Try Dr. Nick Riviera. He'll perform any surgery for only $129.95!
Thats a great deal if you ask me.

I don't think Lasik is something you want to get from a discount operation. I'm just saying.

No idea about New York but here (SE Michigan) there are TV commercials saying $999 per eye. So $6k does seem a bit steep even if you assume these guys are hacks.

You get what you pay for. You're talking about YOUR EYES!!! Dr. Michael J. Newton, (212) 861-0146.Left & right eyes both now 20/15.

Check out Dr. Richard Koplin at LaserOne. He is not only a forerunner in the world of corneal surgery but is also one of the fine doctors from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary that you were talking about. And, just as importantly, his prices are reasonable.

A friend of mine got that done for $3,000. Both eyes, other visits, etc. But we live in Canada, so perhaps some of it was covered by our health care?

My mother always said that there are two things you should always be willing to pay top dollar for: comfortable shoes and people shooting lasers into your eyes.

I paid $5,000 to have mine done here in FL. I went to one of the best doctors in the region however as he had a procedure not available elsewhere (no blade contact at all.. even for the flap) In my research it seemed that most reputable doctors charged about $2000 per eye. My thinking is that your eyes are not something to go cheap on and so if I were you (and I was) I would be looking at doctors first and prices would be my last worry.

The advertised prices for eye surgery are almost always for the older technologies. Both times I had consultations, I was told that my eyes were so bad that I would need the newest (and therefore most expensive) procedure. Here is a wiki link that explains most refractive surgery procedures.

[en.wikipedia.org]

If I had one of those uber green lasers, I could shine you for cheap. Free follow up ice cubes too. Put some ice on it, you'll be fine. Walk it off.

@Hedgy2136: heh, isnt that "bait and switch" ?

Lasik Vision Institute, if they have offices there, have done a great job for me and several of my coworkers, for around $3,000 altogether.

[www.lasikvisioninstitute.com]

I recommend them to my friends and other coworkers. Recently my roommate got his surgery performed there as well, with great results. I'm at 20/15.

this really is an area where you don't want to cut corners. bite the bullet and get it done correctly. all my friends who have had it done say they were happy they went wherever they thought was the best place, not the most economical.

If your eye is brown, you might want to check out Dr. Zizmor.

Might be too late now, but you can reduce the effective cost of the procedure by paying through those pre-tax medical expense accounts. By paying with pre-tax dollars you can save 20-30% of out of pocket money. Though this strategy depends on how your plan works. If you have to slowly trickle money into the account, then find out the cost now, plan for a December zapping, and load money into your account accordingly over the year.

I would agree with other people that skimping is not the way to go here. You should also consider how many checkups you will receive afterwards (more is better!) and if they will allow follow up corrective procedures as part of the cost (some people need re-correction afterwards).

I just had LASKIK done last month, because the job I'm applying for requires 20/20 uncorrected vision. One thing that you should keep in mind is that all LASIK is not created equal. There are different types of lasers that vary in quality, and therefore quality of results. If you want something high quality that will last, look for something advertised as "custom LASIK". In this procedure they map your cornea with a machine, noting any imperfections. The laser has roughly 200 packets of light in it that shape and refine each section of your cornea.

I paid 4000 for my surgery and don't regret it one bit, as my surgeon was one of the most respected in the country. I now see 20/15 (better than perfect) and I have no complications such as halos or sensitivity.

If anyone needs more information or has questions, send me a message.

Another thing is to see if they have a permanent surgical laser machine. Many cheap places rent the machine for days when they have the surgery scheduled, which means they're not doing it often which can increase risk.

When getting anecdotal referrals, make sure that they are rating their entire experience, not just how good they can see. Especially the after-care part is important.

I cannot get LASIK unfortunately because my cornea is too thin :(

I used Chelsea Eye (dot com). Was excellent.

My family got theirs done many years ago in the burbs of New England for that "thousand an eye" type price. The procedure is more advanced now, so that + NYC premium = 4-6K.

You HAVE to do this on FSA (like the above poster says). Ultimately it shaves a third off the price. But you'll have to wait til 2009 now. Talk to your HR rep about it (if you have an HR rep!).

If I saw Lasik being offered for only $1000, I'd RUN.

FAR. FAR. AWAY.

I had Intra-Lasik done to my eyes last year, and it cost $3800. The cost makes sense to me, given the amount of follow up visits, and the fact that it included a "life time guarantee".

Why the hell would anyone seek DISCOUNT eye surgery??

@harumph: I'm not sure if I'd necessarily equate "higher cost" and "correctly". (Although, I do agree "lower cost" tends to imply more ... risk.)

I had my eyes zapped in November 07 at Lasik Plus. The people there were great, they walk you through everything and you have multiple follow ups to make sure everything heals correctly. I paid a total of $3000 for eyes, plus another about 200 in prescriptions and eyedrops, painkillers and such. (The amount you need is probably going to depend on what type of surgery you get done, LASIK or PRK or something else.

LasikPlus doesn't have an office in New York City (I had mine done on Long Island), but they have a couple in New York and New Jersey. You can check the locations and set up a screening appointment off their website (www.lasikplus.com).

Good luck with it, and it is a wonderful feeling when they finish and you can see perfectly without glasses.

This might help some in figuring out the cost the procedure. The price quoted to you was about on par with the national average, if not lower.
[www.allaboutvision.com]

Expect to pay about $4900 if you pay cash, or a few $100 more if you finance. If it's way less, run as fast as you can. Most of the high-end places will offer corrections within 12 months for a small fee.

@homerjay: "The knee bone's connected to the something. The something's connected to the red thing. The red thing's connected to my wristwatch...uh oh."

I haven't had this procedure, but I used to work as a medical writer in ophthalmology. I agree that you really don't want to skimp when it comes to your sight! Some advice:
1.Ask the surgeon how many procedures (he/she shoulds specify if it is how many eyes or pairs of eyes of course) 1,000 eyes is the bare minimum. Not how many have been done at the practice, but how many the surgeon who is going to do your eyes has done. If I got his procedure, I would make sure the surgeon had done at least 4000 eyes and was using the very latest approved equipment. Many practices charging low fees employ inexperienced docs (to be qualified, you have to do a few pig eyes at a weekend seminar) and cite the number of procedures done collectively at the practice.
2.At the initial consult (which should be free) find out if you have thinner corneas than normal, and/or if your degree of correction is high (more than 5 or so diopters) and if you have astigmatism and if these factors or any others will add to the advertised cost. The low-charging places may ding you will little fees base on your anatomy, other special case things.
3. If you have very thin corneas and you need a lot of corection, a subtractive procedure (the most common, includes PRK and LASIK) may not be a good idea. A cheap place though, might encourage you to go ahead with surgery anyway. Remember, lasers remove tissue, they can't put it back.
*Make sure any revision procedures that have to be done will be free.
*If you have a pre-tax flex spend account you may be able to use it for laser vision correction.
Hope that helps. This is on the whole a wonderul safe procedure when done by a conscientious experienced doc.

Dr. Koster! He's very nice. $3000 for everything. I'm having an "enhancement" next week for free! My Lasik was very painful. Most people recover in a day or two but because of my astigmatism it took over a week. Make sure you ask about all that.
212-243-2300

The places that advertise lowball estimates by printing the price of Lasik for patients with slight myopia and no astigmatism, which is why you're better off ignoring the ads altogether.

I paid $3500 for my Lasik operation last year in Montreal (which has to be the one instance of something being cheaper in Canada than in the US!) and am very happy with the results.

As an aside, be sure to know the difference between Lasik and PRK before you consult with doctors. A friend of mine got PRK and he was out of commission for a couple of weeks, whereas I got Lasik and drove myself to my follow-up appointment the day after the surgery.

[www.lasikathome.com] ftw!

@sir_eccles: HAHA I totally forgot about that website. I haven't receive my kit yet from last year! I'm so bummed!

I got mine done at Dr. Joseph Dello Russo in Bergenfield NJ but they also have a NY office.

3600 out the door with 12 month 0% financing for custom LASIK. No issues during surgery, and I'm now a month out of surgery and happier than ever.

I checked out LasikPlus and Diamond Vision but both seemed more about the money than patient care. Everyone I know that has gone to Dello Russo has been extremely satisfied, myself included. Truly a happy ending (without the truck stop massage).

Who the heck bargain shops for their VISION?

As someone who nearly lost an eye, I can't imagine letting anyone screw around with mine, but if I got all crazy and did, I certainly wouldn't be quibbling over the prices from a reputable doctor. You're gonna gamble $500 vs your vision?

First, don't cheap out on this one.

I had a friend get his done last year, and it ran him about $5k in NYC. I've been calling around, and it seems to be the going price.

Guys, I don't think he's bargain shopping. I think he's COMPARISON shopping. Someone who's padding their profits with mark-ups out-of-line with industry standards, while not as concerning as Dr. Nick's Discount Eye Surgeratorium, is still something to be considered.

I noticed a few people have mentioned Canada already, but only in regards to price. A number of years ago, when my mom was having this done, it was the case that Canada's medical establishment had approved a better procedure allowing a greater resolution in the carving of the lens. The FDA had not yet approved it in the States, so she went up to Vancouver to have it done. And the prices mentioned previously are pretty consistent with what I recall she paid, so I don't think the procedure is subsidized by the Canadian health care system. Although, now that I think about it, my mom was a Canadian citizen before naturalizing to the US. I don't know if that might have changed the price.

But my point is that Canada might offer a better procedure. Maybe we've caught up. I don't know.

I had my LASIK done in Westbury, NY in Jan 2007. Dr. James Kelly - really nice guy and has been doing it about 10 years. No problems and 1 year later I see 20/17 after being about 20/400 in both eyes beforehand. My procedure cost $3400...I paid part and financed the rest at 0% for 2 years.

@sir_eccles: That just scares the crap out of me.

Go on vacation to Colorado and use your parent's doctor. It'll probably cost less than the low range of practitioners in NYC. Medical tourism can be a great thing.

I highly recommend the guy I went to - Dr. Emil Chynn. He went to Harvard Med. and has NEVER been sued. The best part is that he owns his own equipment so his prices are a lot lower than other places. The exorbitant price of LASIK is due to the $2000 "rental" fee doctors have to pay to the equipment company for each procedure. What I liked about Dr. Chynn is that he was honest with me - he told me that due to some complications with my eyes that I will never be 20/20 and that he wouldn't do LASIK on me if I expected 20/20. He is the ONLY doctor I saw who wasn't just greedy for the money. I was very happy with the outcome and would recommend him. His site is www.iwant2020.com

I paid 2k for mine last year. Ellis Eye I think is the name of the franchise and Dr. Ellis was the one who does all the surgeries. He has several clinics but he only does the surgeries. Includes meds and followups for a year.

Any recommendations in the DC area?

As an ophthalmologist who does not do LASIK (but know a lot about it), I can tell you the following:

The procedure itself is fairly simple. What varies among surgeons is JUDGEMENT and relative sleaze factor. Anyone who has done a few hundred of these is competent to do it to you.

Unfortunately, LASIK is treated as a commodity rather than health care, which is what it is.

I'd recommend an academic center, not a storefront.

Remember (germane to The Consumerist): they are trying to sell you something. Caveat Emptor. Treat it like a medical procedure. Find a doc who does likewise.

Go to NY Eye & Ear or a similar institution.

You have two eyeballs, and its well within your right to take them to the lowest bidder, but do you really want that? What is your sight worth to you?

I had PRK surgery by one of the best in the nation and it was about $4500, and I would have happily paid double because I had 20/400 vision and I can proudly say I am now eagal-eyed.

Going to the eye hospital is a good place to start, and I highly recommend doing one eye at a time. And see a Dr that is FACS

@satoru: When you say save 20-30%, is that simply by dint of the fact that it's pre-tax money, or is there some additional savings that you can get?

I just started a job and can get my FSA money right up front, and wasn't going to sign up, but if LASIK is covered, maybe I can finally get rid of these damnable contacts and glasses.

I went to Dr. Ken Moadel. Cost me $5500 in 2000; I referred him to a friend who used him a year later and her cost was $4500. He's on 53rd and 5th and I have no complaints. (And I started out blind as a bat.)

Best 5 grand I ever spent.

Folks, we get it: You wouldn't look for a buy-one-get-one-free special for your eyes. But that isn't what Ben's asking. If you can get the same procedure done by a quality doctor (there are plenty of them) for $1,000 less, why wouldn't you?

@omerhi: All KINDS of things are covered, and your pharmacy may be linked in to your FSA (or you may be able to set it up). When I shop at Walgreens, if I buy at the pharmacy counter (like picking up Rx at the same time so they have my name on the transaction), it AUTOMATICALLY sends everything on my receipt that's FSA-eligible to my FSA and I get a check a week later for my Tylenol. :)

A lot of drugstores mark if it's FSA-eligible on the receipt (for ease of sending it in, if you have to do it that way), so take a look at what you're buying at the drug store and how much of it is FSA-eligible. It's probably worth it to enroll.

At the end of last year, I got 3 estimates, ranging from $2700 to $4200 for non-Wavefront LASIK. The free eval exams let me form an impression of the facilities and doctors, although I really got tired of saying, "Um, I think the 'A' lens might be a tiny bit more blurry than 'B'." Also couldn't wear my soft contact lenses for a week before each exam, which was a bit of a bummer (they need to get an accurate measurement of the shape of your cornea). I went with the $3400 procedure, financed with FSA.

I just had the top of the line CustomVue (Wavefront) about 3 months ago in North West Ohio for $2300. The big discount is from the "Bring a Friend". If you can find someone else that wants to do it, you can save big. This includes free life-time follow ups.

I also agree with making sure they own the equipment.

Another thing to check it your pupil size. The larger the pupil, the higher the risk of halos or star bursts while driving at night.

Be prepared for LOTS of eye drops. Mousture drops every 15 minutes. Medicine eye drops 4 times a day.

That said, I would do it again in a second.

I know you're in NYC but I went to Dr. Mark Mandel here in the San Francisco (East Bay). He's done 40,000+ surgeries for the past 15 years. I paid a little over $4,000 with low correction, wavefront, no astigmatism. I paid almost double what he was charging 3 years ago, according to a co-worker who had the surgery w/ Dr. Mandel. Nice guy, but one of the other commenters was right...this is such a commoditized surgery. They couldn't really give a damn about the "care" in health care. And I definitely noticed this was the case everywhere I went.

Additionally, our company covers half the cost of surgery as a company benefit. Thank you Silicon Valley hi-tech companies!

I got regular LASIK done with Diamond Vision (based in New York, but I got mine done in their Conneticut office). It cost me $1600 because my roomate that worked there at the time got me 50% off the regular $3200 (pricing in 2005). :-) They have an initial free consultation and financing option if you can't afford it (like I couldn't at the time, I was 22). From there you can free monthly checkups for 2 years I believe.