Lately, whenever I get on Facebook, it seems like yet another person has gotten LASIK. Some people that I know have already gotten LASIK and I didn't even know until I would say “Wow you're lucky for not having to wear contacts OR eyeglasses!” Then of course they would tell me that they have gotten LASIK and love it.
I've also never met a person who has said that they regretted getting it. The downtime seems very minimal and it sounds like a great way to spend a little money upfront in order to save money for pretty much the rest of your life.
It also sounds like a great way to save time, because who honestly likes to go to the eye doctor once every single year? Those are hours that I'm spending where I could be doing something else instead.
My eyesight is not good at all. I can't see in front of me without my contact or glasses, and even walking to the bathroom after I get out of bed is near impossible!
However, my eyesight hasn't always been bad. I actually had 20/20 vision until I was in 8th grade. And then all of a sudden in eighth grade my eyesight started to get really bad and it has been bad ever since.
My eyes are expensive!
In a couple of months, I will need both glasses and new contacts. I haven't gotten new glasses in a quite some time (probably over 5 years), and I only have a couple months were of boxes of contacts left.
I do have health insurance paid for by my work currently, but the vision part of my insurance is not very good at all. I think it only takes $25 off, which is ridiculous. So, it's not an actual vision plan.
I think an eye exam for contacts is around $50, and then if you bundle it with an eye glasses exam it is an extra $50 as well. Then a new pair of glasses with lenses are a couple hundred dollars as well. Then of course contacts are also super expensive. Lately, I have been able to find them online for around $100 for a full years worth of contacts, but usually they are much more expensive.
So, if I'm spending somewhere around $300 a year on contacts, eye exams, and the occasional glasses every couple of years, the costs of this over a 10 year period well exceeds the cost of LASIK.
LASIK MD lists their starting prices online and it says pricing starts at $490 per eye. You can find a LASIK MD clinic easily, so what am I waiting for?
Did you get LASIK? Why or why not?
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Sarah says
August 18, 2013 at 7:22 pmI have thought about getting LASIK. It seems like the prices have gone down a decent amount from how expensive I feel like it used to be.
Michelle says
August 18, 2013 at 10:21 pmI agree!
petra says
August 18, 2013 at 7:58 pmI haven’t really thought about getting LASIK. Maybe because I don’t mind wearing glasses.
Michelle says
August 18, 2013 at 10:22 pmI hate wearing my glasses. It might be because I have never really gotten used to them. I only wear them when I’m about to go to bed.
Karla says
August 18, 2013 at 8:15 pmI don’t mind wearing glasses but dry contacts are annoying so I would probably get LASIK if the price was right.
Karla says
August 18, 2013 at 8:17 pmI would get LASIK because I hate wearing contacts and glasses aren’t always great for certain occasions either.
Michelle says
August 18, 2013 at 10:23 pmSame here 🙂
liz says
August 18, 2013 at 8:51 pmlucky for me I haven’t needed any glasses and have had pretty good vision. With that said I get really nervous about anything related to doctors, hospitals or sugery… not sure I could do lasik if I needed it.
Michelle says
August 18, 2013 at 10:24 pmYou are so lucky! It does make me nervous as well though, but I think I’d get over it if it meant awesome vision.
Cassaundra says
August 18, 2013 at 9:25 pmI would love to ger LASIK however I can’t due to a blood disorder that inhibits healing. Any cut or wound ends up infected. I had an Appendectomy with no complications and It took 6 months to heal to the point where most people are in 2 months. It sucked because i was in and out of the hospital because of the incision several times before i was done healing.
Michelle says
August 18, 2013 at 10:25 pmI’m sorry Cassaundra, that sounds very hard and difficult to have.
Sarah L says
August 18, 2013 at 10:45 pmFirst I’d have to save up enough $$ for this. Then get over my fear of the procedure.
Barbara says
August 19, 2013 at 4:27 amlucky for me I haven’t needed any glasses and have had pretty good vision!!!
Lisa Brown says
August 19, 2013 at 4:43 amRight now, I would not get Lasik. I am not comfortable having my eyes messed with.
Bianca Rogoveanu says
August 19, 2013 at 4:51 amYes, i would get Lasik if i had to ! I find it a good option instead of wearing eyeglasses all the time.
margarida v says
August 19, 2013 at 5:55 amyes i would
Cindy @ GrowingHerWorth says
August 19, 2013 at 7:11 amMy vision is just bad enough that I’m required to wear glasses while driving, so that’s all I do. I really should wear them all the time; My vision isn’t that great, but I hate wearing glasses, and haven’t been able to find contacts that don’t make my vision worse (astigmatism). I think Lasik would be a great idea, if I had the money, and if I wasn’t so worried about how big of a change it would be for someone who’s gotten used to seeing poorly most of the time.
I did have a boss that got Lasik, and it didn’t work for him. Apparently that’s fairly rare, and he was at the age where his vision was changing due to aging anyways, which apparently makes it harder to correct. His vision did end up being better than before, but he still needed glasses often.
Tim Murphy says
August 19, 2013 at 8:22 amMy wife got LASIK and had your typical, “life-changing” experience. She had perfect vision in like two days, no side effects, no complications. Plus, she bought a Groupon so she saved like $1K on the procedure!
She was a bit uncomfortable going with such a discount on such a high-stakes procedure, but she did a lot of research and actually got references and recommendations from her FB network on this particular doctor. So even though she was getting a huge deal, she still went in with a lot of confidence. After a lifetime with glasses and contacts, her eyes are perfect and she hasn’t had a single issue since.
If you’re a candidate, I can’t really think of a better investment you can make for yourself.
Tim
Midwest Mandy says
August 19, 2013 at 11:24 amMy vision is terrible, and I found that out not too long ago. I should get lasik, but it’s really expensive unless you get a coupon like Tim Murphy. I really hate wearing my glasses sometimes, and contacts get irritating as well.
Edgar @ Degrees and Debt says
August 19, 2013 at 2:49 pmSo funny to be reading this post! I literally just had LASIK this past Friday!!! I 100% recommend it! I had the best surgeon in Boston do it and the procedure was about 10 total minutes in and out! The recovery was exactly as expected. The first few hours were a bit rough but by Friday night I was 90% good to go! I had no issues whatsoever, no halos, no stars and the next morning went back for my check in at 9am and had 20/20 vision! Feel free to message me directly if you want a more personalized story or any info!
Riky N says
August 20, 2013 at 9:53 amHere’s a smidge of knowledge from when my roommate had correction surgery. I know it’s more prevalent to get LASIK now, but PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) reduces the risk of cornea flap complications and leaves the eye with better cornea structure. It does take longer and during that time there is an increased risk of infection while the surface of the eye is regenerating. Price is similar as well. Either way, I’m sure your doctor will give you better pros and cons than a random guy on the internet.
Angelina says
August 26, 2013 at 1:01 pmMichelle, thanks a lot for sharing this info-rich post with us. I’m 100% agree with. Getting LASIK for our priceless eyes is not that expensive. It saves both our hard-earned cash and expensive time. According to my humble knowledge, it is also risk-free treatment. I’m going to change my health insurance company as it doesn’t cover LASIK. Cheers 🙂