Lasik for $299: is This a Scam?

The old addage is that "if something seems too good to be true, it probably is." This could never be more true when it comes to Lasik. If a provider or surgeon is offering a ridiculously low price for Lasik it means one of two things is going on, and neither are good. The first possibility is that you will arrive for your appointment expecting to have surgery for $299 per eye, but by the time they have added additional charges for post op visits, upgraded technology and the... more

Sometimes you may see an ad for $299 LASIK. What does that mean? When it comes to your eyes, do you really want to trust someone who wants to provide surgery for less than 10% of what quality eye centers charge? Patients commonly ask me about cheap LASIK. Rarely does anyone actually get surgery for this price. Cheap LASIK usually is for extremely low prescriptions that don't actually need surgery. Then there are added fees for higher correction,... more

Whether it is $299, $599, or some other very low price, it is unlikely that you can have the procedure you want or need for this amount. As the price gets lower, the restrictions are greater, and more remote. I was once told that at one center that advertised $299 LASIK only 1% of patients qualified for that price, that is not very many. And everyone else paid a price that was close to market. It is difficult to get LASIK for less than $1000 per eye, and for custom blade free procedures it... more

The American Academy of Ophthalmology tries to monitor advertisements and claims made advertisements in an attempt to make decision making easier for patients. Many of the advertisements for 299 lasik surgery have many exceptions to the price quoted and there are often add on charges that most other practices include as part of the fee charged. It is important to do adequate research regarding the practice, the physician, and the fee schedule before undergoing any operation. Just as a... more

Lasik surgery is not inexpensive. But, then again, you only get it once in a lifetime. Considering the cost of contact lenses and glasses over the years, you may actually save by getting surgery. The price should not be the deciding factor in choosing a surgeon. If the price is too low, it is usually because they will charge a separate fee per diopter of correction, in addition you may have to pay for post op drops, and visits and so on. There is an inherent fee in this procedure. The... more

In addition to the above excellent comments please also realize that many of these $299 type centers end up going out of business and are unable to provide care when you may need it the most.  We have seen a few patient's from one of the discount Los Angeles centers that went under; some of the patients we were able to help, others should never have been operated on.  Please realize that post-operative care is just as important as the surgery itself.

LASIK is not a commodity and therefore, there will be differences in surgeon's abilities that guide the laser technology, the technology utilized, maintenance of equipment and healing of paitents.  Often, low cost LASIK involves inexperienced surgeons, older technology or fine print which adds significantly to the cost.  Choose a LASIK center based upon the experience and confidence in the doctor. Make sure you meet the eyeMD who will be performing your surgery. more

This is a question I get all the time.  How can one LASIK center offer such a low price while most reputable surgeons are charging between $1600 - $2500? It seems incredible! Here's some advice: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Of the millions of people who have undergone LASIK in its ten plus years since inception, you would be hard pressed to find one who only paid $299 per eye. For example, a certain Laser Center advertises Lasik surgery on one eye from... more

Yes, but the preop anesthetic costs an additional $1700... seriously though, these low-price offers are laden with fine print, and require purchase of many "extras" such as postop care. It costs more than this to do surgery, so any clinic offering these deals will not be around long. The field of refractive surgery (LASIK) is littered with the carcasses of defunct discount surgery centers which have disappeared and left patients without any aftercare. In some cases, centers have req more