Lasik Eye Surgery - How Much Does it Cost?

So, you have decided to undergo LASIK eye surgery. Your eye doctor has cleared you as a good candidate and you have learned about and considered all the risks involved, and you have decided to have the surgery. But now, a couple of questions remain. How much is the procedure going to cost? And why is there so much variation in the cost of LASIK procedures?

The cost of LASIK procedures depends on a number of aspects. The most variable factor to cost is the patient's current eyesight. If a person's eyesight is worse, then the procedure is going to cost more per eye due to extensive correction. A discount LASIK center may advertise their lowest cost, and that cost would be most likely for a person with average or minimum refraction correction. The only constant in costs for LASIK surgery is that the costs are determined per eye.

The cost of LASIK surgery also varies by location. According to the Review of Ophthalmology, in 2003 the average cost for LASIK eye surgery was $1,700. However, the averages in the Midwest and South were $100-$200 less. The lowest minimum cost for LASIK was found in the West in 2003. Next, lowest minimum was found in the Midwest. The survey was compiled out of the responses of 60 surgeons. The Review of Ophthalmology did a follow-up survey several months later and found that prices had risen in just few short months. The average price for LASIK nationwide had increased to over $1,750 by July. The original survey was taken in February; just a four month period. But at the same time, prices increased in regions and decreased in others. Essentially, these statistics further demonstrate the varying costs of LASIK depending on eye refraction correction and the surgeon.

According to All About Vision.com in 2002 the average price of LASIK was between $1,550 and $1,600. By fall of 2003, the number had risen to $1,710 and to more than $1,800 by the end of the 2004. In the second quarter of 2005, it was reported that the average cost of LASIK was $1,965. AllAboutVision.com also reports that the highly-advertised multi center TLC Laser Eye Centers' prices have also risen over the years. The average in 2002 was $1,800. By the end of 2004, that average price had reached $1,957. By the second quarter of the 2005, the average TLC's LASIK surgery was running around $1,983.

AllAboutVision also reports on another recognizable name in the LASIK eye surgery market: LasikPlus. The reported average price in the second quarter of 2005 for LasikPlus customers was $1,344. That number is up a bit from the first quarter of 2003. Reported averages from that quarter were $1,173. However, those changes in cost are not as significant as the increases seen with TLC Laser Eye Centers. The differences could be upgrades in technology. More patients could be opting to spend a bit more money to have the latest in technology, or to have custom LASIK performed, which uses a more advanced technology called wavefront.

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