By Sara Nachlis
I’ve been toying with the idea of having LASIK surgery. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for most of my life, and I’d very much like to not have to deal with smudged lenses or sticking my finger in my eye ever again.
But beyond the scariness that is using a laser to reshape your eyeball, there’s the cost factor. LASIK is expensive!
This Daily Worth article breaks down the costs of whether or not the procedure is worth it. Writer Julia Sonenshein is like me: she’s had poor vision since she was a kid, and it’s declining every year. After spending hundreds of dollars on glasses and contacts every year, she’s debating whether or not to take the LASIK plunge.
Sick of fumbling around with contacts? You might be tempted by LASIK.
To help her make her decision, she breaks down whether the one-time LASIK fee outweighs the fees she pays every year.
According to Julia, “Depending on location and your insurance coverage, eye exams run between US$50 and $100, and most doctors recommend that you come in every two years.”
She pays a whopping $580 a year on contacts, and about $100 on solution. My contacts run me $130 a year and I thought that seemed like a lot! Damn. (Post continues after gallery).
Sonenshein buys glasses twice every five years or so, spending around $100 a pair. I generally get one nice pair every five years and a couple cheap pairs when I’m feeling like mixing things up. So let's say I spend around $350 every five years on glasses.
Sonenshein adds everything together. “So in the last five years alone, I spent around $3,700 on my eyes,” she writes. “Should I live to be 90 and my expenses somehow don’t go up, I’m looking at another $48,100 over my lifetime.”
I spent about $1,350 in the last five years, which means I’m looking at adding another $16,470 over my lifetime.
Watch: the science behind 'segmented sleep'. (Post continues after video).
Onto the LASIK. Sonenshein says, “Prices vary state to state, and the average cost in 2013 was $2,073 per eye, or $4,146 total.” A one-time cost of $4,146, or paying $16,470 over the next 60+ years: it seems like a no-brainer.
She points out one caveat though: “Most people over 50 require reading glasses, and you’ll still need to see an eye doctor in order to get that assessed. Then it’s back to buying glasses every few years—although reading glasses cost significantly less than a regular supply of contacts.”
Julia Sonenshein says she’s getting LASIK—and I’m thinking I’m going to, too.
Have you ever tried LASIK? Did you feel it was worth the expense?
This story originally appeared on Flo and Frank.
Top Comments
My sister who lives in a nursing home, due to mental health issues, was sent to get LASIK surgery. They found a contact lens in her eye that must have been there for years.
For a nursing home that has the duty of care, it is bound to be cheaper to get the patient to pay for eye surgery. The alternative is for them to send a staff member with my sister to the optometrist every couple of years and stop her from sitting on her glasses.
I consulted the Lions Eye Institute about LASIK and, after many tests, I was told that, although I was a candidate for LASIK, I had a cataract and I was better having my natural lens replaced with a plastic one. A year ago, I did just that. The lens I was given was exactly the right strength for my eyeball, so not only is the cataract gone, but I am no longer short sighted in that eye.
Being able to pop up to the public 50 metre pool and have a swim, without having to bother with lenses, is wonderful.
LASIK or PRK wont prevent the deterioration of vision that comes with age as that's generally caused by stiffening of the lens. So, while refractive surgery is almost always worth the money, don't bade your costings on never ever wearing specs again.
The article does cover this.