4 Questions You Should Ask Before Your LASIK Consultation

Depending on the level of screening and time a LASIK center team spend with you, it is common for LASIK consultations to last from 1-2 hours. If you are going to give up two hours of your day (not including drive time), asking the right questions beforehand can eliminate wasted hours and give you peace of mind when seeking out LASIK providers. We compiled a list of questions you should ask before your LASIK consultation.

How many Laser Vision Correction (LVC) options does your center offer?

You can’t receive a customized LASIK recommendation without multiple lasers – period. Let’s use the analogy of a builder and his toolset. If a builder has only a hammer, he can only do one thing; and that is hammer nails into whatever project he is working on (maybe even bash open some drywall if he’s trying to get creative). If a builder is in possession of only a hammer and claims he can build you a beautiful house with only that hammer, you should run, not walk – as fast as you can. The same concept applies to LASIK.

All LASIK isn’t created equally and if you are looking to get the best results possible, you want to make sure that your LASIK surgeon has the tools to customize your LASIK treatment. This can all be done beforehand by doing internet research or simply asking the sales coordinators when scheduling your LASIK consultation. “How many Laser Vision Correction options does your facility offer?”

Patients of Dr. Haddad at the Laser Eye Institute are commonly prescribed different procedures for each eye. For instance, one eye could need Wavefront Guided LASIK and the other PRK. Or one eye could benefit best from Optimized Zeiss Mel80 and the other bladeless, flapless, SMILE. To have the most favorable LASIK outcome possible, your LASIK surgeon should strategically review and spend time on your screening/diagnostics to determine what procedure uniquely fits you.

Will I meet the surgeon during my LASIK consultation?

With many national LASIK providers, you won’t meet the surgeon until the day of the procedure. If you stumble upon this news before your LASIK consultation, this is a huge red flag. Do you want a technician/sales person prescribing your LASIK treatment? Do you want your LASIK surgeon to fly in the day of the procedure to perform a technician prescribed treatment, collect a paycheck, and never see you again? Given these are my eyes (and are kind of a big deal), I sure as hell don’t.

At the Laser Eye Institute you meet with the surgeon, world-renown Dr. Haddad not only during your consultation, but at your LASIK work-up a few days before your procedure. Given safety and accuracy is his number one concern, he is able to review your charts, make final tweaks and build a rapport with you; all before he performs your treatment. This level of service is why the Laser Eye Institute has hundreds of 5-star reviews on both Google and Facebook.

Is $250 LASIK for real?

I have been observing marketing trends for about 11 years. I’ve worked in several industries and out of all the obscure things I have seen, this is hands down, the most ridiculous claim ever. To be honest, I am in awe that bait and switch LASIK centers are allowed to make this claim and deviously lure people in.

This is how the story goes:

1. You’re interested in a life without glasses and see ads for $250 LASIK
2. They get you in the door for a consultation
3. A technician (not the surgeon) takes you through the process and recommends you your procedure. The only way you qualify for $250 LASIK is if you have great vision. Why would anyone want LASIK when they don’t need it?
4. The price is all of a sudden $750/eye, but you are still impressed and are willing to justify spending $750/eye.
5. Now do you want 1st generation blade LASIK or do you want to upgrade to 2nd generation bladeless LASIK? Well, these are your eyes so of course you want to upgrade. Price just went up to $1,500/eye
6. The day of your treatment is the end of your contract but what about follow-up care? Well, that will cost you…. now we are up to $2,000/eye

Lucky for you, you’ve already asked the first 2 questions and they didn’t answer with the correct information. The national LASIK providers don’t have all of the tools (giving you an inferior service) and the surgeon doesn’t meet you until the day of the procedure.

At the Laser Eye Institute, we provide transparent pricing and authenticity during your consultation. Given patient satisfaction and experience is the foundation of our company mission, we present you a customized LASIK treatment plan without the used car dealer approach.

Is follow-up care included after your LASIK treatment?

When seeking out a LASIK provider, this part of the process is often overlooked. Per our research, every single LASIK provider in Metro-Detroit will charge extra for follow-up care. This causes the price to rise fast, all while receiving an inferior product by surgeons that aren’t Dr. Haddad.

At the Laser Eye Institute, two years of follow up care is included. We arrived on this number because 99% of common symptoms or enhancements will occur during this timeframe. Unlike other LASIK providers, we include this in your pricing during your LASIK consultation.

What do you think? I encourage you to ask these questions when shopping for your LASIK provider. Share your comments below!