How old do you have to be to get laser eye surgery? How much does it cost?
Annaaa
I'm 17, can I get it with parents approval? I have quite a bit of wrinkles under my eye for my age, and I'm so self conscious about it, and I'm tired of spending my money on expensive creams. I don't turn 18 for another 10 months and I would like to get it done sooner if possible.
My mom said theres a cheap place that does a good job where we live, how much do you think it will be around?
Answer
How much does LASIK cost?
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.
LASIK surgeons also might add extra charges for new technologies, including wavefront analysis for extra-precise corrections (custom wavefront LASIK).
You also might be charged extra for all-laser LASIK, also called bladeless LASIK (IntraLase and other technologies), in which a laser is used instead of a bladed instrument to create the flap on the front of the eye. In LASIK, this thin flap is lifted so that laser energy can be applied to shape the eye, and then replaced to serve as a natural bandage.
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 in 2011. Average LASIK costs were:
$2,124 for all laser-based vision correction procedures (including LASIK) in which a single price is quoted.
$1,630 for non-customized LASIK using a bladed instrument (microkeratome) and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis.
$2,151 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 2011, 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.
The average price for LASIK with a blade-created flap did rise between 2010 and 2011, from $1,580 to $1,630. But the average price for wavefront-guided LASIK using a laser-created flap on the eye dipped, from $2,170 to $2,151.
Many more eye surgeons (55.3 percent) now quote a single price for LASIK or similar vision correction procedures than in 2009 (47.2 percent). And that percentage grows each year.
Charging a single price 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. The newest figures indicate that most eye surgeons have backed off entirely from charging prices that low. Still, the percentage of surveyed surgeons who offered bladed LASIK at less than $1,000 did grow recently, from 13.8% in 2010 to 19.5% in 2011.
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 $2,500 per eye (see chart).
Beware of "Bargain" Prices for LASIK
When you deal with centers and surgeons that advertise LASIK surgery at bargain prices far below what is mentioned above, you would be wise to ask plenty of questions about what a procedure actually costs beyond what is advertised.
Ask for an estimate, in writing, that details exactly what you are getting for that low price.
Make sure you know what the total cost of the procedure will or could be, including surgeon and facility fees and any other extras. One advertised price represented as a "bargain" might include those types of extra costs, while another might not.
How much does LASIK cost?
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.
LASIK surgeons also might add extra charges for new technologies, including wavefront analysis for extra-precise corrections (custom wavefront LASIK).
You also might be charged extra for all-laser LASIK, also called bladeless LASIK (IntraLase and other technologies), in which a laser is used instead of a bladed instrument to create the flap on the front of the eye. In LASIK, this thin flap is lifted so that laser energy can be applied to shape the eye, and then replaced to serve as a natural bandage.
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 in 2011. Average LASIK costs were:
$2,124 for all laser-based vision correction procedures (including LASIK) in which a single price is quoted.
$1,630 for non-customized LASIK using a bladed instrument (microkeratome) and excimer lasers that are not guided by wavefront analysis.
$2,151 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 2011, 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.
The average price for LASIK with a blade-created flap did rise between 2010 and 2011, from $1,580 to $1,630. But the average price for wavefront-guided LASIK using a laser-created flap on the eye dipped, from $2,170 to $2,151.
Many more eye surgeons (55.3 percent) now quote a single price for LASIK or similar vision correction procedures than in 2009 (47.2 percent). And that percentage grows each year.
Charging a single price 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. The newest figures indicate that most eye surgeons have backed off entirely from charging prices that low. Still, the percentage of surveyed surgeons who offered bladed LASIK at less than $1,000 did grow recently, from 13.8% in 2010 to 19.5% in 2011.
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 $2,500 per eye (see chart).
Beware of "Bargain" Prices for LASIK
When you deal with centers and surgeons that advertise LASIK surgery at bargain prices far below what is mentioned above, you would be wise to ask plenty of questions about what a procedure actually costs beyond what is advertised.
Ask for an estimate, in writing, that details exactly what you are getting for that low price.
Make sure you know what the total cost of the procedure will or could be, including surgeon and facility fees and any other extras. One advertised price represented as a "bargain" might include those types of extra costs, while another might not.
For the medical community: Is there any device to measure the actual thickness of the cornea?
pew pew ma
And if there isn't, then what formula does laser eye surgery use to determine amount of cornea to take off?
Please cite sources or your expertise.
Answer
There are several ways to measure corneal thickness: the process itself is called "pachymetry." The most common instrument is a pachymeter, which measures corneal thickness through brief contact with the eye, as seen here: http://vision.about.com/od/eyeexaminations/ss/eyexam_9.htm. It takes only seconds and is painless. Non-contact intruments exist as well (see last link below).
Lasik can be unsafe for people with thin corneas, not necessarily because of the amount "taken off" (it's actually "reshaped") but because the flap that is cut during Lasik surgry must be thick enough that the flap won't detach.
The formula used to determine whether a person is a candidate for one of these surgeries boils down to simple addition/subtraction of te patient's corneal thickness, the required size of the flap, and the amount of cornea to be removed to obtain the necessary level of correction (the worse your eyes are, the more cells will need to be removed to correct them).
Per the first link below, the size of the flap should be at least 160* microns and the amount of cornea remaining after surgery should be 250* microns. So, for example, if a patient's corneal thickness was 500 (which is thin -- normal corneas are about 500 microns), no more than 90 microns could be removed safely. To put it another way: if MORE than 90 microns would need to be removed to correct that patient's vision, s/he would likely be deemed ineligible for Lasik surgery. (There are other types of laser vision correction that don't require creating a flap; this person could be eligible for PRK, Lasek, or Lasik with IntraLase)
*Some doctors are more conservative than others about the thickness of the flap and the amount of cornea to remain intact after surgery.
There are several ways to measure corneal thickness: the process itself is called "pachymetry." The most common instrument is a pachymeter, which measures corneal thickness through brief contact with the eye, as seen here: http://vision.about.com/od/eyeexaminations/ss/eyexam_9.htm. It takes only seconds and is painless. Non-contact intruments exist as well (see last link below).
Lasik can be unsafe for people with thin corneas, not necessarily because of the amount "taken off" (it's actually "reshaped") but because the flap that is cut during Lasik surgry must be thick enough that the flap won't detach.
The formula used to determine whether a person is a candidate for one of these surgeries boils down to simple addition/subtraction of te patient's corneal thickness, the required size of the flap, and the amount of cornea to be removed to obtain the necessary level of correction (the worse your eyes are, the more cells will need to be removed to correct them).
Per the first link below, the size of the flap should be at least 160* microns and the amount of cornea remaining after surgery should be 250* microns. So, for example, if a patient's corneal thickness was 500 (which is thin -- normal corneas are about 500 microns), no more than 90 microns could be removed safely. To put it another way: if MORE than 90 microns would need to be removed to correct that patient's vision, s/he would likely be deemed ineligible for Lasik surgery. (There are other types of laser vision correction that don't require creating a flap; this person could be eligible for PRK, Lasek, or Lasik with IntraLase)
*Some doctors are more conservative than others about the thickness of the flap and the amount of cornea to remain intact after surgery.
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Title Post: How old do you have to be to get laser eye surgery? How much does it cost?
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