special contacts??? | Arthritis Information
Hey guys..
Saw my eye dr. today. I am still having eye issues...gotta love RA. Anyway, I have what seems to be chronic iritis. We have tried everything and have gotten the inflammation down quite a bit. But, I am still having a ton of light sensitivity. So, the dr. wants me to get these colored contact lenses. They apparantly will cut down on the light reaching the iris. Has anybody else had this issue? My biggest concern is the cost. On one site, they said the can cost up to 0 dollars. HOLY SMOKES!!
Is is possible that your insurance will cover them as they are a medical necessity? If it is billed with your ra and Iritis dx I am thinking they should pay.
Maybe this is a silly question but......are you talking about just the "regular colored contact lens???" Like from Acuvue??? If so, I wear those sometimes and they are about a box and are disposable. Funny....I just looked at the sidebar ad, and it is for colored lenses.
I thought it would be regular ones as well but he said no. These are made for specifically reducing the amount of light the reaches the iris.
I hadn't thought about insurance. Let's hope so. I actually don't have any vision insurance through my school system so everything so far has been billed as medical. I'll have to check into it.
bumpBecky,
They should be covered by your medical insurance. I would try to get them pre approved and if they are denied give it a fight.
I get my contacts from visiondirect.com and they seem to have decent prices.
I would be interested to know the name of these contacts? I work for an optometrist and have never heard of lenses that actually reduce light. Block UV, yes, but not light. Would a good pair of polarized eye glasses not do the same thing for you?
And I also agree that it should be covered under medical since it is a medical necessity.
My extended insurance will cover the costs of such contact lenses, since they are considered a medical aid. I hope yours does too.
Rebecca, I don't have anything to add about the contacts, but wanted to mention something else. I can't remember how the Orencia is working for you (my brain can't keep straight who it's helping and who's not there yet) but my stepson is taking infusions of Zenapax for progressive inflammation of the blood vessels in his eyes. It's another immunosuppressant, used most often for organ transplants but also for chronic eye inflammation. If the Orencia isn't helping, maybe your docs would let you try the Zenapax and knock over two birds with one stone? (disclaimer: no actual birds were harmed in the typing of this post)
Otherwise, I agree that you should get the insurance to pay for these as a medical necessity. I never got around to reading it, but my ex-hubby (a lawyer) got me a book called Making Them Pay: How to Get the Most from Health Insurance and Managed Care. So if they give you a hard time, then appeal, or maybe check out this book.
The Dr. is planning on calling me next week. I'll talk with him then. Has the Zenapax ever been used for RA?[QUOTE=rocckyd]The Dr. is planning on calling me next week. I'll talk with him then. Has the Zenapax ever been used for RA?[/QUOTE]
That's why I was wondering if the Orencia was working for you, because if it is, I doubt that you (or they) would want to make the switch. Zenapax works on IL-2 receptors of activated T-cells, and although I don't see any conclusive information on using it with RA, I can at least find an animal study where it was looked at with success:
As well as an announcement from 1996 that it was a potential treatment for RA:
It could be that they didn't want to compete in the RA biologic market for any number of business reasons, or maybe the studies didn't live up to the initial promise, I really don't know. I just thought it would be worth asking about, although again, you might have to argue with the insurance company if this is an off-label use (which it appears to be). But if your current treatments for RA are working and they contacts end up helping, that may be a lot easier.
BTW, here's a study showing it's use in ocular inflammatory conditions:
See the related articles on the right side of the linked page for more.
Have your eye doctor give you a rx and get the lenses through 1-800-contacts. I have purchased from them for many years. They are the same contacts--just much cheaper. Of course, they (the eye doctors) don't like it because they are usually somehow connected to the glasses or contacts and means they lose the money--nevermind they are overcharging you by about 400%.
My med. ins. has a limited yearly covrage for eye care and glasses or contacts. Check yours out.
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