Eye Surgery Cost: Myths About Laser Eye Surgery

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Myths About Laser Eye Surgery

Dec.19, 2009 inLaser Eye Surgery

There is a lot said about laser eye surgery. In common with many of the “newer” forms of surgery or medical procedures, a lot of it is less than 100% true, and some of it is absolutely untrue. Some of it is scaremongering and some is down to excessive “pushing” of the medium. Laser eye surgery is neither as risky as some would have you believe, nor as certain a cure for eye problems as others claim. Here are some of the myths, and the truth about the statements.

Laser Eye Surgery is too new for us to be sure of its long-term benefits and risks.

Laser Eye Surgery has been practised for more than fifteen years now. Certainly it is new in comparison to a number of other treatments, but after fifteen years if there were to be major risks they would by now be apparent. By all means we should be cautious before rushing to have any medical procedure done, but a doctor’s advice is worth more than a million scare stories.

You can throw away your old reading glasses – you won’t need any once you’ve had Laser Eye Surgery.

While it is certainly true that you will likely notice a vast improvement in your eyesight after a course of Laser Eye Surgery, it is unlikely to make things perfect. You may still need to wear some glasses for one reason or another. We cannot guarantee anything about surgery. If you have a heart transplant, you will still need to be careful afterwards. Equally, after laser eye surgery your eyesight will be better, but not necessarily good enough to do away with glasses altogether.

Once the surgery is done, the results are permanent.

This just is not true. While Laser Eye Surgery from a good surgeon will make a big difference initially and for some time afterwards, there is no way of locking out what time does to our eyes – just the same as with any part of our body. It will fix things for a satisfactory period, but not permanently. What it will do is stop the rapid deterioration that might happen without.

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How Much Does Eye Surgery Cost ?

Laser eye surgery cost varies depending upon the type of surgery you want and where you want it doing.

Most clinics offer standard LASIK treatment starting at £395, with wavefront guided treatment starting from £795, however this price can be misleading.

When clinics say the price starts at £395 it is almost likely that isn’t what you will end up paying, unless you have a very low prescription and require little correction.

Generally, the more correction your eye requires, the more expensive your treatment will be. Other clinics choose to list prices as a one off price that stays the same no matter what your correction needs.

It is important that you choose a clinic you feel comfortable with, which has not only a good price, but well trained and experienced ophthalmologists.

There are a number of different procedures that are essentially modified LASIK operations. These obviously vary in price and are more expensive than the standard procedure.

The wavefront guided procedure starts from £1,500 per eye depending on where you decide to have it done.

The most expensive type of LASIK procedure is the bladeless form called Intralase. The prices for this procedure start from around £1,695 per eye.

It is important that when you go for your initial consultation to find out the prices for the different procedures. They will vary depending on the clinic, laser used and the aftercare. As always you should check to see what is included in the aftercare.

Another modified LASIK surgery procedure called Epi-LASIK is available at some clinics, depending on their size and equipment level.

On average Epi-LASIK prices start from £800 per eye including aftercare.

PRK or photo refractive keratectomy costs around £700 to £1000 per eye and should as always include sufficient aftercare.

Other corrective procedures include Laser Thermal Keratoplasty (LTK), which costs £1,000 per eye and PTK, for around £900

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Laser Eye Surgery - Is It For Me ?

Your eyes must be healthy. If you have any condition that can affect how your eyes respond to surgery or heal afterwards, you must wait until that condition is resolved. Examples are chronic dry eyes, conjunctivitis and any injury. Your eye surgeon may want to prevent dry eyes after LASIK by giving you treatment such as prescription eye drops as a precaution. Some conditions, such as cataracts that interfere with your vision, keratoconus and uncontrolled glaucoma, may disqualify you completely.

You must be an adult. By law, certain procedures require you to be 18; others, 21. Younger patients can be treated as an exception.

You must have stable vision for at least a year. Many young adults experience changes in their eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions in the teenage years. Vision stabilizes most often sometime in their 20s. Usually, it is nearsightedness that gradually becomes worse, but there may be other changes as well. Younger people are not good candidates until their eyes have "settled down" into one prescription. Your doctor can tell you whether your prescription is stable.

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Quality Of Life Improved Through Laser Eye Surgery

First Quality of Life Survey Among Laser Eye Surgery Patients Demonstrates High Satisfaction, Improved Daily Routine and Overall Quality of Life
Fairfax, VA– The vast majority of Americans who had their vision corrected by laser surgery are highly satisfied with the results and said that the overall quality of their lives and daily routines has improved, according to the results of a Harris Interactive survey released by The Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), the public education arm of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).
The survey is the first nationwide quality of life survey assessing life implications for laser eye surgery patients. The survey asked patients to evaluate the impact of their eye surgery on the quality of their family life, careers, and sports. These survey findings, along with the ESEC’s newly updated LASIK screening guidelines, can help interested patients make educated choices by weighing the benefits and risks of laser eye surgery.
Of the approximately 3 million Americans who underwent laser eye surgery since 1995, more than 85 percent said the surgery improved their overall quality of life and 93 percent of patients said they were satisfied with the results. Among the benefits of the procedure, respondents cited improvement in several specific aspects of vision, daily living and everyday activities, including:
· Ability to see upon waking (seeing an alarm clock) (89%)

· Freedom from glasses and contacts (83%)

· Improvement in personal safety (69%)

· Increased confidence in personal appearance (65%)

· Better participation in sports or fitness activities (54%)
Specific to the surgery, 87 percent felt that the results met or exceeded their expectations and 73 percent of patients regretted that they did not have the surgery sooner. In addition to the high satisfaction rate, nearly half (47 percent) of the respondents said they began “a whole new life” after laser eye surgery.
An important aspect of the survey also focused on consumer education. Understanding risks and benefits of laser eye surgery prior to undergoing treatment is critical for patient satisfaction and an important factor in determining if a patient is an appropriate candidate. The survey findings showed that 86 percent felt they were well informed about the risks of laser eye surgery before treatment and more than half (54 percent) of respondents reported that they considered laser eye surgery for a year or more before they actually had the procedure. Significantly, those patients who reported that their expectations were not met or that they were not satisfied were also among those people who were less informed about the surgery itself or risks and benefits of the surgery.
“This kind of research is very helpful to physicians as we counsel future patients and understand the quality of life benefits for LASIK patients,” said Dr. Roger Steinert, chair of the Eye Surgery Education Council Medical Advisory Board and associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. “The majority of the patients reported they were well informed about the procedure, which supports the importance of patient education and discussion of realistic expectations prior to having the surgery.”

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Who is Right for Laser Eye Surgery?

While many individuals are considered good candidates for LASIK eye surgery, there are some who do not meet the generally accepted medical criteria to ensure a successful laser vision procedure.

Individuals that are not deemed good candidates given today’s technology may be able to have the surgery in the future, as technology advances and new techniques are refined.

Anyone considering laser eye surgery must have a thorough examination by an ophthalmologist that will help determine, in consulta-tion with the patient, whether or not the LASIK proce-dure is right for them.

Based on various conditions and circumstances, all LASIK candidates will fall into one of the following three broad categories.

The ideal candidate includes those who:

• Are over 18 years of age and have had a stable glasses or contact lens prescription for at least two years.

• Have sufficient corneal thickness (the cornea is the trans-parent front part of the eye). A LASIK patient should have a cornea that is thick enough to allow the surgeon to safe-ly create a clean corneal flap of appropriate depth.

• Are affected by one of the common types of vision prob-lems or refractive error – myopia (nearsightedness), astig-matism (blurred vision caused by an irregular shaped cornea), hyperopia (farsightedness), or a combination thereof (e.g., myopia with astigmatism). Several lasers are now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe and effective for use in LASIK, but the scope of each laser’s approved indication and treatment range is limited to specified degrees of refractive error.

• Do not suffer from any disease, vision-related or oth-erwise, that may reduce the effectiveness of the surgery or the patient’s ability to heal properly and quickly.

• Are adequately informed about the benefits and risks of the procedure. Candidates should thoroughly discuss the procedure with their physicians and understand that for most people, the goal of refractive eye surgery should be the reduction of dependency on glasses and contact lens-es, not their complete elimination.

Laser in-situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, the most commonly performed type of laser surgery, is generally a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of common vision problems.

Specifically, LASIK involves the use of a laser to permanently change the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye.

LASIK is a quick and often painless procedure, and for the majority of patients, the surgery improves vision and reduces the need for corrective eyewear.

However, as LASIK is a surgical procedure conducted on a delicate part of the eye, it is crucial that potential candidates are well educated on the benefits and risks of the procedure, understand the importance of a thorough screening by their physician, and maintain realistic expectations about the procedure’s outcome.

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Eye Surgery Cost

The cost of laser eye surgery can vary widely depending on the country in which surgery is performed, the level of experience a surgeon possesses, the technology used during the surgery, and the degree of your refractive error.

For LASIK eye surgery the price can range anywhere from $499 per eye to $2,500 per eye. However, it is important to remember that you should not base your choice of a LASIK surgeon solely on the cost of LASIK eye surgery.

A less skilled ophthalmologist may charge a lower LASIK eye surgery price, but he or she may not have the same training, experience or precise equipment as a more expensive doctor.

Many patients are curious if the cost of LASIK varies by region, and to some extent it does.

Patients will encounter a higher LASIK eye surgery cost in larger or more metropolitan cities, where doctors are trying to stay ahead of their competition by utilizing the latest laser technology.

LASIK Cost Breakdown

The cost of LASIK eye surgery may or may not include any of the following:

Royalties owed to laser manufacturers.

Purchase and maintenance of surgical and technical equipment.

Surgical gowns, gloves, masks, and other sterile and disposable materials.

Medications used before, during, and after surgery, including anesthesia, eye drops, and oral pain medications.

Rent for surgical and office facilities.

Surgical and office staff salaries.

Advertising fees.

Pre- and post-operative evaluations for up to one year after surgery.

Post-surgical enhancement, if needed.

Since many of these LASIK eye surgery price quotes are variable according to office location, the technology employed, and other factors specific to each surgeon, it is important for prospective patients to fully research what they are paying for when they have LASIK laser eye surgery.

Be sure to ask surgeons to clearly outline what is and what is not included in their prices for LASIK before agreeing to any payment plans or methods.

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Eye Surgery Cost

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Myths About Laser Eye Surgery

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How Much Does Eye Surgery Cost ?

Laser Eye Surgery - Is It For Me ?

Quality Of Life Improved Through Laser Eye Surgery

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