Lasik for $299: is This a Scam?

Question

One lasik clinic quoted me $2,000 an eye.  Another advertises only $299. Is the expensive clinic trying to rip me off?  They told me to watch out from something called the 'Nidek' brand machines.

Jon Dishler, MD, FACS · Answer

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 usually has a street price ranging from $1500-$2500 per eye. That is what LASIK really costs.

Ahad Mahootchi, MD · Answer

The typical deception I see with that $299 add is that it is for a prescription so small you wouldn't be looking for correction anyway.The "sale" with lots of ad ons ($) driving the price up are made before your surgeon visit. Go somewhere else. You have lots of options. Eye surgery is best done once correctly.

Andrew Caster, MD · Answer

I would say that the $299 clinic is ripping you off, because they are not doing what they say. First of all, they almost never perform the treatment for $299, like the car dealer that has only one car at the low, low price. Average prices for these clinics are more like $1500 per eye. Secondly, the cost does not include all the things that most doctors include in the price, like followup visits, medications, enhancements when needed. These add up! Third, these clinics are using techniques and equipment that are cheap, but not necessarily what you would want for your eyes, if you really knew the inside story.

Michael K. Tracy, MD · Answer

Yes this is a scam and here's why.  

	 

	It is virtually impossible to perform LASIK for this price.  Most places that advertise this way have complex billing protocols so that the average patient ends up paying just as much as they would at a legitimate doctor's office.  The $299 price typically is for less than one diopter of correction with no astigmatism. Which means a prescription of -1.00 or +1.00 and typically with a prescription this light you would not pursue LASIK.

	 

	The other option is that this price would not include post-operative care which is just as critical as the procedure itself. In any case, it is generally a mistake to seek out discount surgery.

Emil William Chynn, MD, FACS, MBA · Answer

yes, it's a scam. it costs me more than $299 to actually perform the surgery. so they would be losing money on each eye

	the bad centers false advertise like this, to get you in the door. then, they say, "oh, for your Rx it will be $1,399 per eye." then, when you complain, they'll say something like "oh, that special is only for people with less than 1 diopter of myopia and no astigmatism." in other words, for people walking around legal to drive without glasses, who don't want to have it in the first place

	these centers also usually do unethical things like perform these cheap procedures on an old, non-upgraded, cheaper, lesser laser, like one they bought a decade ago and have no more use for, that does not have a per-click royalty fee. of course, they don't exactly tell the patient this fact

	CBS News TV a decade ago went around NYC to film all the laser centers with a hidden camera hidden in the reporter's tie clip. they caught every center in NYC doing this kind of crap, except for mine, since we do NOT do "bait-and-switch" pricing, and have a PRINTED PRICE SHEET that we give each person that is the SAME for every person

	you can watch that video on my website below, and find a center caught red-handed, who's owner promises on national TV that "we will get rid of this pricing immediately" and are still doing this in all their ads. apparently, immediately means in 2 decades!

Jay Bansal, MD · Answer

$2,000 per eye is actually a very fair quote if it is a very good surgeon.  I met with a patient recently who went to a LASIK center that advertises LASIK for $499 per eye.  After the exam, they added a variety of costs and then quoted her around $3000 per eye.

	Most often this type of setup is a bait and switch operation.  The overhead for a LASIK clinic is high enough that a center could not make a profit with prices that low even with very high volume.

	They say that you should not be too cheap when purchasing parachutes or eye surgery.  At the same time, there are certainly instances of patients being overcharged by doctors that feel they are the "expensive" brand of LASIK. 

	Find a great surgeon with a fair price.  Remember the quality of the surgery does not depend entirely on the price you pay but if a surgeon offers a very low price, it would be rare that a patient would get the high-quality service they require.

Christopher Coad, MD · Answer

You get what you pay for!  Read the small print and be comfortable with your surgeon and the surgical team.

Natalie Borodoker, MD · Answer

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 laser itself is costly and no physician will do this at a loss. So choose wisely and base your decision on the respectability of the surgeon, the overall sense of the place, and hopefully good references. Do not fall a victim to cheap advertising.

Mark Golden, MD · Answer

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, treatment of astigmatism, preoperative examination, postoperative care, extra charges for a surgery with experience, and much higher charges for modern LASIK surgery.

Armin Vishteh, MD · Answer

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.

Sandy Feldman, MD · Answer

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.

Lasik for $299: is This a Scam?

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