I was charged slightly over two thousand dollars per eye for my lasik eye surgery, which I had in mid 2006. That price may seem high if you have seen ads in your local newspaper or online promising lasik surgery for a fraction of what I paid. My sincere advice is to view these ads with a great deal of skepticism. As we will see in this article, the advertised price is rarely the price you will pay.

Ads promising low priced lasik may be leaving out the cost of necessary services. Pre-surgical exams and aftercare may not be included in the advertised price. The promoted price may just be a tactic to lure you to their office.

If you call or respond to an advertisement offering rock bottom prices, they may refuse to discuss price and push for you to come in. Once they get you in for a visit, you may well be subjected to high pressure sales tactics. The "consultant" you meet with may have little or no medical training and may in fact just be an aggressive salesperson.

Ads touting low cost lasik surgery may also be neglecting to disclose the eligibility qualifications to actually receive the low price being promoted. Eligibility standards may be such that only a fraction of potential patients can actually get their surgery done for the advertised cost. For example, only prospects who require a very small degree of vision correction may be eligible for the lowest advertised price, but you probably will not see that fully disclosed in the advertisement.

At the end of it all, when the final price of your procedure and extras are added up, you could very well find that the price you are actually quoted is in line with or greater than other surgeons. The price that you end up paying may not even resemble the price in the ad that got your attention.

If you were to choose a lasik surgeon based on the price promoted in their advertising materials, you may be asking for trouble. View such ads with a healthy dose of skepticism. If you do respond, make sure the terms of their pricing are spelled out clearly and thoroughly. Speak with your doctor and ask for a recommendation. While price is a significant concern given that most insurance does not cover lasik surgery, price alone is no basis for choosing a surgeon.