-- Costs And Prices To Expect --
One thing you need to know about lasik eye surgery is what it will cost you. Like most people, you don′t want to be surprised by any unexpected costs at the last minute. It would be nice if price were no object, but for most of us, it is.
As you look for a lasik surgery provider, you will likely be bombarded with advertising that makes the surgery sound very inexpensive. It might actually be less costly than you would think, but there are some factors to be aware of.
Don′t think that the price given covers both eyes. It never does; only one eye is included in the package. The price will be double that for two eyes.
Beware, too, of advertising that offers lasik eye surgery at unbelievably low prices. These might apply to a small minority of people, if that.
There are two ways to price the lasik eye surgery. One is to price it as a package per eye. 40% of surgeons price this way. The other is to charge for each procedure. That means you would be charged for the mapping of your eye done by the wavefront technology.
You would also be charged extra if a separate laser (IntraLase) is used to cut the corneal flap rather than using a blade. Then, of course, the cost of the actual surgery is included. If the price is especially low, ask how much testing will be done before surgery. Failure to test properly could cause an inferior outcome.
If you come across a clinic offering lasik at a very low price, say under $700, don't give them a deposit that isn't refundable should you decide to back out. Your prescription may be too strong to qualify for the low price, too. Also, if the price doesn′t include the postoperative visits, you will be paying an additional price for those.
One group of eye clinics has fairly high prices. As of 2007, the average cost per eye is about $2000. This usually includes only the lasik eye surgery. The wavefront technology and the IntraLase cost extra. This adds about $500 per eye. So, the total price to get two eyes done would be around $5000.
Another lasik surgery provider charges about $1400 per eye. According to one study, the overall average price of lasik eye surgery, including wavefront analysis and IntraLase, was about $2400 per eye. For the standard procedure without these extras, the average price was around $1700.
Lasik eye surgery seems expensive to some. For the newest technology, you are looking at up to $5000 for both eyes. However, if you consider all the years of clear vision you will acquire, it may not seem like so much.