By Sara Nachlis
I’ve been toying with the idea of having LASIK surgery. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for most of my life, and I’d very much like to not have to deal with smudged lenses or sticking my finger in my eye ever again.
But beyond the scariness that is using a laser to reshape your eyeball, there’s the cost factor. LASIK is expensive!
This Daily Worth article breaks down the costs of whether or not the procedure is worth it. Writer Julia Sonenshein is like me: she’s had poor vision since she was a kid, and it’s declining every year. After spending hundreds of dollars on glasses and contacts every year, she’s debating whether or not to take the LASIK plunge.
Sick of fumbling around with contacts? You might be tempted by LASIK.
To help her make her decision, she breaks down whether the one-time LASIK fee outweighs the fees she pays every year.
According to Julia, “Depending on location and your insurance coverage, eye exams run between US$50 and $100, and most doctors recommend that you come in every two years.”
She pays a whopping $580 a year on contacts, and about $100 on solution. My contacts run me $130 a year and I thought that seemed like a lot! Damn. (Post continues after gallery).
Sonenshein buys glasses twice every five years or so, spending around $100 a pair. I generally get one nice pair every five years and a couple cheap pairs when I’m feeling like mixing things up. So let's say I spend around $350 every five years on glasses.