LASIK Eye Surgery Pricing Review

LASIK is the most popular laser vision surgery worldwide and as because it's considered an elective medical procedure (like cosmetic surgery), most health insurance policies do not offer a benefit for LASIK surgery, therefore you will have to pay the entire surgical fee out-of-pocket, so it is very important to get an idea of LASIK pricing.

Main Factors In LASIK Pricing:
The price of LASIK can vary considerably, depending on:

• The type of laser technology you choose.
• The type of surgical instrument used to create the corneal flap.
• Whether or not your pre-op exam and follow-up visits are covered.
• Whether or not your post-op medications are covered in the fee.
• Whether or not retreatments (if necessary) are covered in the fee.
• The skill, reputation, and experience of your surgeon.
• The community and area of the country you live in.

2007 LASIK prices:
Earlier this year, AllAboutVision.com commissioned a report by a leading refractive surgery industry analyst regarding 2007 pricing for LASIK surgery performed in the United States. Among the findings stated in the report:

• The average price for LASIK (and other laser vision correction procedures) among surgeons and laser vision centers who quote a single laser vision correction surgical fee (with no add-on charges for more advanced technology like IntraLase flaps and wavefront-guided laser treatment) is $2,099 per eye ($4,198).
• The average price for wavefront-guided LASIK combined with an IntraLase laser-created flap (often referred to as customized all-laser LASIK or custom IntraLASIK) is $2,357 per eye ($4,714).
• The average price for conventional LASIK combined with a bladed microkeratome-created flap is $1,694 per eye ($3,388).

TLC Vision Corp. and LCA-Vision, Inc. are two of the largest corporate laser vision correction companies in the United States. TLV Vision operates 80 TLC Laser Eye Centers in the U.S. and LCA-Vision operates 70 LasikPlus Vision Centers across the country. Both companies are publicly traded.

In its quarterly filings for the second quarter of 2007 ending June 30, TLC Vision reported $47.0 million revenue from 33,900 procedures, for an average procedure revenue of $1,386 per eye ($2,772).

In its quarterly report for the same period, LCA-Vision reported $69.7 million in revenue from 48,668 procedures, for an average procedure revenue of $1,423 per eye ($2,846).

Neither company's report included a detailed breakdown of how many of the procedures they performed during this period were conventional LASIK surgeries vs. wavefront-guided, all-laser procedures. (Also, average revenue per procedure may not accurately reflect the average price per procedure at LasikPlus and TLC Vision, due to delayed billing, financing, accounts receivable, etc.)

LASIK Eye Surgery Pricing Review