Hey everyone, I’m looking for some insight regarding cataract surgery. It’s for an elderly family member, 80 years old, who finally gave in after a lot of coaxing. During the last eye exam for new glasses, they told us the cataract was there, but we should just wait for it to "ripen" or whatever...
From what we’ve gathered lately, the modern approach seems to be just taking care of it regardless of how advanced it is.
We’ve been scouting out where to get this done, and honestly, several private clinics in Washington, D.C. came up, but the prices are absolutely eye-watering. To make matters worse, most of the specialists at these private places also work at the major public hospitals (like Mayo Clinic, Holy Spirit, or Vinogradska). It makes me worry about that classic catch-22: you go to the hospital, the doctor suggests doing it privately instead, and if you say no, you’re stuck waiting a year or more for a slot at the public facility. What I really want to know is if anyone here has gone through cataract surgery themselves or helped a family member do it? Specifically, does anyone have experience doing it through the public hospitals (like Holy Spirit)?
From what we’ve gathered lately, the modern approach seems to be just taking care of it regardless of how advanced it is.
We’ve been scouting out where to get this done, and honestly, several private clinics in Washington, D.C. came up, but the prices are absolutely eye-watering. To make matters worse, most of the specialists at these private places also work at the major public hospitals (like Mayo Clinic, Holy Spirit, or Vinogradska). It makes me worry about that classic catch-22: you go to the hospital, the doctor suggests doing it privately instead, and if you say no, you’re stuck waiting a year or more for a slot at the public facility. What I really want to know is if anyone here has gone through cataract surgery themselves or helped a family member do it? Specifically, does anyone have experience doing it through the public hospitals (like Holy Spirit)?