One of the first questions people will ask before deciding on laser vision correction is “how much does lasik eye surgery cost?” The good news is, while medical costs have sky-rocketed over the past 10 years, lasik vision correction has stayed relatively stable. Considering the advances in the technology, the costs have proven to be very reasonable. Much of this has to do with the fact that insurance typically won’t cover the cost of lasik surgery. When insurance covers your medical costs you tend to concern yourself less with the actual cost. That’s not the case with lasik. Everyone is shopping for the best deal available.
Remember, lasik surgery prices are quoted per eye. Even if you’re having both eyes worked on, it’s still a per eye charge. Most of the studies you find will show an average cost in 2008 and 2009 of $2100 per eye. Still, you’ll find some lasik surgeons charging a little more based on office expenses as well as equipment costs. If you shop around you should be able to find a very qualified doctor at or new $2000 per eye.
Regional Variation
In the larger metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, Dallas and others, doctors are always trying to outdo the competition with new technologies, nicer office space and other items that contribute to the end cost. Because there are more doctors in these large areas, surgeons must spend more money on advertising. This will show up in the final cost to you. Of course, because there are more doctors, there is more competition over price as well. Overall, there is a slightly higher cost in the bigger cities, but you’ll typically get the lastest and greatest technological advances. If you can, it’s worth going a bit of distance to get the most value for your dollars.
Factors Contributing to the Cost
There have been some advances in lasik technology that could affect the cost of your laser eye correction. One of the biggest changes is something called “bladeless” lasik. Typically, a sharp blade or scalpel will be used to open the cornea. This is then folded over and a laser is used to remove or “shave” off the correct amount in order to properly correct your vision. With bladeless lasik, a laser is also used to precisely remove the cornea rather than a scapel. This will add to the cost of your laser vision correction.
Price Discounts or “bargains”
Any time you see lasik surgery below what you would expect or well below the cost advertised by other surgeons in the area, make sure you get a complete estimate of what is being provide and any ADDITIONAL cost that may be incurred beyond these advertised amount. Bargain prices will often leave out necessary items like anesthesia, post lasik examinations, facility fees, and other items you will definitely need.
Cost Breakdown
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the cost of your lasik vision correction. Office space and equipment are a large part of those costs as is the staff you see around the office. Another big factor in the cost is advertising. You most likely see adds for lasik vision in the newspaper or coupon mailers every week. That costs money and it’s passed on to you, the patient. With any medical procedure, there is going to be a high cost of insurance for the surgeon. Believe it or not, there’s even a royalty paid to the company that invented the lasik surgery technology. They license that technology to each doctor who pays a little over $100 each time they perform the procedure.
Cost a factor in your decision
As tempting as it may be, do not let the cost of your surgery dictate where you end up going. Of course, if a doctor falls way outside of the average for your area, you’ll want to keep shopping around. Find the best doctor you possibly can within a price range that’s affordable for you. These are your eyes you’re dealing with and it’s not a place to pinch pennies.
