Is The Cost Of Laser Eye Surgery Too High?

May 28, 2009 by AMED  
Filed under Eye Care Articles

laser eye surgeons

Many people these days are very interested in the various types of corrective eye surgery that is available. One of the most popular types of procedures is Lasik vision surgery and it is popular because it is fast, usually taking only 15 to 20 minutes, the recovery is quick and the risk is very low. And, for many people the cost of Lasik eye surgery is minimal when they compare the benefit of not having to deal with losing (or breaking) their eyeglasses or the need to fuss with contact lenses.

In general, the cost will vary quite a bit depending on the exact type of corrective eye surgery that you need. The price of a Lasik procedure can also be affected by the type of facility you choose, whether the Lasik eye surgery center is affiliated with a hospital or not, the country where you reside and the region of the country where you live.

While it is easy enough to find slick advertisements that claim the cost of Lasik eye surgery can be as low as $500 per eye, this is generally not the full cost. After more careful study, people will find the true cost to be closer to $1,000 (per eye) and if a particular Lasik eye doctor is wanted for the procedure, then it could be upwards of $2,500 per corrected eye.

Unfortunately, aside from the many benefits of corrective eye surgery, the high cost simply puts it out of range for many people. This is especially true for those who have no type of insurance coverage to help pay for some of the expense. Even for those who do have optical insurance, many will find their coverage limited. Many insurance policies exclude this type of laser eye surgery altogether because they consider it to be optional and not necessary, since in most cases the vision can be improved with some type of corrective lenses.

However, there are many people who have sufficient resources and motivation that are not at all put off by the cost of eye surgery. Some people value the convenience of never having to wear glasses again. Others look forward to never having to deal with the fuss of changing and cleaning contact lenses. Still other’s are motivated by vanity and don’t want anyone to know that they had a vision problem that needed correction.

Regardless of the reasons why people seek out corrective eye surgery, there are many laser eye surgeons being kept happily in business by the demand of this procedure, regardless of the cost. Part of the reason why it has become such a popular practice is because a large segment of the population is comprised of the baby-boomer generation, ranging in age from 45 to 65, who are experiencing vision deterioration.

Regardless of the cost of Lasik eye surgery, this procedure is not an appropriate solution for all kinds of vision conditions that people would like to correct. The three main types of vision problems that Lasik laser eye surgery can correct are farsightedness, nearsightedness, and mild to moderate forms of astigmatism. Other types of vision difficulties would require other types of corrective eye surgery or might only be addressed with corrective contact lenses or eyeglasses.