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I don't remember a thread about this, so I'm too lazy to go search to see if there was one.
Has anyone had this?
My insurance covers about 20%. Which still makes it very expensive.
I wear my glasses constantly, from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to sleep. I absolutely can't see without them. It would be so nice to not have to worry about that anymore.
I called today to get doctors that take my insurance. There aren't many. There are two that are convenient. One is almost twice the price of the other. The cheaper one talked about quantity, economies of scale, etc. It still seems bizarre that there is such a large price difference.
What kinds of questions should I be asking them? I know to ask how many procedures they have done. Anything else?
Posts: 134 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I've wondered about that myself. I would be very afraid to had my eyes cut by a discount guy.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Edit: I was just talking to my roommate and she said to be sure to ask what laser they are using and check to make sure it's FDA approved. (you can find that list on the site linked above)
posted
I had it a long time ago. Everything I know about it has changed since there were only two approved lasers back then. Find a good web site with a list of questions. You want to know how many the doctor has done, with what results, and what kind of touch-up guarantee they have.
I do have 20/20 in both eyes, and I couldn't read newspaper headlines without my glasses before that.
posted
I would also check for any complaints filed with the BBB and check the history of the doctor who is performing the surgery (see if they've had any disciplinary action against them from the medical board, etc.). How long have they been in practice? How long have they been performing this particular kind of surgery? Where did they learn to perform Lasik? You can also try asking them what their failure rate is - How many patients need follow-up surgery? How many patients are worse off having had the surgery? - that type of thing.
I had Lasik done last year. I was confused also as to the wide range of prices for the surgery. I know some of it has to do with the equipment that is used and the size/scale of the company. Part of it has to do with how much correction must be made to your prescription. Some of it has to do with the type of Lasik done - I understand that there are actually a couple different types.
I am very happy with the results of my surgery. I had worn glasses or contacts for 15 years and now do not need them. My night vision still isn't great (but it isn't worse than it was corrected before).
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
One of the things that did kind of make me laugh was the whole "focus on the red light" while the laser is being applied to your eye (I have pretty bad eyesight, so to me, the red light was huge!)
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
A friend of mine just had it done and is doing well.
I'd like to get it done but can't afford it. However I barely notice that I wear contacts since I switched to the wear-for-a-month-without-taking-out variety. Put 'em in at the start of a month, take 'em out at the end and throw away. Couldn't be easier.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Make sure your eyes aren't changing prescription over a set amount of time (I'm sure they'll check your history before they let you do the procedure). Will you be sad if your eyes get worse 5 years after the procedure and you end up with low-strength glasses or contacts?
And perhaps the major question... do you really need it? I have been wearing contacts for about 10 years now, and really like them. I hate glasses. But as long as contacts are comfortable and only a minor inconvenience, it would be a poor choice for me to get LASIK. It's surgery, and all surgery can have complications.
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