How Much Does Lasik Vision Surgery Cost

February 28, 2009 by Michael Spector  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

by Michael Spector

One of the first questions people will ask before deciding on lasik vision correction is “how much does lasik eye surgery cost?” The good news is, while medical costs have sky-rocketed over the past 10 years, lasik vision correction has stayed relatively stable. Considering the advances in the technology, the costs have proven to be very reasonable. Much of this has to do with the fact that insurance typically won’t cover the cost of lasik surgery. When insurance covers your medical costs you tend to concern yourself less with the actual cost. That’s not the case with lasik. Everyone is shopping for the best deal available.

Remember, lasik surgery prices are quoted per eye. Even if you’re having both eyes worked on, it’s still a per eye charge. Most of the studies you find will show an average cost in 2008 and 2009 of $2100 per eye. Still, you’ll find some lasik surgeons charging a little more based on office expenses as well as equipment costs. If you shop around you should be able to find a very qualified doctor at or new $2000 per eye.

If you live in a more rural area, you may find prices slightly lower than these averages. At the same time, you may not have the latest equipment available to you. This may not matter in your decision; after all, 5 year old equipment worked just fine 5 years ago when it was cutting edge. If you do want to get the latest advances at the most affordable cost, it may be advantageous for you to look at the closest metropolitan area for your surgery. Because the recovery time is so mild and relatively quick, some people will make a semi-vacation out of the surgery. A Friday surgery, weekend recovery and then a few days to explore the city with your new set of eyes.

One of the changes in lasik surgery over the past few years that will contribute to the cost is something called IntraLase or bladeless lasik surgery. With this procedure, a laser, rather than a blade, is used to open up the corneal flap. It’s become rather common place with most laser eye surgeons, but it’s still an optional item at an additional cost of about $250 per eye. Most agree its well worth it.

It’s true; you can usually save a bit of money by shopping around for the best deal, but be careful when you see supposed “bargain” prices for your lasik surgery. There have been some lawsuits filed and won over the past few years based on this practice. When you see those extremely low prices, make sure you find out if there are ANY additional costs that COULD show up on your bill. Be extremely wary if you’re being asked to pay a non-refundable deposit on your surgery. Most experts recommend not engaging in any contract that would require this.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the cost of your lasik vision correction. Office space and equipment are a large part of those costs as is the staff you see around the office. Another big factor in the cost is advertising. You most likely see ads for lasik vision in the newspaper or coupon mailers every week. That costs money and it’s passed on to you, the patient. With any medical procedure, there is going to be a high cost of insurance for the surgeon. Believe it or not, there’s even a royalty paid to the company that invented the lasik surgery technology. They license that technology to each doctor who pays a little over $100 each time they perform the procedure.

Many of the larger laser eye surgery centers will offer very affordable payment plans. These will often include no money down and even no interest charges. Be sure you shop around for the best deal. Remember, you’re borrowing money, so remember to look at costs if your decide to pay off the loan early or late fees which can quickly add in additional charges and may even suddenly introduce a very high interest rate.

When it comes to your eyes, going the budget route is rarely a good idea. Be smart with your money but don’t let it force you into using an inferior process by a doctor you’re not completely comfortable with. There are plenty of ways to work high quality lasik vision correction into your family budget; cutting corners shouldn’t be one of them.

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You And Eye Diseases

February 26, 2009 by AMED  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

health news

No one wants to get eye diseases but it can happen to anyone. If you listen to health news, then you will understand that there are many different issues that can affect the eyes. The only way that you can help yourself is to make sure that you are following a healthy lifestyle. This is not a guarantee that you will never get sick, but it is a step in the right direction.

There’s so many diseases that can affect the eyes that it is hard to keep track of them all. Luckily, there are trained professionals, such as eye doctors, who are specialized in this area. Sometimes eye problems can happen due to eyestrain or a person not taking care of their eyes correctly, yet there are others who are genetically predisposed. Open angle glaucoma and angle closure glaucoma, cataracts, dry eye, pink eye and eye infections are some of the many things that can affect just about anyone. Some diseases are curable and some are not. There are some that can be stopped in their tracks and stopped from advancing, and there are some diseases that can be reversed totally. If you are having any type of eye trouble, then you need to have an eye exam and determine what your specific condition is. Once determined by an eye specialist, you will gain the knowledge of how to take care of whatever eye health issue you have.

Glaucoma and cataracts are two very serious types of eye diseases. These are the two main diseases that come to mind for most people when they think about diseases having to do with the eyes. While not every eye disease that you can contract is serious and can cause blindness, some can be very annoying and irritating. The good news is that with regular eye exams and taking care of your health, any disease or infection can usually be eradicated totally in a short matter of time. There are some eye problems that cannot be taken care of quickly or easily, and early detection is the key to having the best results. If you’re going to need to have any type of surgery on your eyes, then you’ll want to know that as early as possible, so the surgery can be successful.

Taking care of your body and your eyes should be your first priority in life. Eyesight is considered one of the top rated of the five senses, and you don’t want any eye diseases destroying your vision. Making sure that you get regular eye examinations is the first offense and the best defense against any type of eye problem.

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Acute Glaucoma Is A Very Threatening Eye Disease

February 23, 2009 by AMED  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

eyesight

Acute glaucoma is a disease that affects the eyes and it is one of the major causes of blindness in the United States. There are four types of glaucoma and all of them can wreak havoc with your eyesight. Most people who are diagnosed with glaucoma have had no symptoms; this is why it is important to have regular eye exams. This disease affects eye health and is relentless unless stopped.

There are four types of glaucoma, but acute glaucoma is different in that it can develop suddenly and do serious damage in a short amount of time. It usually works by causing pressure to be increased within the eye. Generally, this happens slowly and the person is not aware of what is going on. In this type of glaucoma the pressure increases suddenly and this increase in pressure is very painful. The pain can become so intense that it can make a person vomit and even lose consciousness. This is very serious and usually requires a trip to the emergency room. An eye doctor needs to be consulted immediately and if treatment is delayed, then eyesight can be permanently destroyed.

Acute glaucoma is extremely serious; however, if there is any positive aspect to this disease, then that would have to be that with this type there is immediate knowledge that a problem is present. With other forms of glaucoma, many times the individual has no idea that they have this eye disease. The other eye picks up the slack in a sense, and this allows a person to go on without having any idea of the damage that is being done. If this damage is not discovered in a timely manner, then the person can eventually go blind. The bad part about glaucoma, aside from the fact that is a insidious, is the fact that once the damage is done it cannot be reversed. So it is imperative to discover glaucoma as early as possible. Many of the glaucoma attacks occur when a person is under stress or in a darkened room. In the dark and when under stress, the pupils dilate, which causes greater contact between the eyes lens and the iris. There are some drugs that can cause pupils to dilate and bring on an attack, such as anti-depressants, antihistamines, nausea medications and some cold medications.

The fact is that glaucoma is a very serious eye disease. Many people do not realize how serious glaucoma can be. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. However, if it is caught early, then it can be treated and in most cases vision can be saved. Acute glaucoma has immediate symptoms that cannot be ignored.

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Lasik Eye Surgery Problems – What Are The Risks Of Corrective Eye Surgery?

February 22, 2009 by AMED  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

Many people with vision corrections problems were very pleased with the results offered by Lasik eye surgery. Even if the percentage is in favour of the patients, there are still some risks and complications to be considered and they should all be explained by the surgeon before the procedure.

You and your surgeon will meet for a pre-operative visit and he´ll exam your eyes and will establish if you´re a good candidate or not for the procedure. Also, this is probably the best time to ask all the important questions in order to find all the details about the price, the surgeon´s qualification and also about the follow-up care.

During the refractive eye surgery, the following risks can appear: some people can develop debilitating visual symptoms (double vision or halos), some of them can lose the lines of vision, the treatment for the visual capabilities can be too little or too much and some patients might still need glasses or contacts after the procedure.

Also, some patients can develop dry eye syndrome and for others the results can he highly influenced by their age. Before the surgery, the doctor will explain all these risks and he´ll help you decide what´s best for your health.

It is very important for you to understand that long-term data are not available on Lasik because this technology has just been introduced in hospitals. All the tests and the results vote in favour of this procedure but if you think about any additional tests you should take into consideration all the possible risks and complications.

In most cases, the complications were successfully solved and after the surgery the patient was very pleased with the results. At this point the surgeon´s level of expertise plays an important role because if he performs a quality surgery the result can completely eliminate the glasses and the contacts from the patient´s life.

Also, you might want to ask your doctor for references because other patients can help you make up your mind faster about this procedure.

Learn what are the common lasik eye surgery problems that can happen at my lasik eye surgery site.

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Is It Unhealthy to Switch Prescription Glasses from Day to Day?

February 19, 2009 by Amy Nutt  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

by Amy Nutt

Have you ever heard a mom tell her child not to wear someone elses glasses because it will ruin his eyes? This common belief comes from the thought that straining to see out of a wrong prescription can damage your eyes. Similarly, some believe that it is unhealthy to switch prescription glasses from day to day. Is there any truth to this thought, or is it simple an “old wives” tale?

The Truth About Your Eyes

So can a different prescription harm your eyes? The answer to this question begins with understanding what causes eye problems to begin with. Poor eyesight is caused by the shape of the eye. While prolonged exposure to certain activities, such as reading or watching TV, when the eye is developing can change its shape, in general you cannot damage the shape of your eye by one or two actions, such as wearing someone elses glasses or changing between prescriptions from day to day.

Why Do You Need to Switch?

If you are concerned about the safety of switching between prescription glasses on a regular basis, consider the reason why you need to switch. Are you switching between reading glasses and glasses for nearsightedness? Do you need to wear safety lenses at work? Perhaps you are switching between regular prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses. Some people even feel that a weaker prescription works better for them when they are using the computer or reading, and a stronger prescription is necessary when driving or looking long distances.

Possible Alternatives

If you are concerned about constantly switching between prescriptions, you may have some alternatives. If you are switching because you need reading glasses and regular glasses, you have probably found this to be incredibly inconvenient. You have to always remember to bring your reading glasses with you, and they are very easy to forget. You also have to switch every time the need to read arises, whether to write a check at the grocery store, scan the magazines to find an interesting headline, or check the price of your purchases before putting them in your cart. An alternative to this situation is to get bifocals. Todays bifocals are as fashionable as regular glasses, and bifocal contact lenses are also available this will eliminate the hassle of always dealing with two pairs of glasses.

Perhaps you are wishing to wear sunglasses but want to avoid the look of clip-ons. One option for you would be to purchase special lenses that darken when you are in the sun. Otherwise, keep your prescription sunglasses in the car, and switch when you are driving. There is no danger in doing this, although it is a slight hassle.

Another option for some people may be to have laser surgery to eliminate the need for glasses. This is not always ideal, due in part to the cost and also to the risks associated with laser eye surgery. Be sure to discuss all of the potential risks before you sign up for this procedure.

So Is There Any Danger?

Research has shown that switching between prescription glasses from day to day does not cause permanent damage, so if it works for you, go ahead and do it. However, some people experience headaches when they switch from one pair of cheap glasses to another as their eyes attempt to adjust to the new prescription. Also, eyestrain is a common problem associated with switching from one prescription to another. These issues do not cause permanent damage, but they can be uncomfortable. However, if you do not suffer from eyestrain or headaches, and switching makes life more convenient, then continue to do it without worry!

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