Cheap Lasik

If you’ve been shopping around for laser eye surgery centres you may find some practices are costly and some offer cheap lasik. If all ophthalmologists need to pass stringent tests to be able to practice, then why is there such a price discrepancy? And is it a case of you get what you pay for with cheap laser eye treatment?

Firstly, it is important to note that laser eye surgery is generally a once off treatment. Since there is no recurring costs involved, over the lifetime of the surgery the cost per year is extremely low.

Even so, the price can range from $3000 to $7000 so why not save $4000 if possible?

To understand the cost of laser eye surgery, you need to know what you are paying for.

  • Equipment – laser eye treatment utilizes cutting edge technology. The computerized machines used in this intricate procedure cost millions of dollars and so the cost is passed on to the consumer.
  • Doctor’s experience – Would you rather have a doctor who has done this procedure 10,000 times or merely 100 times? Even though the bulk of the procedure involves pre-surgical tests and the results plugged into the computer guided laser, the ophthalmologist is important because if things go wrong (which rarely happen) you do not want a doctor who hesitates. Rather, you want one who has seen it all.
  • Advertising – lets face it. Laser eye treatment is a business and money is needed to pull people like you towards a certain practice. And just like equipment costs, advertising costs are passed to the consumer.
  • Insurance – as with all optional surgeries, the insurance fees of your ophthalmologist is high.
  • The cost of a second operation – time is money. And your doctor’s time is worth aLOTof money. In a small amount of cases, laser eye surgery needs to be done more than once as the results were not perfect. If this happens, your ophthalmologist is effectively cutting his/her pay in half.

 

Now if you’ve found a laser eye treatment centre which is offering cheap lasik you may find the following true:

 

The price is for one eye only

You may be asking “Who needs only one eye lasered?”. In fact, some people only have issues with one eye, though this is not the majority. Sneaky advertising will catch your attention with the price for a single eye, however, you may need to double this if you need lasik on both eyes.

 

You have to pay for follow up visits

After laser eye surgery you will have to see your eye specialist regularly for up to 6 months. Cheaper offerings make you pay for subsequent consultations.

 

No guarantee of success

No practice will fully guarantee successful surgery. In fact all practices will make you sign a waiver before the initial examination takes place. Quality practices, however, will offer follow up treatments at no charge if they believe they can make your vision better with more surgery. This is not uncommon practice and is something you need to be ready for.

 

Anaesthetic is not included

That’s right, the advertised price is for the laser itself. Cheap lasik is literal in this case as the whole package is not spelled out, even in the fine print. As with most surgeries, anaesthetic is costly and even though it is only local anaesthetic with laser eye surgery, some practices will add this on as an extra. Trust me, you want the anaesthetic.

 

Older equipment is used

Lasik eye surgery is relatively new and with all new technology the next generation of equipment is just on the horizon. Some practices even have new and old equipment but offer the older methods at a cheaper price. A common example of this is using a microkeratome to create the flap in the eye rather than a laser (intralase)

 

Wavefront imaging

Wavefront lasik eye treatment is a subset of lasik in which the aberrations of your cornea is mapped and taken into consideration when performing laser eye treatments. The outcome is better night vision and more defined eye sight over all. This is now the gold standard in lasik and some practices offer it as an add on service. It comes highly recommended.

 

The vast majority of patients I see who have had laser eye surgery have commented “best thing I’ve ever spent my money on” and “should have done it sooner”.

In the end, the price seems justified and soon forgotten. As with cheap lasik, if the results aren’t favourable, it may never be forgotten.

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Laser eye treatment was originally invented to benefit those who needed spectacles by eliminating their reliance on said eyewear.

So if I told you that you still needed to wear glasses after laser eye treatment would you still go through with it?

I’m guessing you’d say “no”.

What if at the moment you had two spectacles, one which you use to see in the distance and a different pair of reading or near work and I said laser eye surgery would eliminate the need for one of those sets? (more…)

Can I Go Blind From Laser Eye Treatment?

Losing your sight is a scary thought. Imagine trying to do daily activities such as caring for your children or performing at your current job without your primary sense. It is nigh on impossible.

The idea of going blind from laser eye treatment may be what stops you from proceeding with the operation.

But is this a valid reason? (more…)

Things Laser Eye Treatment Can’t Fix

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However, there are still some things laser eye treatment cannot fix. (more…)

Can I Drive After Laser Eye Treatment?

You may find driving, like a lot of people, a crucial part of your everyday life. One important aspect of driving is vision. Without good vision, driving becomes a dangerous activity for yourself, your passengers as well as others on the road.

So will you be able to drive safely after laser eye treatment? (more…)

Laser Eye Treatment for Children

Good vision is essential for the growth and coordination of the eyes. This is especially important before the age of 8. An uncorrected eye when young can lead to permanent poor vision and lazy eyes and so early eye examinations are paramount to good vision later in life.

The most common form of vision correction when young is with spectacles and sometimes contact lenses.

But is laser eye treatment a good solution? (more…)

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration (MD) is an eye condition in which the part of the retina which corresponds to central vision (the macula) progressively deteriorates, affecting your ability to discern fine details. (more…)

How Do I Know If I Have Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is when the front of your eyeball (cornea) is not round (like a basketball) but more like an egg shape or a football shape. A significant amount of astigmatism will cause blurry vision at distance as well as up close.

Astigmatism is common but how can you tell if you have astigmatism? (more…)