LASIK, How It Works, Cost, Risks…CLICK to Discover

The costs associated with LASIK aren’t an arbitrary number decided on by the surgeons. They are actually calculated according to many factors, including the surgeon’s experience, geographic location, and expenses. So how much does LASIK eye laser surgery cost, and how much of this cost is typically covered by insurance?

Typically, patients can expect to pay $500 to $2,500 per eye. Why does LASIK eye laser surgery cost so much? Because it costs money to perform surgery. At eye surgery centers, the final LASIK eye laser surgery cost depends on how much the surgeon has had to spend on surgical team fees, anesthesia, disposable surgical equipment, laser maintenance, malpractice insurance, and much more. Surgeons have to advertise to draw in business, so marketing costs are factored in as well. Also, patients should expect pre-surgical screenings and post-surgical check-ups for twelve months following their procedure. Their LASIK eye laser surgery cost will include these exams.

There are other factors that can increase the LASIK eye laser surgery cost. For example, patients with severe vision problems might need custom LASIK. This procedure makes a 3D map of the surface of the cornea, allowing the LASIK surgeon to provide customized reshaping for maximum effect. IntraLase, or bladeless LASIK, is also slightly more expensive than the traditional procedure.

Patients often wonder if the LASIK eye laser surgery cost varies by region. It does tend to be more expensive around large cities because of the higher cost of living associated with such areas. The surgeon’s level of skill and experience also affect the price of surgery. Doctors who are highly sought-after will charge more than their lesser-known counterparts. On the other hand, very low prices might indicate a new surgeon or an assembly-line approach to LASIK. Go with a reasonably priced center, but avoid bargain basement LASIK at all costs. You don’t want to sacrifice your vision in the name of frugality.

How much of the LASIK eye laser surgery cost will be covered by insurance? Unfortunately, most American insurance companies consider LASIK to be “not medically necessary”. Therefore, the surgery isn’t usually covered by insurance. Some student plans, such as Aetna, have been known to cover the cost of LASIK for college students.

Even if your plan doesn’t cover the procedure, there are still some steps you can take to offset your LASIK eye laser surgery cost. For example, see if your employer will partner with a vision center to get discounted rates for their employees. If your job offers a health spending or flexible spending account, put money into it each month so that you can use it to fund your LASIK procedure. Finally, if you qualify, most LASIK clinics offer their own financing. You could get your surgery with no down payment and deferred interest, making it more affordable.

Though most Americans have to pay for their own LASIK surgery, they feel that the results are worth the expense. Should you decide to go forward with LASIK, budget $1,000 to $5,000 for both eyes and don’t depend on insurance coverage.

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If you look at statistics from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery you’ll find that just 5% of all people that have lasik eye surgery are dissatisfied with the results. This seems pretty darn good to me, especially after wearing glasses and contacts for the past 35 years.

I’ve often considered lasik eye surgery and as I get older and the technology improves, lasik looks more and more appealing. The idea of no more contact lenses or glasses is extremely appealing, especially since there are some situations like sports and swimming where they are a hindrance. I can just imagine waking in the morning, opening my eye and actually being able to see more than three feet in front of me. In the past lasik eye surgery was less reliable and more expensive, but now it seems like the time may be right.

What needs to be considered are the pros and cons of lasik as well as the cost of the eye surgery.

The obvious pro is that you’ll have perfect vision, perhaps for the first time in your life. You’ll no longer need to depend on contacts and glasses to see. Another advantage is that lasik surgery is pain free and for most the recovery is fast. There is also very little risk of infection with lasik since the surgery is performed with lasers, especially if you have IntraLase bladeless lasik.

While there are few disadvantages, if you’re one of the 5% that is dissatisfied with your lasik surgery the disadvantages will become huge. While recovery from lasik eye surgery is quick for most people, some heal more slowly than others. It is possible to have to wait several months for your vision to be completely perfect. This is only a disadvantage in that you may need patience before your vision is completely corrected. A worse disadvantage is for those for whom lasik has complications. These complications can range from problems with halos and glaring to night vision to worse vision after the surgery. In most cases these complications go away by themselves, but for some additional surgery may be required. And for a very few unlucky people lasik eye surgery may actually make their vision worse and there will be no way to correct this.

When looking a lasik surgery prices you’ll find that they differ from doctor to doctor and clinic to clinic. This is why it makes sense to shop around and get quotes from several doctors. While prices may be similar, you could save several hundred dollars by shopping around. Also, don’t believe the advertisements for super cheap lasik, in most cases these prices don’t include everything and you’ll end up paying much more. The typical “average” price for lasik eye surgery seems to be around $1500 per eye.

Finally, you’ll find that lasik eye surgery is usually not covered by insurance because it is considered cosmetic surgery. You may however be able to get a discount from the laser eye surgery center so don’t be afraid to ask during your consultation.

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Finding the right LASIK MD should not be very difficult if you know what to look for and more importantly what is important. Today, with the increased popularity of Lasik eye surgery, it’s possible to find doctors and eye centers now advertising using direct mail and newspaper ads. Although this may be a way to start the search for the right Lasik surgeon, it’s not the way to decide who will do the procedure

LASIK is the most popular refractive surgery procedure used today and stands for Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. Due to advances in technology, there are newer procedures however most are focused on delivering a better result for the patient. Due to the increase in popularity, the price of refractive corrective surgery has continued to drop

Do not assume however that the way to find the right doctor is by price alone. Here’s a short checklist to see if the doctors or eye care facilities that are being considered should stay on the short list of possible prospects

Education. Medical licenses are typically a general authorization to practice almost any type of medicine. Just being a medical doctor isn’t enough. Look for someone with specialized refractive eye surgery education. Although all ophthalmologists are considered specialists, they all aren’t qualified to do refractive surgery.

Experience. How many of the surgeries has the doctor successfully completed? Although technology continues to make it easier to obtain a satisfactory result, experience does matter.

Equipment and procedure to be used. Today there are many difference “flavors” of Lasik. Customer Lasik using Wavefront technology offers some of the latest advances in this field. No need to go to someone using yesterday’s technology when the newest equipment is out there and available.

Finally, there’s price. Looking in almost any major city Sunday newspaper and it becomes evident where the larger eye centers and Lasik Centers are located. These are the ones that advertise using expensive full page and color pages in the newspaper. Although most focus on price, note that due to their size, these groups and Lasik surgeons typically do a lot of business. This means experience! It also suggests that they have the capital to purchase the latest equipment. So don’t be quick to eliminate the heavy advertisers without due consideration.

Finding the right Lasik MD is not difficult considering the growth of this field. Due to competition, many doctors and eye centers, even those using the latest technological advances, are very price competitive. The most important part of finding the right medical facility to doctor is not to decide who will do your procedure based solely on price alone

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If you have vision problems I’m sure you know about lasik surgery already and you’ve probably noticed that the cost of lasik eye surgery has been decreasing. Even though the prices for eye surgery will depend on where you’re located and what type of surgery you need to correct your vision overall eye surgery prices have been in a downward trend making lasik more affordable in general. This means that even though laser eye surgery was once out of the reach of many today it is extremely popular as the choice of many to get rid of their glasses and enjoy perfect vision.

In North America the cost of lasik will be different depending on where you live. Those living in east coast cities like Atlanta and West coast cities like San Francisco will see higher prices for laser surgery based on the cost of living in their areas. Even in Canada the cost of eye surgery will be different in Alberta than it is in Toronto. So, what other factors determine the price of laser vision correction?

First off you should know that lasik surgery is quoted per individual eye. Each eye is considered one procedure so if you’re planning on having both eyes corrected (I hope so!) you’ll need to double the quoted price of the surgery. The biggest cost of lasik is the fees paid for the laser correction equipment itself. Doctors pay royalties each time they perform a procedure and these royalties are quite high. Also, they differ for each type of laser used and this means that depending on the type of laser eye surgery you need to correct your vision you could see quite different prices.

The cost of lasik eye surgery is also influenced by your choice of surgeon, with more experienced surgeons commanding higher prices, although this is not always the case. Lasik Plus is one lasik eye clinic that boasts highly qualified surgeons with very competitive prices.

Be careful of advertisements for lasik at $299 per eye as these are often misleading. This low price can only be had by a select few patients as it only covers basic lasik for those with minor vision correction needed. Read the fine print for offers like this and you may find that the price increases dramatically for certain conditions or even if you want to include pre operative screening and post operative care. Sometimes it’s better to pay a bit more for better care and peace of mind and laser eye surgery is certainly one of these times. Expect to pay between $1000-1500 for quality lasik eye surgery, that’s much more realistic.

Overall that’s a pretty reasonable price and much lower than you would have gotten several years ago. The cost of laser eye surgery has become very affordable for everyone. If you can’t afford the full cost you can always take advantage of financing which is offered by most lasik eye surgery clinics.

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Refractive Eye Surgery & LASIK Surgery – Definition & Overview

Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to reshape curvature of the cornea. Successful refractive eye surgery can reduce or cure common vision disorders such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

LASIK is an abbreviation for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and laser eye surgery is designed to change the shape of the cornea to eliminate or reduce the need for glasses and contact lenses in cases of severe myopia or nearsightedness.

LASIK procedures are conducted in an ophthalmology office or clinic. Initially, numbing eye drops are used and then eyelids are held open to prevent any interference with the laser. The LASIK surgeon then creates an ultrathin flap on the front of the eye with a precise automated instrument. This flap is then lifted and the preprogrammed laser then reshapes the inner cornea to refocus the eye. The flap is repositioned and holds itself in place, healing naturally without the need for any stitches. The laser pulses last on the average between 30 and 60 seconds. LASIK procedures take about 20 minutes to be performed in both eyes. This procedure doesn’t involve much pain and recovery is considerably fast.

Some people do experience mild discomfort and watering of the eyes post LASIK surgery. The extent of discomfort is different in different patients and commonly associated with the sensation of using contact lenses for extended periods. The risks associated with LASIK include a small risk of an infection in the eye, and some patients have reported problems with night driving and ‘halo’ effects. There is no requirement to wear eye patches following LASIK surgery.

LASIK is now used to treat hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism.

According to surveys of members of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, approximately 948,266 refractive surgery procedures were performed in the United States during 2004 and 928,737 in 2005.

Selecting an appropriate refractive eye surgery or LASIK surgery treatment plan

There are various refractive surgery treatment plans that one could choose from depending upon your requirement. SmartHealthbuyer.com is an extensive business directory aimed at providing customers in-depth information regarding various refractive surgery treatment plans being conducted by optical surgeons in over 300 cities across the United States. 

SmartHealthbuyer.com has details regarding refractive surgery treatments like custom wavefront LASIK, standard LASIK with blade or bladeless LASIK with intralase laser.

In the first option, custom-wavefront LASIK with blade, a blade is used for the purposes of creating a flap on the cornea prior to the laser treatment.  The second option does not involve using a blade but uses something called intralase-laser to create the flap. The second option will involve an additional cost.  Hence depending upon the various treatment options and the costs involved you can choose the treatment plan that works best for you.  http://www.SmartHealthbuyer.com will provide you access to all the LASIK and refractive surgery treatment plans available in over 300 cities located across the United States. You can go through all information available and understand the various options that exist.  By providing details of your city, state, and zip code, you an narrow your search down considerably and look at the details of refractive surgery treatment plans available in your area.

Arriving at the best price available for the chosen refractive or LASIK surgery

After identifying a specific refractive or LASIK surgery treatment plan, you would most certainly be interested in finding out about the costs involved. The price of LASIK surgery varies depending upon the location and technique involved.  The general perception sometimes could be very misleading especially with regard to prices.  We often assume or even conclude expensive products are of superior quality, but this is not necessarily true; please remember price is not an indicator, measure, or hallmark of quality treatment and expertise.  Rather than focus on price, focus on the ability of the practitioner, the right refractive surgery for your eyes, reviews and the training and experience your practitioner brings to the table. In general beware of the headline pricing of “Lasik from $499 per eye”. This will typically be an older non-customized blade procedure, and may not include all the extra follow-up and care that you may need. Hence it pays, literally and otherwise to do a little research and find out more about various specialists and their expertise and experience before judging them by the price they charge.  Costs could vary depending upon the follow up options you choose. The total price involved for a treatment plan that includes lifetime follow up could be different fro the one which involves a six-month follow-up treatment plan.  Hence considering all available options is very important before arriving at the best available price. Please also factor in the cost of contact lenses or glasses that you won’t need to buy in the future, before taking your decision.

http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/ can provide you with details regarding price lists and rates charged for all the available refractive surgery treatment plans offered by various surgeons listed in SmartHealthbuyer.com database.  SmartHealthbuyer.com will not only provide you access to information and rates but also help you determine the average cost per treatment.  SmartHealthbuyer.com price comparison engine has the facility to compare available costs and calculate average costs for specific refractive surgery treatment plans.  By providing details of your city, state, and zip code you can determine the average cost for treatment in your specific area.  By comparing costs and determining the average cost for refractive surgery plans available you will be at and advantage while finalizing your decision.

Locating the best refractive or LASIK surgeon

Entrusting your eyes to a surgeon for LASIK surgery is not an easy decision and you can’t settle for anything but the best.  It is therefore advisable that you first find out as many details as you can about various practicing surgeons.  SmartHealthbuyer.com has all the details that include but are not limited to educational background, qualifications, certifications, licenses, and customer feedback for refractive surgeons located over 300 cities in the United States.  You can further narrow your search by providing details of your city, state, and zip code at SmartHealthbuyer.com.   By doing this you will be accessing information and details for various surgeons in your chosen area.  You can then go through each and every detail including reviews, recommendations, references, feedback regarding the experience and expertise for particular refractive surgeons in your area.

SmartHealthbuyer.com database will help you go through credentials and other information for specific surgeons in your area and if you are interested in further information, you can also do your own research on the internet and confirm available details.

What to look for in a LASIK surgeon?

While it is important to check the credentials, experience, educational background and certification/license information, you must know how to verify this information.  An ophthalmologist who specializes in performing refractive surgeries such as LASIK is referred to as a refractive surgeon.

Surgical procedures require immense skill, expertise and experience and this hold good for LASIK surgeons as well.  Some key factors that one needs to bear in mind while selecting a LASIK surgeon are as stated below:

a)     Does refractive surgery or laser vision correction form the main part of his or her practice.

b)     Find out if he or she will counsel you prior to and post surgery explaining all the risks and benefits involving LASIK.

c)     Confirm his or her availability before and after LASIK surgery for the purposes of follow up. 

d)     Find out how many LASIK surgeries he has performed throughout his or her career.

e)     Find out if he is a member of the American Association of Ophthalmology and is part of any affiliated center and is aware of the latest technological advances in laser.

f)      Also, there is no harm in taking a second opinion.

http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/ will provide you information regarding the educational qualifications and background, patient feedback, reviews, recommendations, references, and experience.  All this information is extremely important in verifying the credentials, licenses, certifications of various refractive surgeons available.  By providing details of your city, state, and zip code, you can start locating refractive surgeons located in your area and based on reviews and other details available, you can finalize your decision.

http://www.SmartHealthbuyer.com is an easier, faster, and efficient tool that will assist you in assessing treatment plans, costs involved, and in locating the best physicians in your area!

Links:  http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com/Optical/

Technorati Tags: Lasik, refractive, Surgery

Lasik is an operation surgery that is gaining much popularity these days. It is though an operation with a good success ratio but it is very essential to find out a good doctor. The seriousness of the matter needs to be understood, since the matter relates to the eyes.

Finding a good Lasik doctor becomes a mandatory task to avoid any adverse outcomes later. The best manner for finding a good Lasik doctor is to enquire from friends, relatives and acquaintances that have undergone Lasik vision correction already. Known people around happen to be the best source, since they would be able to inform which center they visited and what process they had to undergo. This first-hand information comes in hand rather than just finding out through any other secondary means about the doctor.

Ideally, a good Lasik doctor should have handled a minimum of about 500 such surgeries with a good success rate. It is always better to have a Lasik doctor with higher experience. The legitimacy and the quality of the center and the doctor are to be known before-hand. Since the matter is about eyes, there is no harm in cross checking by giving a call about the number of operations performed by the doctor and the success rate. Moreover, while at the center, it is easy and convenient to interact with the fellow patients sitting there. First-hand information can be made available from there also, about their experiences.

Moreover, while a meeting is held with the doctor, higher idea can be gathered about the doctor, his success rate, his experience, the centre and alternate means if the surgery is not successful. Of course, if no one is known, having undergone such a surgery, then the best way is to search on internet and find out about Lasik centers as well as good doctors. Moreover, with just a click, even reviews of centers as well as doctors are available. The Lasic price can also be known. There are reviews available from people who have had experience with the doctors and the centers. It is best to learn about the Lasik procedure from the doctor on consultation, so that the best information is available. It is necessary to be cautious about the genuineness of the doctor as well as the centre before making a decision about the same. Hence, all the care is to be taken while selection is made so as to have the best possible result.

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