Counting the Cost of LASIK Eye Surgery

It is understandable that the cost of LASIK eye surgery will be a hot button issue since it is the most popular type of eye surgery for myopic and astigmatic Americans today.

If the numbers continue to grow the way they have in the last five years, by 2007, over 11 million Americans will have had some kind of laser eye surgery done to their eyes to correct vision. Only 1% of these procedures will not be a form of LASIK surgery.

LASIK eye surgery costs a lot more than wearing glasses or disposable contact lenses. But many people around the world still opt for the procedure because it offers a convenient surgical remedy to a bothersome problem that could affect the quality of life.

A large number of LASIK patients have also grown or are intolerant of contact lenses and find that it limits the activities they engage in. They are attracted by a surgical procedure that will take only minutes of their time and will cause them very minimal discomfort and very little to no pain.

This is the reason why the vision correction industry in America is so fast-growing that laser eye centers have mushroomed all over the nation in the past few years. Many established ophthalmologists have also diversified to include LASIK procedures in the services they offer.

And Americans bothered by the tiresome effects of myopia and astigmatism do not mind paying $1,500 to $2,500 per eye to benefit from LASIK.

Modes of Financing

The cost of LASIK eye surgery can be restrictive and many patients would rather wait and save to be able to afford a procedure that cannot be reversed and must, therefore, be committed to only after lots of thought.

Many patients are also understandably careful about committing to a procedure that will be performed on their eyes and so desire the maximum benefits that technology can offer, such as a laser to make the incision on the cornea (IntraLASIK) rather than a metal blade (microkeratome).

The high cost of technology, however, can be a problem because, unlike the cost of regular, non-cosmetic medical procedures, the cost of LASIK eye surgery is not covered by most insurance plans.

What some employees do is this - they approach their employers to make arrangements with a nearby LASIK eye center for a group discount. Then the employers either offer LASIK as an additional employee benefit or shoulder the cost and allow employees to pay via salary deduction.

Another alternative is to choose from the growing number of reputable centers that offer cost of LASIK eye surgery financing plans to their patients.

To look for a reputable surgeon in your area that offers a financing plan, check out the website of the nonprofit organization that reviews the refractive techniques of doctors in America, the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance, at http://www.usaeyes.org.