What
Does LASIK Surgery Cost? Average LASIK Prices Are Rising
LASIK prices have continued to climb in the past
decade, and many consumers are now not sure what the average cost
of LASIK surgery is. The rising prices are directly due to increased
technologies and new types of surgeries that are now available,
and prices continue to change as new technologies emerge. If you
are interested in LASIK surgery, cost should not be your main
concern; however you should be aware of the average cost that
LASIK surgeries are now. While you probably do not want to pay
much over the average of LASIK costs, you should approach facilities
that offer prices way below average costs with caution; keep in
mind you may get what you pay for.
The cost of LASIK is dependent on the type of
surgical procedure that is being performed. While some surgeries
are much less expensive than others, some LASIK patients cannot
qualify for the cheaper surgeries due to their level of myopia
or astigmatism, or if they have extremely thin corneas. In order
to find out which type of LASIK you qualify for, make an appointment
with an independent ophthalmologist.
The standard LASIK procedure where the top layer
of the cornea is cut and folded back using a microkeratome blade,
then the cornea is shaped is with an excimer laser, is on average
$1700 per eye. The IntraLASIK procedure, which is identical to
LASIK except that an IntraLase laser is used to remove the top
layer of the cornea instead of the microkeratome blade, is on
average $2300 per eye.
The procedures which correct vision through a
flapless technique, also known as surface ablation, are PRK, LASEK,
and Epi-LASIK. These procedures still use an excimer laser to
shape the cornea, but they use a finer blade to remove the epithelial
cells on top of the cornea. These procedures are normally performed
on patients who have extremely thin corneas. The average costs
of the flapless techniques are an average of $1750 per eye.
LASIK procedures which use Wavefront custom treatments,
such as Wavefront Flapless, Wavefront LASIK, and Wavefront IntraLASIK,
are normally much more expensive than other LASIK surgeries. This
is because of the wavefront technology that is used to custom
map the cornea before the surgery. The Wavefront Flapless procedure
is an average cost of $2000 per eye, the Wavefront LASIK procedure
is an average cost of $2050 per eye, and the Wavefront IntraLASIK
procedure is an average cost of $2400 per eye.
Keep in mind that the prices listed are only the
averages of the typical cost of these eye correction surgeries.
Additional costs can be incurred through pre-op exams, transportation
arrangements, post-op care, complications and medications, and
the level of myopia or astigmatism being corrected. The location
of the surgery itself can also contribute to higher LASIK procedure
costs as well. For example, top of the line LASIK institutions
have a lot of overhead costs and surgeries, and these facilities
are usually a bit higher due to the overhead costs that must be
met; though many LASIK patients feel more comfortable and secure
at these institutions than they would with an independent surgeon
or private facility.
