I am having surgery in 1 week. How often do people need enhancements. My doctor offers packages that include enhancements but why pay for the guarantee if the odds are slight that you will need one. Is it worth paying the extra money?

The answer depends in part upon the extra cost. Compare the cost for the "warranty" to the cost for an enhancement. What is that ratio? Learn the doctor's enhancement policy. If they will not provide an enhancement if you can see 20/40 or better, then the "warranty" is significantly less value than if it would cover the cost for an enhancement in all circumstances where it is likely to provide better vision. For how long will the enhancements be provided? If it is 5-10 years it has significantly more value than if for six months.

Whether or not you will need an enhancement will depend on many, many factors, including the difficulty of your needed correction and the type of technology to be used. Overall the enhancement rate is between 5-15% in most practices, but your individual probability can range from near zero to almost an absolute.

Glenn Hagele
http://USAEyes.org
Patient Advocacy & Surgeon Certification

I am not a doctor.

Thanks for the info. The doctor is using a VISX star 4 with customVue laser. My prescription is -2.25 and -2.75 and a slight astigmatism. For lifetime enhancements, it costs approx $550 more per eye but I dont beleive in lifetime warranties since you never know if the business will still be around.......

I had the same dilema a week ago when I got my lasik. I choose to get a one year warranty at $99 per eye, just for some "peace of mind". My script was quite high -5.00 and -3.75 with an astigmatism so the odds are probably greater that I may need an enhancement after the healing process has run it's course. If I need an enhancment after the first year it will cost 50% of the original price per eye. I am not sure if it was a good idea to get the warranty so I guess we'll see. My clinic only charges $400 for a lifetime warranty for both eyes.