Monovision LASIK Costs - Pricing Info for Patients

Monovision is a refractive surgical technique that is used to help reduce the use of bifocals or glasses used due to presbyopia or nearsightedenss. Monovision is only done through the use of contacts or with LASIK surgery. The FDA has not approved LASIK for the use of helping with presbyopia, but it is the most common off label use of the laser surgery.

Costs

Since monovision LASIK is considered an elective surgery due to the fact that reading glasses or contacts can be used to correct the vision, it is generally not covered by medical insurance or vision insurance. The average options that affect the overall cost of this LASIK surgery includes the LASIK surgeon, the laser option used, your vision prescriptions and the area you live in as well as preoperative tests and postoperative care and medications. Using the original LASIK procedure for monovision includes the use of a microkeratome, which is a laser guided knife, to cut the corneal flap. This is the least expensive type of monovision LASIK available. The average cost for this surgery ranges from $1,700 to $2,300 per eye. Wavefront LASIK uses a laser to lessen the amount of tissue that needs reshaping, and the flap is still cut with the mircokeratome. This costs an average of $1,900 to $2,500 per eye. Blade free LASIK procedures such as IntraLase use a laser to cut the flap instead of the knife. There are less follow ups required, less recovery time and the costs are substantially higher. The average cost per eye for this type of monovision LASIK is about $2,700.

Discounts

There are many discount centers that advertise prices as low as $300 per eye for LASIK surgery. It is important to note that some of these are only the cost for the surgery per eye and not the preoperative blood work and testing, medications, postoperative care and all follow ups or retreatments. On average the cost for the preoperative blood work is about $350- $500, while the medications range from $50 to $75 each. The postoperative care can cost as much as $350 per visit, and any retreatments can cost as much as the entire surgery per eye.