What's the Catch with Lasik for $599/eye?

You already know it's too good to be true, but here's the scoop. Discount laser centers typically use older technology that is much less expensive. They pass the savings and the 1990s vintage vision correcting technology on to you! Would you ever opt to watch a 20 year old TV for the rest of your life? I think not. There is also a tendency for discount LASIK providers to advertise a price that only applies to tiny prescriptions that almost no one qualifies for. Just like... more

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 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 $299. While the fine print lists an incremental rise in the price depending on the level of myopia, you must also qualify for the promotion by having good credit. This Laser Center has... more

Be very careful here. The discount centers mission is to get a patient in to their clinic expecting a very low fee for LASIK. Through the "sales" process, basic items are added to the fee (like paying for postop care, custom treatments, etc) that typically get the fee up near $1800-2000 per eye. I hate this practice. Even worse, if they somehow pull off doing your LASIK for $599, then you might very well be exposed to old, unmaintained, out of date lasers with behind the... more

When applied to another medical procedure, this seems absurd, and it is not prudent to make a decision for something this important based only on price. That being said, it is usually a bait and switch type of offer, please read the fine print that says STARTING at $595 or some other price. This is usually not for all prescriptions, not for state of the art technology, and may not provide everything you will need. It took me awhile to understand this strategy, but here is what I think. Most... more

The surgery might be $599, but the preop anesthetic drops will cost you $1500. Seriously though, in life, you get what you pay for. This holds true in eye surgery. I tell patients you wouldn't buy a bargain-bin pacemaker or parachute. The come-on pricing you often see with LASIK is laden with asterisks and fine print. Sometimes postoperative care is not included. Often, a patient must fall within a very narrow range of prescriptions to qualify, and perhaps one in a hundred or fewer will... more