Why does the Average Cost of Lasik Surgery Vary in price so Much?
The cost for Lasik eye surgery can be anywhere from five hundred dollars per eye to several thousand or more which can be quite vexing to the average consumer who's trying to budget for the cost of the treatment. Let's see if we can't clear things up to see what's driving the price of Lasik to be so unpredictable.
Factors Affecting the Price of Lasik Eye Surgery
There are a few factors that affect how much Lasik laser eye surgery can cost you.
Quality healthcare is expensive.
There are a few instant clinics popping up around the country offering low prices ($500 or lower) per eye. Usually these places cut corners so that they can make the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. Some of their critics have called them "Lasik mills".
Never commit to the Lasik procedure with any Lasik clinic or doctor that cuts corners during the consultation period, doesn't properly inform you of the risks or makes you feel rushed in any way. A considerably diminished sense of sight is not a price anyone wants to pay to save. Quality healthcare and a solid surgical reputation can be quite costly fro proper treatment but well worth it.
One round of Lasik may not be enough.
Quite frequently patients, either soon after or years later in some cases, may need a touch-up. Or what people in the Lasik business call refinements. The more myopic (near-sighted) you are the greater the chances are that you'll need to have the Lasik procedure repeated which of course will cost you more money. When planning for paying for the procedure this factor can't be discounted.Talk to your doctor about your chances for having to repeat the surgery more than once. They should be able to give you some kind of idea as to how likely you are to have to go under the laser more than once.
I've read statistics that say it may be as high as 10-15% of patients who need repeat treatment. Again, it's a very important factor to keep in mind if you're budgeting for the procedure.
Custom Lasik is more expensive.
You may need a different type of Lasik such as Custom Lasik (sometimes referred to as Wavefront Lasik) which uses an extremely precise 3d measuring system to guide the re-shaping of the cornea in a way that regular Lasik does not. It's a more expensive process usually reserved for those with corneal aberrations that demand a higher level of care and precision than an ordinary Lasik re-shaping.
Your eye doctor will be able to tell you if you need custom (Wavefront-guided) Lasik surgery or some other type of surgical option. If you do then your overall costs for the process will go up.
Other Factors Affecting the Price of Lasik
There are other factors such as regional location or consultation/exam fees that will affect the price of your eye surgery somewhat but the three factors above are probably the most important in trying to figure out the potential cost of Lasik eye surgery.
