Lasik surgery price war breaks out

The Straits Times
AUG 22, 2004 SUN
By Salma Khalik

THE cost of Lasik surgery, which corrects short-sightedness, is tumbling at both public and private institutions.

After two public hospitals cut the cost by 20 per cent on Monday, the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), which does the bulk of Lasik treatments here, announced yesterday that it had slashed rates by up to 30 per cent.

Not to be left out, two Parkway Group Healthcare hospitals - Mount Elizabeth and Gleneagles - have cut prices by 10 to 20 per cent. Depending on the specialist, it will cost between $1,596 and $1,796 from today.

The SNEC, reversing its stand that it can command a premium because of its branding, has gone from being the most expensive to being the cheapest, at $1,320 for normal Lasik by a consultant.

For the more advanced wavefront Lasik, the $1,520 its consultants now charge is cheaper than at other hospitals. Its senior consultants charge $1,520 for normal Lasik and $2,050 for wavefront Lasik.

The price war started last week when two National Healthcare Group hospitals - National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital - cut charges to $1,590 for conventional Lasik and $1,780 for wavefront Lasik.

Dr Lee Hung Ming, who heads the Eye Institute at these hospitals, said they had received triple the number of inquiries this week as a result of the price cut.

Lasik is considered cosmetic so there is no subsidy for it, nor can Medisave funds be used. Both public and private sectors compete for the same group of paying patients. Some even go to Bangkok for the procedure, paying about $1,000.

The number of Lasik operations at the two hospitals has doubled from 100 a month last year to 200 a month this year. The SNEC has also seen higher demand, with Lasik operations up from 300 a month last year to 400 a month this year.

SNEC director Ang Chong Lye said its 'competitive' rates were deliberate as it was also aiming to attract more foreign patients.

'We have already seen an increasing number of patients from Indonesia and Malaysia,' he said.

When told of the SNEC cuts, the other hospitals said they would keep their rates.

Consultant Ronald Yeoh, who did about 500 Lasik operations last year at Gleneagles, said the earlier cuts took the price to about as low as it could go in the private sector. 'If the price goes ridiculously low, it can be dangerous.'

He said some centres in the region used the same US$100 (S$172) blade for about 10 eyes, instead of just one per eye, which is the practice here.

But Dr Ang said: 'With the competitive pricing, we believe we can chalk up even more volume that will only mean better economies of scale...without compromise to quality, safety and standards.'

So prices may keep falling.

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