Archive for the ‘Lasik Costs’ Category

Dry eye or dry eye syndrome is found to be very a common occurrence especially in the older generation that may affect millions of people though it seems that more women than men are afflicted by it. Dry eye is a condition in which the person does not have enough tears in the eyes that would cause the eye to stay moist and comfortable as well as clean. This is a defect in the eye that may be caused by laser surgery as the tear film which is composed of three layers with each component layer being dependent on the other for proper performance may get damaged.

Symptoms of dry eye condition are persistently gritty eyes, itchy eyes, burning sensation in the eyes and pain. The symptoms generally tend to get worse with each passing day and there may also be stringy mucus that may be seen in or around the eyes. The first line of treatment for dry eyes is to use lubricating eye drops or gels which can be bought over the counter. However, corrective laser eye surgery may be required to treat the aggravated dry eye and once the patient has been treated for the specific cause, corrective laser eye surgery may be necessary to correct faulty vision.

Advantages Include Affordability

The advantage of having corrective laser eye surgery is that it is quite affordable for everyone and its popularity among people is growing as it allows the patient to anticipate having good vision without recourse to using glasses or contact lenses as the incidence of people using corrective laser eye surgery continues to grow. With positive feedback that emanates from those who have found corrective laser eye surgery to provide best results, more and more people are getting convinced that there are genuine benefits to this form of surgery. Some of the benefits of corrective laser eye surgery are that the procedure is affordable.

Corrective laser eye surgery owes its popularity, amongst other things, to its value for money and has been found to correct many of the problems that affect a person’s vision. It has also been used to treat cataracts, glaucoma, as well as macular degeneration and these are problems that often hinder vision in the elderly. Macular degeneration is one of the foremost reasons behind blindness in old people and corrective laser eye surgery would be able to treat macular degeneration though not cure it and symptoms may be controlled though the process, even though they may not be completely eliminated.

Laser eye surgery is perhaps one of the most advanced treatments ever made in human history. It can give you a lot of benefits, and one of that would be good eyesight. Although a PRK or a lasik eye surgery cost can cut off a big amount from your money, it will all be worth it once you see its overwhelming effects.

A laser eye surgery cost can reach up to a thousand or more dollars. It totally isn’t a pretty sight when you see all the calculations made for the cost of your simple thirty minutes of surgery. But try to think about this, the benefits of having this one treatment can last for almost a lifetime. You will get to see the world beautifully and clearly. So no matter how much the laser eye surgery cost is, you have to think about the advantages you get from it. This way, you will become more eager in saving up money that is needed for the ultimate surgery.

Step By Step Process In Saving For Laser Eye Surgery Cost

A laser eye surgery cost is not an easy problem to solve. Since it can cost you a large amount of money, you need to plan on how you will earn and save the funds needed for your operation. Below is a simple step by step process which can help you put aside the money you need.

First, you need to know if your health insurance covers the laser eye surgery cost. Some companies do not declare the coverage for such type of surgeries but there is a good chance that they can bill it as an obligatory operation rather than an optional one. So work with your health care providers to find some possible ways to reduce the laser eye surgery cost.

Next, it is a good idea to save on your salary every month. You can keep a hundred dollars or more for the needed surgery. About five percent of your income can greatly suffice the needed amount for your surgery. Although it cannot fully compensate to the required amount, savings from your monthly income can help a lot in coming up with the money that you need.

Third, ask about the possibility of installment surgeries. You can issue a large amount as a down payment and set up a contract which will allow you to pay in small monthly terms. This way, you can pay the money with fewer burdens on your part. You can also decide to charge it in your credit card. Although this may not serve as your best option, it can work out just fine if your bank has lower interest rates.

Lastly, save up for your laser eye surgery cost through a financing company. You can search for one over the internet and see the benefits and terms. They will give you a budgeted plan which can definitely make you pay at lower rates.

Custom Lasik surgery, using wavefront technology, is a relatively new procedure that offers distinct advantages over traditional Lasik surgery. This advance in Lasik technology uses equipment that is capable of making many more measurements of the eye, with more precision than traditional Lasik. The benefit of more measurements is a Lasik procedure that will be individualized (customized) to your eye, more than was ever possible with the traditional Lasik procedure. The laser used for the measurements is also much faster than the one used for the traditional Lasik procedure, this allows the laser to keep up with the uncontrollable eye movements that your eye normally makes (saccadic eye movements), resulting in more accurate measurement that greatly reduce the possibilities of side-effects.
The advanced capabilities of Custom Lasik, as valuable as they are to the patient, only account for a small part of the patients additional cost when Custom Lasik is chosen over traditional Lasik. The primary reasons that Custom Lasik is more expensive are more practical:
” Custom Lasik requires the doctor and his staff to spend additional time for preoperative testing and analysis as well as in the performance of the more complex procedure.
” The wavefront equipment is much more expensive than the equipment used for the traditional Lasik procedure so expenses relating to the purchase or lease and maintenance of the wavefront equipment are higher; additional supplies are also required.
” A royalty fee must be paid to the equipment manufacturer every time the equipment is used, the royalty for the wavefront equipment may be up to $150.00 more than the clinic has to pay for the traditional Lasik equipment.
Time factors. Wavefront is based on NASA research; it measures the unique ability of each patient’s eye to absorb and reflect light. The wavefront equipment is capable of making 200 unique measurements that create what might be called a three-dimensional topographic map of your cornea; compare this to only three measurements made using traditional Lasik equipment. Time is money and the Lasik surgeon and his staff will need to spend up to one-hour more with each Custom Lasik patient than they would with a traditional Lasik patient. This extra time is spent evaluating your condition to see if you are a good candidate for Custom Lasik, performing the pre-op analysis if it is determined that Custom Lasik is right for you, and operating and monitoring the equipment during the wavefront mapping procedure and during the actual surgical procedure all take longer because of the added complexity.
Equipment costs. The additional investment required by a Laser clinic to enable them to perform the Custom Lasik procedure is over $100,000.00. Added to that, the clinic must provide supplies for each patient that are specifically required for the Custom Lasik procedure; these can add up to several hundred dollars for each patient.
Royalties. A royalty payment to the manufacturer of each piece of Lasik equipment, each time that equipment is used, is standard procedure; this royalty payment for the wavefront equipment is typically between $140.00 and $250 per use (where use is defined as a procedure on only one eye), depending on the clinic’s arrangement with the equipment manufacturer. This royalty fee arrangement allows the manufacturer to recoup the cost of research and development.
These costs are in addition to the Lasik clinic’s other costs of operation which include:
” gowns, masks, gloves and other items for keeping the operation sterile.
” microkeratome blades, surgical solutions and medications used during the surgery.
” overhead costs for the surgery center, which includes office and surgical staff salaries and benefits, rent, office equipment, and office administration.
” patient acquisition costs, which include advertising, seminars, and fees paid to other eye care practitioners for comanagement.
” insurance to cover the facility, equipment and malpractice law suits.
” equipment leasing or purchase costs for other pieces of equipment used for associated procedures or other procedures.
” royalty fees to equipment manufacturers for other Lasik equipment.
After gaining a good understanding of the complexity and cost of the wavefront technology and equipment it is somewhat easier to understand why the Lasik surgeon has increased the cost of Custom Lasik in relation to traditional Lasik.