Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and will inevitably develop in all of our eyes if we live long enough. Hallmark symptoms of cataract include glare, halos, trouble reading road signs at night, etc. Cataract surgery is the most common surgery performed in the United States and has the lowest risk profile of any surgery. Dr Grange and his team have had the privilege of removing cataracts from thousands of eyes here in the Treasure Valley. Please ask us about the advances in modern technology which can allow most patients to see clearly without eyeglasses. Grange Eye Care will always be on the cutting edge of technology and will always strive to deliver the best outcomes possible in the least expensive manner. Not only do we provide exceptional outcomes using the latest technologies, but we have structured our practice in such a way as to save patients and their insurers costs on anesthesia and facility fees (see section discussing office-based surgery). We are proud to be the first and only cataract surgery taking place in Eagle, Idaho and the only cataract surgery happening in Valley County (McCall, Cascade, etc), and we will strive to always be the best at what we do. Our office-based surgical suite allows us to simultaneously offer the lowest cost cash pay cataract surgery in all of Idaho, while also providing the latest and greatest technologies and second-to-none safety and outcomes.
We often get asked if we do LASIK. LASIK is a surgery done to get people out of glasses, and Dr Grange has done hundreds of LASIK surgeries in his career. The major downsides of LASIK are the following: 1) dry eyes - LASIK creates a 360* flap incision and severes corneal nerves. Unfortunately this results in severe dry eyes in a large proportion of patients. 2) cost - LASIK is not covered by insurance. 3) presbyopia - this fancy word refers to the stiffening of the lens within our eye as we age. Most people with good distance vision over the age of 40 have to start wearing reading glasses because their lenses are less flexible than they used to be. In other words, LASIK patients often end up trading out 1 set of glasses (to correct distance vision) for another set of glasses (to correct reading vision). 4) LASIK patients inevitably go on to need cataract surgery and then when that day comes their lens calculations are made more difficult.
Due to the aforementioned downsides, Dr Grange has come to favor a procedure known as clear lens exchange (CLE) and he no longer performs LASIK surgery. CLE is like cataract surgery without the cataract. We are able to get people out of glasses by replacing the lens within their eye. It is preferable to LASIK because it doesn't have nearly the same incidence of dry eye complications, and it is occasionally covered by insurance. We can give CLE patients presbyopia-correcting lenses which allow them to see near and far for the rest of their lives, and it is a one-and-done procedure, meaning that CLE patients don't go on to inevitably need cataract surgery later on. CLE patients have had their lenses replaced and won't ever go on to require cataract surgery after CLE.
The cost of CLE is the same as the cash-pay cost of cataract surgery. $2000/eye would give people excellent distance vision and they'd have to wear reading glasses, or $3500/eye for a trifocal lens which gives the patient excellent distance, intermediate and near vision for the rest of their lives.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. It is known as a silent killer. People can lose substantial amounts of peripheral vision and not be aware. Classic glaucoma causes you to lose peripheral vision before you lose center vision, and actually a person can be deemed legally blind and still have 20/20 distance vision if you have lost enough peripheral vision. We strive to provide the latest and greatest treatments for our patients in Eagle and McCall using non-invasive laser treatments which can lower intraocular pressure and thus preserve eyesight or using a whole host of medications and/or surgical remedies to forestall blindness and preserve high quality of life. Please ask us about the latest advances which allow you to save money on medications, and/or make you less reliant on medications to control this condition. The treatments offered range from non-invasive to minimally invasive and all are covered by medical insurance.
Because cataract surgery is so prevalent in America, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly of our country is macular degeneration. Contrary to glaucoma, people with macular degeneration tend to lose center vision before they lose peripheral vision. We are proud to offer the first and only sight-saving retina treatments in Eagle and McCall. Please ask us about how modern advances in technology and medicine allow people with blinding eye conditions like diabetes, macular degeneration, vein occlusions, etc to restore vision and/or preserve vision longer than had ever been thought possible.
Here in our dry desert climate dry eye conditions are ubiquitous. If you are no longer getting relief from using artificial tear drops, fish oil supplementation, room air humidifiers, etc. please come and see us to see if punctal occlusion, prescription medication and/or stem cell therapy may be right for you.
Dr Grange trained in Southern California, and he has had the honor of doing thousands of eyelid procedures both there and here in the Treasure Valley. We are happy to provide these services to our patients in Northwest Boise/Eagle and in Valley County. Patients are often surprised to find out how many eyelid procedures are in fact covered by their medical insurances. We incorporate the latest methods and technologies in order to minimize post-operative bruising and scarring.
Please be aware that we value our working relationship with optometrists in the valley. We do not sell eyeglasses or contact lenses and would be happy to refer you to optometrists whom we trust and respect near you if you need a routine eyeglass or contact lens prescription.