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Lasik surgery becoming more commonplace
By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer
Few people outside of the medical profession might understand the term “laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis.” But even schoolchildren are likely to have heard about Lasik, the laser surgery used for vision correction that has become one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the country.
“It is definitely becoming more mainstream,” said David Harmon, president of MarketScope, a market research agency focused on opthamology.
About 1.4 million such surgeries are performed annually, which translates to about 750,000 people, since not all patients have both eyes treated. The number of laser eye surgeries has held steady during the past several years, Harmon said, and the average cost of the surgery nationally is now $2,000 per eye.
Since Lasik surgery is a discretionary expenditure not covered by health insurance, the number of surgeries per year fluctuates with economic conditions.
There are different types of Lasik and other laser refractive procedures, and costs vary.
“Most people opt for premium procedures that are significantly more (expensive),” Harmon said.
“People have been raising prices by introducing new advanced technology…but still, when you compare this to other medical procedures, you’re looking at a price per eye that was roughly the same as it was in 1996, even with the premiums thrown in. So you’ve got a medical procedure that’s been around now for 12 years that doesn’t really cost more than it did 12 years ago. Throw in inflation, and it costs less.”
John Ciccone, director of communications for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, said premium procedures such as Custom Lasik use a wavefront diagnostic instrument to measure details and changes in the eye rather than the type of equipment normally used to calculate an eyeglass prescription.
In a wavefront procedure, a laser beam is bounced off the back of the eye. The laser-measured distortions are then used to produce something that looks like a topographic map, which ultimately guides the laser.
“It is about 23 times more accurate than conventional diagnostic techniques,” Ciccone said.
Sandy Brown, a registered nurse at the Magill Vision Center, part of the Storm Eye Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina, said the facility performs an average of nearly 800 Lasik surgeries a year.
“Lasik is the procedure of choice now,” Brown said. “Most people who have worn contacts their whole life, they’re ready to come out of contacts or glasses. They’re tired of the hassle and traveling with all the paraphernalia that goes with contacts.”
Ciccone said the military is one of Lasik’s biggest customers.
"The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest provider of Lasik surgery in the world,” he said. “I think they’ve done about 50,000 patients. The people who get it first are those who have combat responsibilities, but they also do fighter pilots. If you’re out in the field it’s virtually impossible for a soldier to provide proper hygiene for contacts. How are you going to clean your lenses?”
As more people opt for Lasik and other corrective vision surgeries, the eyeglass and contact lens market has been losing some customers.
Gene Gebhard, a licensed optician and owner of Pearle Vision franchises in West Ashley and Mount Pleasant, said his eyeglass and contact lens business in patients ages 25 through 40 has dropped between 30% and 40% in the last six or seven years. Thanks to aging baby boomers, however, business is still growing, he said.
“We’re busy making bifocals now instead of single-vision lenses,” Gebhard said.
“That tends to be a more expensive product. Our head count is down, but our average sale is up. The handwriting is on the wall as far as the future. We’re still a growing business, but it’s not growing enough for a new Pearle Vision or Lenscrafters to start up.”
Jamie Elliott, an optometrist and partner in Eyecare Specialties of Charleston, said Lasik and other refractive surgeries has changed the whole face of eye correction.
“A higher percentage of the population is becoming a possible candidate for refractive surgeries,” Elliott said.
“Typically these surgeries are best suited for patients that need distance correction and don’t have a problem with reading up close. Patients tend to be in their 20s, 30s and 40s, but we’ve had plenty of patients who had it in their 50s and 60s as well.”
Kathleen Dayton is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at kdayton@setcommedia.com.
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