For anyone considering LASIK eye surgery, cost is an important factor. The variables affecting the cost of LASIK eye surgery are not overtly complex, but worthwhile to be familiar with. Before moving forward, you should be sure to be fully aware of the average costs of LASIK, factors that affect the price, what to be wary of in advertisements, and questions to ask your surgeon.

Current prices for LASIK procedures generally range from $1,000 to $3,000 per eye, with an average of around $2,000 per eye. Major factors responsible for the price differences are the amount of treatment needed, and the type of technology used for the procedure.

photo credit: mmahaffie

The amount of treatment required varies from person to person, and therefore the price of LASIK is a little different for everyone. The main difference in technology is that some procedures use a blade called a microkeratome to make a flap on the front of the eye, while other procedures use a laser. A more recent development with LASIK surgery technology is called wavefront analysis. Wavefront analysis is used to make a map of the aberrations in your eyes to help customize a LASIK treatment for you. Procedures using microkeratome average $1,750, procedures with laser-created flaps average $2,140, while procedures using wavefront analysis average $2,315.

There are two important things to be aware of when looking at advertisements for LASIK. First and foremost, all prices and quotes are for one eye. An advertisement quoting $1,500 for LASIK means $3,000 for both eyes. Secondly, be skeptical of ads that have prices far below the averages. Ads with very low prices generally refer to people who need very little treatment, or only to the deposit.

To further educate yourself, don’t be shy about asking your surgeon a few questions about the price. At the very least, be sure you are clear on what is included in the price, as well as what is not included. Questions about medications, follow up visits and the rare event of complications are also good to ask. Most surgeons include pre-operative visits and testing, standard medications, and follow up visits in their fees. Find out if this is the case with your surgeon.

By taking a little time to educate yourself about the cost of LASIK, you can be sure to avoid surprises later on.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 10:13 pm and is filed under LASIK. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.