a speaker said here.
Femtosecond laser technology has the potential to change the premium IOL paradigm, Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, OSN Chief Medical Editor, said at Kiawah Eye 2011.
Increasing demand driven by the aging baby boomer generation will further propel refractive cataract surgery as a market force, Dr. Lindstrom said.
Traditionally, conversion to premium IOLs has been low, with 66% of surgeons implanting fewer than 10 lenses monthly, according to a survey conducted at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting in San Diego.
According to the Market Scope 2009 Report, the demand for presbyopia-correcting IOLs has flatlined at fewer than 10 out of 100 procedures performed in the U.S., while the global demand for cataract surgery has surged from 17.1 million procedures in 2007 and is expected to reach 21.6 million procedures in 2014.
Lagging demand for premium IOLs was attributed to refractive outcomes falling short of expectations, Dr. Lindstrom said.
Medicare and private insurance do not currently reimburse more for better or safer procedures. To get reimbursement for refractive cataract surgery, clinicians need to document medical necessity, set refractive goals and determine the appropriate tools to meet those goals, Dr. Lindstrom said.
Surgeons may adopt a one-price-fits-all, an a la carte menu or a tiered billing system to charge for refractive cataract surgery, Dr. Lindstrom said.
In addition, femtosecond refractive cataract surgery may compare favorably with LASIK in terms of profitability, Dr. Lindstrom said. "If you can perform corneal refractive surgery profitably, you can perform laser refractive cataract surgery profitably," he said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Lindstrom provides practice management or marketing consulting services to 3D Vision Systems, Abbott Medical Optics, AcuFocus, Adoptics, Advanced Refractive Technologies, Alcon Laboratories, Aquesys, Bausch + Lomb, Biosyntrix, Bradley Scott Inc., Calhoun Vision, Clarity Ophthalmics, Clear Sight, Glaukos Corporation, High Performance Optics, Hoya Surgical Optics, LenSx, OCULAR SURGERY NEWS/SLACK Incorporated, TearLabs Inc. and TLC Vision Corporation.
