Laser Eye Treatment Fees

Competition in the laser eye surgery industry has put pressure on prices, making it blind folly to pay the traditional $4,000 or more to sharpen your eyesight. If your local centers are charging the old rates, you should wait for prices to drop or follow the more than 10,000 Americans who happily went on vision quests last year--traveling to save up to $3,000 on the procedure, which most insurance plans fail to cover.

In the leading surgery to correct distance vision the 15-minute Lasik procedure a surgeon peels back a flap of corneal tissue and reshapes the underlying tissue with a laser beam. The flap flops back and then adheres naturally. When Lasik became widely practiced in 1998, the typical cost in the U.S. for both eyes was $4,360, according to Market Scope research. This year, with more than 900,000 Americans expected to get zapped, the average price has fallen to $3,680--but some centers charge only $2,000, and that appears to be where the average price is headed in the next few years.

Laser procedure Fees

Fees among laser centers vary widely based the type of technology, the surgeon's reputation and, most important, the local competition. When Kiplinger's recently surveyed 30 centers nationwide, prices varied from $5,500 in Havertown, Pa., to $2,000 in Cincinnati. Prices were for procedures done with similar Visx lasers, which are used in three-fourths of all cases. Standard plans include one year of checkups and a free second surgery if you do not see as clearly as you did with eyewear. Prices varied even among the national chain centers that offer near-duplicate services: The TLC Laser Eye Center in Rockville, Md., charged $3,100 more than one in Seattle.

Traveling to Canada was worth it for retired school teachers Ed and Joyce Bousson of Memphis, who paid for four of their five adult sons, and Joyce herself, to undergo eye surgery at a Lasik Vision center in Toronto. Ed Bousson says that the $999 (U.S.) price meant they paid several thousand dollars less per person than they would have in the U.S. Plus, the five will save "$400 to $500 every other year on eyeglasses." Travel expenses cost them $89 a night each, and while one son got the family free airplane tickets as a job perk, round-trip prices still would have added only about $300 each to the total bill. "I'm satisfied," says Joyce. "Now I don't need glasses to see the faces of people I'm talking to."

Costs in Canada are lower than in the U.S. because the Canadian government approved use of the lasers earlier and competitive pressures set in sooner. The lower fees, says Stephen Smith, spokesperson for Lasik Vision Canada, a Toronto-based chain of laser-eyesurgery centers, meant that half of the chain's customers in 1999 were Americans crossing the border for care.

But be sure to squint at the contractual fine print. The fee should cover exams and medicines as well as the surgeon's fee and the laser royalty. It should also cover more surgery if up to one year later you do not see as clearly as when you used glasses or contacts. Some centers charge about $500 more per eye when a patient's eyesight is very weak.

If you're traveling for the procedure, one key question is who will do the standard follow-up exams a week, a month and three months later. Some doctors say that the same doctor who did the procedure should do the subsequent checkups--mainly to identify any complications early. Others say any qualified doctor can provide follow-up care, though that will add to the cost. The Boussons, for example, have had follow-up care with their ophthalmologist for about $225 each this year. Some centers will discount the cost of the package if you will be having follow-up exams elsewhere, or will forward part of your payment to another doctor in your area. Canadian centers, however, are not legally allowed to share money with U.S. doctors.

Don't be misled by centers that charge higher fees because they promise a "lifetime commitment," guaranteeing free surgery if your corrected sight regresses. Since 1997 the sight of only about 1% of patients has regressed, so it's a safe bet you won't be back.

Sadly, Lasik does not stop the loss of focusing power that forces most people over age 40 to wear reading glasses. Expect more traveling for bargains when the laser to correct that problem gets government approval, which is expected to happen several years from now.

Last updated Jan 4/07