I have astigmatism in my right eye and am nearsighted in both eyes. I have contacts and glasses, but I never wear either because my eyes aren't too bad. I was wondering how much it would cost to get surgery to correct my vision?

Andrea

Laser vision correction is the most common and effective surgery for correcting nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. With both myopia and astigmatism, images appear blurry unless one wears contact lenses or glasses to focus images onto the retina. Instead of glasses or contacts, many people are now turning to laser vision correction. In this procedure, a laser is used to reshape the cornea, allowing images to be crisply focused onto the retina without the need for glasses.

There are two excellent methods for laser vision correction, called PRK and LASIK. The major difference between the methods is that in PRK, the laser is used to reshape the surface of the cornea, while in LASIK, the laser reshapes the cornea's middle layer.

However, PRK and LASIK have some limitations. As people reach the age of 40, they often lose the ability to read small print without using reading glasses. Laser vision correction does not reduce one's need for reading glasses because it only corrects distance vision. A second consideration is that both PRK and LASIK have risks. These procedures are usually very safe, but side effects such as infection and inflammation can result in permanent vision loss. Although the complications are rare, they certainly can occur -- so a patient should be sure to ask the eye surgeon about the possible risks of the procedure being considered.

To address your specific question, whether LASIK or PRK would be beneficial for you depends largely on your degree of astigmatism and myopia. If you can drive a car and do other routine tasks without glasses or contacts, the risks of laser vision correction may be greater than the potential benefit.

There is no set or universal price for PRK or LASIK, so individual eye surgeons charge different prices. In general, the cost runs anywhere from $1,800 to $2,600 per eye. Given the importance of vision, many people will choose an experienced eye surgeon known to provide high-quality care, even though the cost may be a few hundred dollars more than other surgeons. Prices also may be higher at places that use an optometrist for pre-operative and post-operative care because optometrists bill separately from the eye surgeon for their work.