Laser surgery survey: The eyes have it

If you get annoyed by the hassles that accompany wearing glasses or contacts, you've probably at least thought about having vision-correction surgery. But what about the risks? The Consumer Reports National Research Center recently surveyed 793 adults who had laser eye surgery in the past eight years and talked to experts to answer some common questions about the procedure:

What are my options? There are two laser surgery options: Lasik (laser in situ keratomileusis) reshapes the cornea and has a quick recovery time. PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is often recommended for people with thin corneas.

Make sure that you know your choices and that you understand why you're choosing one technique over the other: Twenty-eight percent of the people in the survey couldn't name the surgery they had. This could be a problem if side effects occur in the future or other questions about the procedure come up.

Who's a good candidate? First, you must be at least 18 years old, and you shouldn't be pregnant or breast-feeding. Also, your vision should have been stable for the past year, meaning you shouldn't have fluctuated wildly in your prescription for glasses or contacts. If you meet those criteria, it's sensible to get a thorough preoperative exam to further determine if you're a good candidate. The exam will test for dry eye and glaucoma, and the doctor will look at your corneas, pupils and retinas.

Although four out of five people in the survey said they were highly pleased with the outcome, it's worth knowing that, according to the survey, people who were nearsighted (rather than those who were farsighted or had astigmatism) were slightly more satisfied with the results of their surgery. Also, if you have dry eyes, you may be a poor candidate because this condition can get worse after laser surgery.

Will insurance cover it? Probably not. Prices vary widely for this mostly consumer-paid surgery, with costs varying from less than $499 per eye to more than $4,000 per eye; nationally, the average price is about $3,300 for both eyes.

If your health plan doesn't cover the procedure, you might be entitled to a discount, however. For example, some Lasik providers have negotiated discounts with large insurance carriers and vision networks. So plan ahead, and, if possible, use your health plan's flexible spending account to sock away dollars tax-free to pay for it.

But think twice about using "interest-free" health-care-specific credit lines, such as ChaseHealthAdvance or GE Money CareCredit. If you're late with even a single minimum payment, the zero-percent-interest deal might suddenly turn into a 25-percent-or-so deal.

How do I find a good surgeon? Choose carefully: Satisfaction with the surgeon, even more than the place of surgery, predicted overall satisfaction. The choice should be based on more than just the surgery center's reputation, so be sure to ask for recommendations and inquire about the surgeon's experience. Look for a board-certified surgeon (visit http://www.abms.org) who does the procedure that you want at least 250 times a year. For more information on finding a reputable surgeon, go to http://www.geteyesmart.org, http://www.aoa.org/corneal-modifications.xml and http://www.eyesurgeryeducation.com.

Copyright 2009. Consumers Union of United States Inc.

For further guidance, go to ConsumerReportsHealth.org. More-detailed information -- including CR's ratings of prescription drugs, conditions, treatments, doctors, hospitals and healthy-living products -- is available to subscribers to that site.