Costs of Lasik Eye Surgery

LASIK eye surgery cost differs widely from one provider to another and depends on many factors. The only universal standard is that LASIK and other refractive surgery prices are quoted per eye (as we do in this article).
Remember that one LASIK procedure equals only one eye, even if both eyes are corrected on the same day. So the price quoted for a procedure doubles if you intend to have both eyes corrected.

Average LASIK Eye Surgery Costs

 

A price report commissioned by AllAboutVision.com from a leading industry analyst was based on results of a survey of refractive surgeons conducted during the first quarter of 2010. Average LASIK costs were:

• $2,150 for all laser-based vision correction procedures (including LASIK) in which a single price is quoted.
• $1,580 for non-customized LASIK using a bladed instrument (microkeratome) and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis.
• $2,170 for wavefront-guided LASIK using a laser-created flap.

Note that wide variation can exist in what an advertised price will include. Beware of advertising that, for example, promises "LASIK from $499 per eye." Look for the fine print. Typically, only a few select people are actually eligible for LASIK at prices that sound unusually low, because most eyes require more extensive correction or more follow-up after the surgery.
Average LASIK prices have not risen substantially in several years. That trend continued in 2010, no doubt because of the generally poor state of the U.S. economy. For now, many potential laser eye surgery candidates seem to be choosing more economical vision correction choices, such as eyeglasses and contact lenses, until the economy heats up again.

Average LASIK eye surgery prices in 2010 were about the same as or slightly less than in 2009. In fact, the average price for wavefront-guided LASIK using a laser-created flap on the eye dipped from $2,314 in 2009 to $2,170 in 2010.
Many more eye surgeons (54.1 percent) now quote a single price for LASIK or similar vision correction procedures than in 2009 (47.2 percent). And that percentage continues to grow each year.
This means new technologies such as customized wavefront procedures and laser-created flaps are not priced separately and charged as "extras," in addition to a basic fee for a laser vision correction procedure.
In previous years, you might have been able to find a few eye surgeons willing to charge less than $1,000 per eye for LASIK and other procedures. But the newest 2010 AllAboutVision.com report indicates that most eye surgeons have backed off entirely from charging prices that low.
But on the flip side of that trend, fewer eye surgeons are charging the highest prices in typical ranges quoted for vision correction surgery.
Non-customized procedures are performed with the less expensive options of bladed microkeratomes and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis. Most customized wavefront procedures that also use laser-created flaps cost from $1,500 to $3,000 per eye (see charts).

 

LASIK Prices

LASIK prices, after rising for several years, seemed to stabilize from 2006 to 2010, as shown by these average LASIK costs charged at a single price — meaning no extra charges were added on for new technologies:

• 2006: $1,950
• 2007: $2,099
• 2008: $2,105
• 2009: $2,140
• 2010: $2,150