Our 20/20 LASIK Blog

When you are considering LASIK, you probably try to balance the benefits of LASIK against the cost of the procedure. After all, with an average nationwide cost of $1935/eye (in 2007, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)), it seems like a costly procedure, one that for many people is well worth the pay-off. Many people who have received LASIK consider the benefit of clear vision and freedom from glasses or contacts to be priceless. But if the cost is your main reason you haven't gotten LASIK, what if we told you that LASIK actually saves you money, and is one of the best investment opportunities around.

If you are a glasses wearer, aged 25, you may expect to pay as much as $26000 for glasses over the rest of your lifetime. If, instead, you invest in LASIK, paying $3870 to have vision corrected in both eyes, you actually save $22130. Or, to put it another way, if you consider LASIK like a certificate of deposit, where you put in $3870, and upon maturity it yields $26000 after 60 years, it's an investment with over 570% return, or an average percentage yield of over 9.5%.

The benefits are better for a contacts wearer, who might pay around $30200 for a lifetime of contacts. For this person, an investment in LASIK yields a return on investment of about 680%, with an APY of about 11%.

And if you are a glasses plus contacts wearer, LASIK is an even better investment. Saving the $37,400 you would otherwise pay for glasses and contacts is like an 866% return on investment, or an average of 14.4% annual percentage yield.

How good an investment is LASIK, then? If you go to your bank and tell them that you want to buy a CD with $3870, you will be lucky to get an APY of more than 2%. Perhaps if you have $50,000 to put down, you might be able push the APY up to 3% or so, still far less than LASIK will save you.

So if cost has kept you from getting LASIK, now is the time to reconsider LASIK as an investment, one of the best around. If you want to learn more about LASIK as an investment, please contact the 20/20 Institute in Denver, Colorado; Indianapolis, Indiana, or Portland, Oregon.

If you are considering laser vision correction, you are probably thinking LASIK is your only option, but the truth is that there is another good option for laser vision correction, one we offer here at the 20/20 Institute: PRK.

PRK (Photorefractive Keratotomy) is another vision correction option that gives vision correction results as good as LASIK. It does have a couple of disadvantages, namely that it may take longer for you to achieve stable vision and your postoperative discomfort may be greater than for LASIK. But it has one advantage that outweighs these disadvantages: it is an option for many people disqualified from LASIK.

If you have been disqualified from LASIK because your corneas are too thin or your pupils are too large, you may be able to get laser vision correction with PRK. Another group of people disqualified from LASIK are those with high-impact professions or hobbies, such as contact sports or police officers. For these people, there is a risk that the flap created during LASIK will become dislodged after a blow to the head.

At the 20/20 Institute, our staff is equipped to answer all of your questions about the different procedures we offer. Please contact us today to schedule a free comprehensive evaluation and find our which procedure is best for you. Don't forgot to ask about our 20/20 Institute LASIK Commitment for Life.

At the 20/20 Institute, we understand how precious your vision is and how intimidating LASIK can be on the outset. From the person who answers your first email or phone call, to the surgeon who performs your procedure we're here to give you all the information you need, answer your questions and make sure that you are comfortable with your decision to have LASIK at the 20/20 Institute.

During each step of the process, you'll know beforehand exactly what's going to happen, how long it will take and what we expect the outcome to be. We want to help you manage your own expectations for what you'll experience, what your possible results will be and what your aftercare will entail.

Here are just a few general ideas to keep in mind:

• While most people can achieve 20/20 vision, it is not possible for everyone. Your doctor will discuss your prognosis for 20/20 vision during your consultation.
• Enhancements are also possible.
• Everyone experiences some degree of dry eye after surgery.
• There are strict follow-up care instructions to follow to ensure your best long-term vision.

To learn more about the LASIK surgery process, please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule your free consultation. We'll answer all your questions about the procedures we offer and our 5-star approach to LASIK and our patients.

Many people come into our centers and wonder what the difference is between the doctor they've always seen for eye exams and the doctor who will perform their laser vision correction procedure.

A LASIK surgeon is an ophthalmologist and while he or she can absolutely perform eye exams, the person you see for glasses and contact lens exams is most likely an optometrist. Optometrists are qualified to examine, diagnose and treat disorders that affect your vision. After obtaining a bachelor's degree, optometrists attend four more years of graduate school to obtain their degree in optometry.

Ophthalmologists go to undergraduate school, then four years of medical school, then a one-year internship and then up to three years in residency training for ophthalmology. In addition, some go on to do a one to two year fellowship. Not only do ophthalmologists perform routine exams and prescribe lenses, but they are also trained as eye surgeons.

At the 20/20 Institute we employ both optometrists and ophthalmologist and if you already have an optometrist that you like and trust, we can work with him or her during your follow-up care. To learn more about why you choose the 20/20 Institute, please contact us today to schedule a free no-obligation consultation.

Wavefront technology is the greatest advance in laser vision correction since PRK and LASIK were introduced in the mid-1990's. Traditional LASIK is a wonderful procedure and was the perfect vision correction solution for millions of people across the world.

As great as it is though, it has some limitations. Traditional LASIK treats only lower order aberrations, conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism whereas as Wavefront LASIK treats both lower and higher order aberrations. Higher order aberrations are corneal conditions that cause blurriness, glares, starbursts and double vision. Lower order aberrations affect how far you can see and higher order aberrations affect how well you can see.

As you can imagine the difference in clarity of vision for those with higher order aberrations and those without can be great. Wavefront LASIK can correct all of those conditions. The vast majority of patients report that their night vision is better after Wavefront LASIK than it was before. Glare and halo problems are also significantly less with Wavefront treatment.

Most LASIK providers consider Wavefront technology to be an "extra" and charge extra for it, but at the 20/20 Institute, we consider it the only standard of care we are comfortable providing to our patients. Every LASIK procedure performed at the 20/20 institute utilizes Wavefront technology.

If you have ever wondered if Wavefront LASIK is a good choice for you, please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule a completely free comprehensive evaluation to find out if you are a medical candidate. We'll also be happy to share with you our 20/20 LASIK Commitment Plan.

If you're considering having LASIK or another laser vision correction procedure, don't let the costs keep you from enjoying a lifetime of better vision. At the 20/20 Institute, part of our 20/20 Institute LASIK Commitment Plan is to help you find an affordable way to pay for your procedure. There are many options to explore and we're confident we can help you find a way that's comfortable for your individual budget. Consider the following options:

• Third party financing - we offer plans that include Zero% down and no payments for 24 months and zero down with low payments for as long as 60 months. The application is simple and you'll know within minutes if you qualify.
• Employer-sponsored flexible spending plans - flex plans allow you to use pre-tax dollars for qualified medical expenses.
• Health Savings accounts - depending on your particular circumstances, you can use pre-tax or taxed dollars and put them in a savings account just for medical expenses.
• Insurance coverage & discounts - some companies offer coverage or partial coverage for some laser vision correction procedures. Other companies offer a discount for these procedures.
• Tax returns - Instead of using your tax return on a vacation this year, why not use it for vision correction and enjoy clearer vision on your next vacation?

Please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule your free comprehensive evaluation. We'll review all of your medical information, determine whether or not you are a candidate for LASIK and go over all of your financing options.

At every 20/20 Institute location, you will discover that we believe in and invest heavily in the most up-to-date technology for the benefit or our patients and their LASIK results. We currently utilize the Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser for vision correction in all of centers.

FDA-approved in 2006, the Allegretto laser is the fastest and most accurate excimer laser currently approved and in use in the U.S. Other benefits include:

• Treatment of larger optical zone - the optical zone is the portion of the cornea that is treated by the laser. Larger treatment zones result in better night vision.
• Better night vision and glare control post-operatively.
• Consistently great results
• Wavefront optimized - for truly custom treatment on every eye
• Eye tracker - the eye is tracked 200 times per second and if it moves out of range, the laser will pause until the eye is positioned correctly again.

The 20/20 Institute also believes that All Laser LASIK is the safest and most accurate laser vision correction procedure so in addition to the Allegretto laser for vision correction, we employ the Ziemer LDV laser for flap creation at each of our centers in Denver, Indianapolis and Portland.

If you have further questions about our amazing technology, please contact the 20/20 Institute today to schedule a free comprehensive evaluation ($150 value).

After deciding to have laser vision correction, the most important decision you will make is choosing your LASIK surgeon. Here a few guidelines to keep in mind as you make your choice.

1. Ask your friends and co-workers for referrals. People who have already been through the process can tell you the pros and cons of their experiences.
2. Your first choice doesn't have to be your last choice. A second opinion is never a bad thing so consider scheduling consultations at 2 or 3 centers to find the best match for you.
3. Price should not be a deciding factor. After all, we are talking about your vision here. Be sure to ask if the center offers third party financing to make the cost of LASIK more affordable with monthly payments.
4. Go with your gut. All other factors being equal, such as experience, great reputation and a history of good results, you should listen to your own feelings about which surgeon is most compatible with your personality.

The 20/20 Institute prides itself on providing a 5-star LASIK experience through every step of the LASIK process. From the first time you call us to your last follow-up appointment you'll find us warm, engaging, knowledgeable and friendly. And we stand behind our results like few others can with our 20/20 Institute LASIK Commitment for Life. Please contact us today to schedule your first appointment - a complimentary comprehensive evaluation.