So how do you go about finding a credible LASIK surgeon? You will need to interview the surgeon first and ask many questions about the surgery. You will also need to ask questions about their credentials. If the LASIK surgeon is willing to explain everything thoroughly and truthfully to begin with, then you might not need to question them so intensely. But if you’re not sure about your decision, then you should ask some of these questions:

1. How many years have you performed eye surgery? (The doctor should have performed eye surgery for at least 3 years)
2. How many patients receive a UCVA score of 20/40 or better? (The doctor should answer around 90% or more)
3. What percentage of patients receive a UCVA score of 20/20 or better right after the surgery? (Stats show that this should be around 50%)
4. How many surgeries have you performed in the last 6 months? (This shouldn’t be less than 100)
5. How many surgeries  have you performed overall? (This should be at least 500 or more)
6. Have you had any malpractice claims filed against you? (This should be a very low rate, like 1 in every 500 claims)
7. Have you ever been denied malpractice insurance? (The answer should definitely be no, otherwise run away)
8. Has your licence been suspended for any reason? (The answer should be no)

For the ones that ask about the surgeon’s malpractice record, you should be a little conservative about this, because asking too many questions about this can make you seem like a very distrustful and unfriendly person. The best malpractice question to ask would just be the licence suspension one, since if the surgeon’s licence has been suspended, it means that they’d intentionally caused harm on their own patients in the past. Combined with asking about their success rate, should be a good enough indicator to you if they are a trustworthy LASIK surgeon.

The important thing to realise is the eye surgeon needs to be open and willing to explain the surgery to you. If they do this, then it is almost certain that they are a good LASIK surgeon to have laser eye surgery with.

Unfortunately, at this stage, Medicare does not cover femtosecond laser cataract surgery. Your provider can even charge you additional fee if you choose refractive lens exchange surgery that uses a femtosecond laser instead. One of the other guidelines for providers is that “Providers should not use the differential charge allowed for implantation of a premium intra-ocular lens to recover the costs of using the femtosecond laser for cataract surgical steps.”

This means that if you were to get a premium intraocular lens, then the provider would normally be able to charge you an additional fee. However with the new guidelines, they aren’t allowed to do this for the sole purpose of covering their costs for using the femtosecond laser. There are also other guidelines too, which you can find here for the American Academy of Ophthalmology site. Basically, it outlines that any kind of eye surgery that  is considered necessary, like regular cataract surgery, then Medicare can cover the costs for you but if it isn’t necessary, like refractive lens exchange, then you can incur additional fees. Also, any kind of advertising by the providers have to be transparent and that any fees or pricing should be openly discussed with you. But I’m sure, you’d expect that anyway.

Just a final note, you have to keep in mind that this is relatively new and that it is subject to modification. So who knows, maybe laser cataract surgery might be covered by Medicare in the future, or even refractive lens exchange.

1. Wear sunglasses outdoors: Ideally, these sunglasses should be able to block out UV rays, which could help reduce the risk of getting cataracts and other eye problems later in the future. It is recommend that you should get sunglasses that cover the sides of your eyes are well, since it has been known to cause cancers such as ocular surface squamous neoplasia if not protected. Also, ask for polarized sunglasses since these can also reduce the intensity of glare by 50%.

2. Stop smoking: Probably the hardest thing to do, if you’re a regular smoker. But smoking has been shown to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases, not to mention other non-related eye diseases, like hypertension, increased risk of heart attack, stroke, lung cancer etc.

3. Update your prescription: It’s a good idea to see your optometrist every 2 to 3 years (sooner than 2 years if you notice changes with your vision) to make your the glasses or contact lenses you’re wearing are doing its job well. If you find yourself squinting, then it’s a good chance it’s time for a new pair of glasses, or contacts.

4. Protect your eyes: If you play sports or go outdoors often, or even simply doing household chores such as lawn-mowing or home repairs, then you should consider getting some kind of protective eye-wear just for those activities. Doing things like playing golf or riding a bike can impose certain risks on your eye, especially if something were to fling right into it. You should consider lightweight, impact resistant frames such as those made from polycarbonate or Trivex lenses. Also, 90% of eye injuries that require a visit to the emergency room could have been prevented by protective eye-wear.

5. Eat healthily: Studies have shown that diets rich with fruits and green, leafy vegetables can help improve your eyesight and can reduce the risk of eye diseases. Taking eye vitamins can also be beneficial as well. There’s a eye vitamin supplement I know that’s got 17 vitmains and minerals, such as alpha-lipoic acid, ginkgo biloba, vitamins A, C, E and more to help support vision and eye health. Check out the Ocu Plus Formula here.

6. Reduce computer strain: Computers are becoming more important in today’s society than in the past, but many don’t take the time out to relax their eyes and thus, they can experience headaches, eye strain and even nausea. You should aim to take a 15 minute break after every 1 hour of computer use and try and look into the distance. If you need to work long hours on the computer, then you should ask your doctor for special computer glasses.

7. New vision plans for 2012: It’s a new year and insurance companies are at it again! Policies can change for the better or worse but make sure they cover things like eye exams or offer big discounts on getting prescription glasses, sunglasses or contact lenses.

So how much IS LASIK eye surgery? It all depends on the center or institution itself. The price of LASIK should vary between $1000 to $2000, the average price being around the $1500 mark. However, be warned of those places that advertise at rates below $1000. They may not quote the full price, or you need to fulfil certain criteria to be eligible for such as price (like having a mild prescription), or the worst case scenario, the surgeon is relatively inexperienced. You should also be wary about spending too much on laser eye surgery, especially if it is only traditional LASIK surgery (LASIK with a blade). If the surgeon is charge more than $3000 per eye for such a procedure, then you might as well have wavefront LASIK elsewhere for a cheaper price and with better results, since it is much more accurate than traditional LASIK.

Speaking of other kinds of laser eye surgery that you might want to know, there are also procedures such as PRK, LASEK, epi-LASEK, iLASIK and IntraLase LASIK. PRK, LASEK and epi-LASEK are similarly priced to traditional LASIK surgery. On the other hand, IntraLase LASIK, iLASIK and wavefront LASIK are considerably more expensive. Starting off with IntrasLase, which involves using a femtosecond laser to cut the flap of the cornea rather than a blade, this will cost you about $400 more than regular LASIK surgery. Wavefront LASIK, as I said before, is also more expensive than regular LASIK by about $600. iLASIK, a combination of IntraLase and wavefront LASIK, is the most expensive form of LASIK that you can have and is about $900 more expensive than traditional LASIK surgery. Do keep in mind that all prices are quote PER EYE, so don’t be too surprised when you see your bill.

After finding out how much is LASIK eye surgery, you will probably want to know how to pay for that hefty bill. For starters, you should consult with the surgeon or billing representative to see if you can come to a mutual understanding as to how the payment plan is going to work. Afterwards, you will most likely want to find out if your health insurance will cover the eye surgery, even if only partially. In the very likely event that it won’t, you should call your employer to see if the company you work for has some kind of subsidized health plan for its employees. Even if there is no such health plan, you can still work towards saving for the LASIK eye surgery in advance on a monthly basis or by getting a tax deduction through your accountant.

Hopefully, this article has helped answered the question ‘How much is LASIK eye surgery?’ and explained to you what you can expect to pay for different kinds of laser eye surgery. There are, of course, several other forms of eye surgery but it is better to go for something that surgeons have practised more often and have had more experience in. Besides, laser eye surgery isn’t too bad – just try not to lose your eyes!

The cost of LASIK will vary from center to center but the price of LASIK should be ranging from anywhere between $1000 to $2000, $1580 being the ballpark figure. Other laser eye surgery procedures, such as LASEK, epi-LASIK and PRK, are priced similarly to LASIK. Bladeless LASIK, also known as IntraLase LASIK where a femtosecond laser is used to cut the flap rather than a microkeratome, is slightly more expensive than LASIK by about $400. Wavefront LASIK, the procedure where a machine is used to create a 3D map of your eye prior to LASIK, is more expensive than LASIK by about $600 on average. iLASIK, a combination of IntraLase and wavefront LASIK, is probably the most expensive form of LASIK surgery and is about $900 more expensive than LASIK. Do keep in mind that virtually all price quotes are for one eye only. So if you’d like laser eye surgery to be performed on both eyes, the bill will be ‘twice the price’. 

There are obviously other forms of elective eye surgery, such as cornea inlays/onlays, conductive keratoplasty (CK), refractive lens exchange and implantable lenses surgery. However, these types of surgeries are more appropriate for those who are either far-sighted (regardless of age) or if they are not a suitable candidate for LASIK surgery, as in the case of CK. Also, it is best to have a type of refractive eye surgery performed on you that is well known and well practised by the eye surgeon, as it will most likely give you better results.

Aside from this, you will also want to know how to pay the cost of LASIK surgery. After all, it isn’t something you do every day! The best thing to do is to call up the LASIK center or institution and ask them about their payment plans and consult the billing representative or surgeon with how you are going to pay the cost of the surgery. This should help you find How much does LASIK cost to you. You could also negotiate with them and ask to pay in monthly instalments rather than up front. Although most health insurance companies consider elective eye surgery as a cosmetic option, you may be able to get some benefits if your employer has an arrangement with them. Better still, if you work in a large company, then your employer may be even able to partially cover the cost of LASIK by a subsidized health plan. Otherwise, you are best off saving a fixed amount of your income, about 5% per month, before you undertake the surgery.

This article should have answered the question ‘How much does LASIK cost?’ for you in a simple and detailed way. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially with something like laser eye surgery, when the wrong decision could cost you more than just your money.