What You Should Know About Paying for LASIK - Important Eye Care Information

The cost of LASIK varies widely from one provider to another. The cost also depends on several other factors. There is however on aspect of the price that is the same with all providers and that is the price will be quoted per eye. Any prices you see in this article will also be a price for one eye.

One of the factors of the price can be the technology that will be used in the vision correction surgery. You may be charged for the use of wavefront analysis, for all laser or bladeless LASIK. In the LASIK procedure a laser is used instead of a bladed instrument to create the flap on the front of the eye. This flap is then lifted so that the laser energy can be applied to shape the eye, and then replaced to serve as a type of natural bandage.

A leading industry analyst in 2008 listed average LASIK costs as $2,105 for all laser-based vision correction procedures, $1662 for non-customized LASIK using a bladed instrument called microkeratome and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis. $2,341 for wavefront-guided LASIK using IntraLase.

There can be wide variation in what an advertised price will include. You want to watch out for advertising that promises LASIK from $499 per eye. Make sure to read the fine print. Usually there are only a very few people who are actually eligible for the procedure at prices that are that low. This is because most eyes require more corrections or more follow-up visits after the surgery.

The trend in the last year or so has been toward less expensive prices for traditional LASIK procedures that do not use more expensive options. A leading analyst in 2008 said 11 percent of these procedures cost less than $1,000 per eye during 2007. In the year 2007, however, only 6.9 percent of conventional LASIK procedures cost less than $1,000 per eye.

Traditional procedures are performed with the less expensive option of bladed microkeratomes and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis. Most customized wavefront procedures use laser-created flaps, which cost from $1,500 to $3,000 per eye.

Because of the major economic downturn in late 2008, the cost of LASIK and other vision correction surgery may continue to become constant or possibly even decrease in 2009.

The good news is that there are payment options and financing is available to cut the cost of LASIK into small monthly payments. If you are considering have LASIK performed on one or both of your eyes, talk to your surgeon about the cost of the procedure and the financing options available. Many eye surgeons offer a variety of payment options to their patients. Some surgeons work with local and national banks in order to provide low interest monthly payment plans for their patients.

To learn more about custom LASIK surgery, PRK, and other eye care treatments, it is important to locate skilled LASIK eye surgeons near Tacoma to receive the information you need.