When we think of ‘price shopping’, the average person thinks of car shopping or even house shopping, with both of these things being on the higher-priced side of purchases that people make in their lifetimes. However, in our line of work, price shopping is actually EXTREMELY Common, with patients calling multiple LASIK surgery practices to check out their price before even seeing a doctor.
It’s understandable that LASIK, although not the same price as a car, is definitely a ‘bigger’ investment than the regular thing someone invests in on a daily or weekly basis, so we wanted to provide our patients and followers with some helpful ‘background info’ if they are in the market to price shop vision correction surgery.
According to the Refractive Surgery Council (RSC), the national average LASIK surgery price is $4,200, so LASIK may not be as expensive as you originally had in mind.
Although on the lower price scale, vision correction is still considered an investment, so instead of just calling and asking for prices, patients need to look for expertise and quality in their surgeons vs. discounts or deals.
If you’re thinking about LASIK and price is a deciding factor, some important questions to ask yourself are:
- How much am I currently spending on my current vision correction?
- How much are my glasses/frames everytime I get new ones?
- How much are my daily disposable contact lenses per year costing me?
- How much do my cases and solutions cost over the year?
When you think about these costs over a lifetime of related expenses, paying for glasses and/or contacts over thirty years will be far more expensive than the average LASIK surgery price. Another question is – what is the cost of being able to travel without the hassle of cases, solutions and extra contacts? What is the price of being able to wake up with good vision?
According to the RSC: in 2008, the LASIK surgery price was about $4,000, but in today’s dollars, that would be closer to $4,960. However, today LASIK costs about $4,200. That alone is about a 15 percent reduction in price. Plus, today’s average hourly wage has increased 40 percent over the same 10-year period to more than $30.00. In 2008, the average American worker needed to work about 225 hours to afford a LASIK procedure; today that figure is 150 hours – a 30 percent decrease in terms of work time. All of this being a great sign and explaining why more patients are putting aside the price for LASIK.
The first step is to set up a consultation with a highly reputable refractive surgeon with good experience in LASIK to determine if you are a candidate for any of the potential refractive procedures like LASIK, SMILE, or PRK. The surgeon will provide a thorough eye exam and evaluation, perform various scans to check the steepness, thickness and overall health of your corneas and essentially tell you whether LASIK is safe and right for your eyes.
One thing to keep in mind after choosing a good surgeon is being aware of good technology. An incredible amount of innovation has been developed in the LASIK market over the last 10 years taking LASIK from a ‘very good procedure’ to even safer and with better visual outcomes with today’s advanced LASIK technologies. These technologies not only provide ‘customized’ treatments but also play into deciding whether you are an eligible laser vision correction candidate.
Are there deals and discounts in LASIK? Of course!
Several practices run ‘LASIK specials’ for the summer or other times within the year, but make sure while hunting for the right clinic or practice that sometimes, these deals come with another price. For example, they may charge for the initial evaluation which others do not; the LASIK price may not include the pre or post op LASIK visits, sometimes these deals are based on low prescriptions only; and many times, these ‘low cost’ LASIK options do NOT include the most advanced technologies, laser platforms or diagnostic tools.
‘How to pay’ for LASIK
Once you find that great surgeon with the best technologies available, and find out you ARE a candidate, these questions may help figure out your best options for affording LASIK.
- Check with your vision insurance carrier or benefits manager to find out if you have benefits for laser vision correction. You can also check if your surgeon is in your provider network.
- Check if you have access to Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSA) or Health Savings Accounts(HSA). These accounts let you set aside tax-free money for qualified health expenses. This is important because: Laser vision correction is a qualified medical expense for FSAs and HSAs.
- Are you getting a raise soon, or expecting a graduation gift? A salary boost, gift of money, or maybe a tax refund (many people get them) are great opportunities to help pay for laser vision correction. According to RSC, many patients are actually setting aside government stimulus checks to help pay for laser eye surgery.
- If the pandemic has halted one of your vacation plans you were saving up for – perhaps you can use that budget to prioritize your vision! While your vacation expenses likely aren’t tax-deductible, your laser vision correction procedure might be! The RSC urges patients to check with their CPA or tax preparer if their financial situation qualifies.
- Check out Financing options! Most practices offer very good financing options through Care Credit or Wells Fargo, and many offer 0% interest financing options to help you pay for your procedure over time without incurring additional debt.
- Acquire some Credit Card points! If you have a low-interest credit card that offers a great rewards program, where you can earn miles for travel or other points –definitely sit down and do the math to figure out which financing option gives you the most for what you pay!
From finding a trustworthy, amazing LASIK surgeon, to finding out whether you are a candidate to budgeting, there are a lot of aspects that go into making the right decision with a Laser Vision Correction option. We just want to remind all of our followers that the first step in the puzzle is to select a quality surgeon, who can guide you on the next steps and get you a head start in understanding how the procedure works. Calling offices for pricing will only get you so far, and truly weighing the advantages vs the disadvantages of going to the right LASIK surgeon are so incredibly important, since your vision with last you a lifetime.
If you have questions about LASIK or want to find out if you are a candidate, please call us at 713-626-5544 or send us an inquiry at info@visiontexas.com. We are happy to help talk to you about our surgeons’ experience in LASIK, our pricing, and all the technologies we offer, as well as help you find the next available appointment to find out more!
