Cost of Lasik eye surgery

There are different types of Lasik eye surgery procedures. Each Lasik procedure has a different cost. If the Lasik eye surgery uses a blade type instrument (such as a microkeratome or excimer lasers) it can costs around $1,662 to $2,105 per eye. This is for Lasik procedures that are not customized and do not use guided wavefront analysis. For Lasik that is wavefront-guided or custom Lasik, the cost will likely be around $2,341 per eye. These are average costs and do not apply to all Lasik surgeries.

Cost of PRK eye surgery

The cost of PRK eye surgery is relatively similar to the cost of Lasik eye surgery. It costs around $3,000 for both eyes. Broken down this is about $1,695 per eye, for a person to receive "standard" PRK. And it is about the same for "custom" PKR patients.

Different locations, different prices

Lasik and PRK eye surgeries are not much different than other types of surgeries in the fact that their prices vary depending on there a person gets their eye surgery done and by which surgeon. Different eye surgeons offer their patients different prices and may include things such as eye exams and a person's post-operative appointments in their initial prices while other doctors may not.

Different people, different prices

People who are candidates for eye surgery, whether Lasik or PRK, have different prescriptions, different pupil sizes, and different things wrong with their vision. Because of the differences people have, the cost of eye surgery varies; this is especially true for eye surgeries that are customized.

Watch out for eye surgery ads

There are ads for eye surgeries that make claims that they offer very inexpensive eye surgery. People need to be smart and read the fine print. Most likely those ads claiming that someone can have Lasik for $500 an eye are for people who may have a low prescription or maybe no astigmatism. Also, certain patients have to use specific types of lasers to match a person's pupil size and prescription range.

If the person has a different pupil size or prescription they will not be able to get the price that is advertised for the $500 and eye Lasik. It is also possible that ads for the very inexpensive Lasik surgery, does not include the additional costs of the fees for initial exams, post-operative visits, etc.

What people need to know

It is important for people to do research on the specific eye surgeons and their prices before they even decide to get an initial examination from the surgeon. They need to know their prescription and about how much it is going to cost for them to get either Lasik or PRK. It is also a good idea for a person to know what type of surgery they are a candidate for; either standard or custom Lasik or PRK.