What Determines Laser Eye Surgery Price?

Laser eye surgery price is dependent on many factors. One of them is location. Based on a Review of Ophthalmology survey conducted in 2003, the highest laser eye surgery prices in America are found in the South, followed very closely by the Northeast.

On the other hand, eye centers and clinics in the Midwest experienced the highest laser eye surgery price hikes in a five-month period. The same survey reported that laser eye surgeons in the West charged the lowest laser eye surgery prices. Moreover, the average laser eye surgery price in the West experienced the smallest increase within a five-month period.

The survey focused on prices of LASIK surgery. LASIK makes up 99% of all laser eye surgery procedures performed in America today.

The laser eye surgery price for LASIK at a reputable center costs between $1,500 and $2,500 an eye. Prices are lower for packages that include both eyes.

The average price of a basic LASIK procedure grew as follows in the last four years:

• 2003 = $1,710 per eye


• 2004 = $1,800 per eye


• 2005 = $1,965 per eye


• 2006 (Q1) = $2,052 per eye

Surgeon Experience

Another factor that affects laser eye surgery price is the surgeon's experience. A study in the medical journal Ophthalmology revealed that the likelihood of complications arising from laser surgery decreases after a surgeon has performed 1,000 surgeries.

Many reputable surgeons also guarantee their services, backing it up with an assurance or a contract that if succeeding treatments are needed on the operated eye, the patient will receive them absolutely free.

It is normal for laser eye surgeons to guarantee the results of the laser procedure for 12 months after surgery.

Royalties

Some laser surgical procedures cost more than others not only because they make use of more expensive hardware, but also because the surgeon or center pays royalties to the manufacturer.

For example, a regular excimer laser manufacturer will charge the surgeon $100 to $150 per eye, which must be added to the cost of the basic procedure. More expensive, custom laser procedures require $145 to $250 per eye in royalties.

Other customized procedures such as IntraLASIK, where the corneal flap is created with a laser rather than a metal blade (microkeratome), cost more. Wavefront technology, where vision correction is guided digitally, is another more expensive procedure.

Although complications have been observed in only less than 1% of LASIK patients, many opt for costlier procedures since it gives them confidence that their eyes will be protected–not only from the likelihood of complications but also against the possibility that they may get less than the maximum results that laser surgery offers.

Since the eyes, as one of the most important organs of the body, are responsible for much of the enjoyment a person gets out of life, many people do not mind paying extra for results that they would have to live with for the rest of their lives.