On the surface, you may think that LASIK is expensive, and while it isn’t cheap by any means you might be surprised to learn how much money you save when compared to a lifetime of buying glasses or contacts.

The Average cost for Laser eye surgery is between $1,000 to $4,000 per eye. This includes the pre-surgery consultations and post-surgery care. On average, it is estimated that you will spend $3,900 to $4,500 on LASIK in total for both of your eyes.  Now, before you stop reading this because of the price allow me to discuss how much more you are going to spend on glasses and/or contacts throughout your lifetime.

On average a person will buy a new pair of glasses every other year and spend anywhere from $200 to $600 per pair. That means in 20 years’ time—if you replace your glasses every year—you could be spending $2,000 to $6,000 on glasses. This is only over the course of 20 years, imagine what you will spend throughout your entire life?

Contact lenses will end up costing you quite a bit over the same 20 year period as well.  In fact, on average contacts will cost you more than glasses.  The average yearly spend on contact lenses is around $250, but this price fluctuates quite a bit depending on brand preference, and if you have an astigmatism or not. A person will spend around $5,000 every 20 years on contact lenses.

In both of these cases, LASIK will most likely pay itself off over the course of 20 years, and you will have the added benefit of not needing to wear glasses or put in contacts every day.