The Cost of LASIK Eye Surgery

There is no shortage of special pricing, discounts, and bargains when it comes to LASIK eye surgery. Given the ease and success of the procedure, many ophthalmologists have converted their practices into LASIK eye centers. How do you know if you are getting a good deal on laser vision correction? When is the price of this surgical procedure too low? What are the costs of LASIK eye surgery?

 

The first thing to realize when calculating and comparing the cost of LASIK eye surgery, is that the majority of surgical practices quote prices per eye, not both eyes. Most people need refractive correction in both eyes and thus make the incorrect assumption that the price quoted covers both eyes. For patients seeking to correct vision in both eyes, the cost is actually about twice the published rate.

 

The second thing to keep in mind is that not all LASIK is the same. There are two major distinctions that can greatly affect the cost of LASIK eye surgery. One is whether the procedure uses a microtome blade or not and the other is whether the LASIK laser resurfacing is customized to the various microscopic hills and valleys in that are unique to each eye. Many eye surgeons offer and advertise a low rate for LASIK on one eye without any customization and using older techniques yet the price increases considerably when additional features are added to the service.

 

 

The current rule of thumb for the cost of all LASIK procedures is that they follow multiples of $400 depending on the level of customization and other bells and whistles. The average cost of LASIK eye surgery, including all types of procedures is about $2,000 per eye. For LASIK without customization and using older techniques, the cost averages about $1,600 per eye. When wavefront analysis is added, which guides the LASIK laser to highly specific regions of the surface of the eye, the cost of LASIK increases to $2,400 per eye. The cost of LASIK eye surgery can vary widely depending on several factors, ranging from $400 to $4,000 per eye depending on what techniques and services are offered.

 

The cost of LASIK eye surgery had been steadily increasing over the past several years given its wide popularity, however, there are some indications that the price may be holding more steady. With a weakening global and US economy and an increase in the number centers that perform LASIK, competition has driven down to the cost of LASIK eye surgery a bit.

 

When considering the cost of LASIK eye surgery, it is important to consider that the newer, more expensive techniques are not always better. Some surgeons use a microtome blade in some cases and use a “laser only” approach in others. There are reasons to use each in particular situations. While patients tend to believe that the “bladeless” approach is less risky or scary, this is not necessarily the case. Complication rates and patient discomfort are about the same with each, on average.

 

It is important to trust the eye surgeon that is going to perform your LASIK procedure. Ask plenty of questions about which procedure is best for your situation, what are the advantages and complications of each and what the surgeon would recommend based on past experiences. Perhaps it is reasonable to choose a LASIK surgeon that charges a single, flat rate for all laser-based eye procedures. That way you can feel more confident that surgical decisions are being made for medical indications rather than financial incentives.