How Much Does LASIK Cost?

By definition, LASIK or laser assisted in situ keratomileusis, is an extremely complicated procedure and the LASIK cost is generally high. People asking how much does LASIK cost should take into account the great amount of skill needed for a perfect procedure.

The LASIK eye surgery implies an ophthalmologist using a laser instrument to change the shape of an eye’s cornea in order to improve visual acuity. Laser eye surgery prices generally depend on the difficulty of the operation, the patient’s health insurance, and whether the patient wants to pay for the LASIK surgery in a single payment of in separate payments.

How much does LASK cost could also vary depending on the type of operation. In general, there are three types of LASIK eye surgery:

1. General laser vision correction procedures. Many ophthalmologists do not list how much does LASIK surgery cost, but a general price for all laser-assisted eye operations. How expensive is LASIK in this case? Around $2,200 per eye.
2. Basic LASIK using excimer lasers and a microkeratome. These LASIK surgeries are not guided through wavefront analyses and are therefore cheaper. It goes for approximately $1,700 per eye.
3. LASIK using a femtosecond laser. Typically the most expensive type of LASIK surgery because the technology is advanced and the skill needed to use it also needs to be quite high. This type of LASIK costs around $2,150 per eye. It should be noted that the $2,200 amount above is higher because it involves other more complicated eye surgeries as well.

Here is a chart of the average price per eye for LASIK and other laser surgeries between 2010 and 2014:

Chart source: allaboutvision.com.

How Much Is LASIK?

So how much is LASIK? It really cannot be accurately stated. Some eye surgeons charge a single price for all laser-assisted eye operations while other surgeons make distinctions as to the type of operation (LASIK, PRK, LASEK), the technology available, and the refractive error.

The following table shows the percentage of use of laser vision correction cost ranges:

	Single Price Surgeons	Multiple Price Surgeons
	1	2	3		Average
Average	$2,207	$1,761	$2,142		$2,118
How much does LASIK really cost?
$1,000 or less	0%	6%	5%		2%
$1,001 to $1,500	5%	33%	3%		9%
$1,501 to $2,000	34%	39%	33%		35%
$2,001 to $2,500	48%	16%	46%		42%
$2,501 to $3,000	13%	6%	14%		12%
More than $3,000	0%	0%	1%		0%

Laser eye surgery prices based on industry analysis on allaboutvision.com.

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How Much Does LASIK Cost?

Because over half of the doctors performing LASIK are estimated to charge a single, general laser vision correction cost, it’s hard to say exactly how much does LASIK cost. Still, those with milder vision problems may be eligible for discounts and/or coupons possible to bring the cost of LASIK surgery to in between $500 and $700.

Some are things to know LASIK cost discounts:

• People with strong refractive errors generally don’t get discounts.
• People with astigmatism also don’t usually get discounts.
• The fees for the procedure may still increase the cost of LASIK a lot.
• Discounted procedures are usually performed with lesser equipment.

In the end, how much does LASIK cost depends on each individual ophthalmologist’s price range. However, it’s safe to say that the cost of LASIK generally is around $2,000 per eye, give or take a few hundred dollars depending on eye error, technology type, and the difficulty of the operation.