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IOL implantation more expensive than contact lens correction in infants with cataracts
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Cataract surgery paired with IOL implantation and spectacle correction in infants cost more when compared with cataract surgery with contact lens treatment, according to a study.
The Infant Aphakia Treatment Study included 114 infants with unilateral congenital cataract who underwent cataract surgery with and without IOL implantation.
The retrospective cost analysis of the study showed that, up to 1 year of age, the mean cost for cataract extraction with IOL implantation was $14,752, whereas the mean cost for cataract extraction with contact lens treatment was $10,726, a 37.5% difference.
The primary factors that determined the additional expense in the IOL group were the increased cost in cataract surgery compared with that in the contact lens group ($7,302 vs. $5,357) and the expense of required further surgeries. Contact lenses cost approximately $1,600 per patient compared with $535 per patient for glasses.
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