Consumer Agency: "58.8% of Cataract Surgery Patients Did Not Receive Sufficient Explanation Before and After Surgery"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 17th that 58.8% of cataract surgery patients did not receive sufficient explanations before and after the surgery.

According to the Consumer Agency, an analysis of 51 cases of damage relief related to cataract surgery filed over the past three years revealed that 58.8% (30 cases) of the relief applications involved consent forms that were pre-printed, even if consent was obtained before the surgery. Additionally, explanations regarding possible postoperative complications, treatment materials, and surgery costs were insufficient. It was also confirmed that 25.5% (13 cases) of consumers suffered damages due to doctors’ breach of duty of care.

The most common postoperative side effect was decreased vision. Among the 51 cases, 43.1% (22 cases) complained of vision deterioration after surgery, followed by blindness and glare or light scattering at 23.5% (12 cases) each, and endophthalmitis occurrence at 19.6% (10 cases).

The cost of multifocal intraocular lens surgery also varied widely, with the lowest and highest prices differing by about four times. Reviewing 46 cases where the type of intraocular lens was confirmed, the Korea Consumer Agency found that the cost for surgery involving the insurance-covered “monofocal intraocular lens” was a fixed amount of about 200,000 KRW, whereas the non-insurance-covered “multifocal intraocular lens” surgery costs ranged significantly from a minimum of 3 million KRW to a maximum of 12 million KRW.

The Consumer Agency urged consumers to prevent damage related to cataract surgery by ▲requesting accurate explanations of eye condition, necessity of surgery, and side effects before surgery ▲checking surgery costs with the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service when undergoing multifocal intraocular lens surgery.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.