Why Does the Cost of Laser Eye Surgery Vary So Much? |
Posted: September 29, 2017 |
If you are considering undergoing LASIK or another form of laser eye surgery, the cost of the procedure is likely going to be of concern to you. After all, it is a significant investment to make and you’ll want to know if the price that you are quoted is appropriate for your requirements in terms of vision correction. Prices can and do vary quite significantly between different eye surgery centers, and the price will usually be highly dependent on the skill of the surgeon, the technology that is utilized, on your own personal eye prescription and more besides.
With Newer Technology You Can Expect an Increase in Price LASIK comes in different shapes and sizes. When you opt for newer LASIK technology over and above traditional LASIK alternatives such as those given below, you should expect to pay more. - Custom LASIK, also referred to as wavefront LASIK. This procedure relies on wavefront analysis as a way of measuring and mapping the aberrations of the eye and in turn this offers a correction that is more precise. - Femtosecond laser technology, otherwise referred to as bladeless LASIK or all-laser LASIK. This procedure utilizes a laser to cut the corneal flap rather than a blade. Many studies have cited that patients suffer from fewer complications with regards to the flap when this corrective surgery is used. Furthermore, with femtosecond laser technology, patients tend to require fewer retreatments and there’s a greater opportunity to achieve visual acuity of 20/20 or even better.
Do bear in mind that many surgeons do not insist on a separate fee being charged when new technologies are used for LASIK. Rather, they quote a single fee. In a 2016 survey taken of U.S. eye surgeons, some 76 percent of them stated that they priced LASIK as a single fee. Most refractive surgeons in the U.S. charge a one-off fee for all the laser procedures that they do, whereas some charge a variety of prices in accordance with the technology that is used and/or the type or severity of the correction to the vision that the patient requires.
LASIK Cost – Other Contributing Factors One reason for the large variance in fees that different providers offer is down to the varying levels involved in preoperative testing. Because appropriate screening can mean the avoidance of problems, it should therefore be determined if this appropriate testing is included as part of the price that is quoted. There’s also an expansive variation that exists in the cost involved in buying the equipment that is relied upon for testing as well as for surgery. Technologies used in tear film analysis, in eye tracking and in making a measurement of corneal topography, corneal thickness and size of the pupil, in addition to the laser itself, come at various price points, and therefore, those prices tend to be reflected in the fee charged for the procedure.
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