Here’s Why You Should Use Your Economic Stimulus Check to Pay for LASIK

Have you received your economic stimulus check yet? Many people have been seeing the stimulus dollars hit their bank accounts in the last couple of days.  IRS.gov tell us that US residents will receive $1200 for individual or head of household filers, and $2400 for married filing jointly if they are not a dependent of another taxpayer and have a work-eligible Social Security number with certain adjusted gross income levels.  If you haven’t received your stimulus check yet, the IRS is launching an online tool so that you can trace your money.

Stay At Home Orders & Contact Lenses

The stay at home order was tough for most people.  It made us all adjust our lifestyle.  But, it was really tough for people who wear contact lenses.  This is true for a myriad of reasons.

1. You can run out of contact lenses.   Some people ran out of contact lenses.  Most optometry offices were closed for anything other than emergency appointments, and customer service of most companies was slow, even Amazon Prime took more time than usual for shipping.
2. Don’t touch your face. I don’t think any of us could count the number of times we heard “Don’t touch your face” during the stay at home. Most germs are spread from hands to the face, and you can’t put your contact lenses in or take them out without touching your face.
3. There may be a second wave. Six months ago, most Americans would have said that the United States would never close down all businesses and ask everyone to stay at home.  But, now we know that it can indeed happen.  We also have been told that there is a chance that we may experience a second wave of the virus, and we may be asked to stay home again, and again you might run out of contact lenses and be reminded not to touch your face.
4. Allergy Season- Contact lenses exacerbate the agonies for those with seasonal allergies.
5. Pink Eye- Pink eye is a symptom of Coronavirus. And, similar to coronavirus, it is very contagious and communicable. If you wear contact lenses, you are forced to touch your eye and then any surface that your hand comes in contact with will spread the virus.

Even Mike DeWine, the governor of Ohio indicated in a tweet, “We recommend contact lens wearers switch to glasses temporarily.  If it’s necessary that you wear your contact lenses, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands first.  And, as always, do your best not to touch your face.”

@govmikeDeWine

Contact Lenses Vs. LASIK

Even aside from all the advantages of LASIK over wearing contact lenses, there has never been a better time to have LASIK.  LASIK can be used to treat patients who are nearsighted, farsighted, and those with astigmatism. Most patients describe the procedure as painless. A patient can always choose to have one eye treated at a time, but most patients choose to have both treated at the same time.  And, the vast majority of patients see well enough to drive the very next day.  The procedure takes about 15 minutes. The results of LASIK are permanent.  LASIK does not stop the natural aging of the eye that is called presbyopia. Presbyopia changes the eye’s natural ability to see and focus on the small print. But, the effects of LASIK in terms of correcting distance vision are permanent.

LASIK is safe. The procedure has been around for more than 20 years. More than 19 million procedures have been performed in the U.S.  The latest survey of patient satisfaction shows that more than 96% of patients are reporting a high level of satisfaction. LASIK has never been the primary exclusive cause of blindness for a single patient. The risk of loss of sight-related to infection is much higher in contact lenses than in LASIK.

Although insurances don’t usually cover LASIK, they often provide their members with some type of discount on LASIK.  Additionally, you can pay for LASIK using either an FSA or an HSA. FSAs and HSAs both allow you to save money by paying for medical-related expenses not covered by insurance using pre-tax dollars. Most LASIK Centers offer payment plans. Clear Choice offers plans with 0% interest and a minimum monthly payment.

Clear Choice is offering an additional “Economic Stimulus Discount” of $200 to patients who have a virtual consultation before May 1.^[1] A virtual consultation will give you the opportunity to have your first face-to-face conversation with a trained LASIK counselor.  The counselor can answer questions for you about what to expect during and after the procedure.  You will also learn about our pricing, payment plans, and what discounts you might be eligible for.

With that said, there is no substitute for a thorough eye exam done by a highly qualified doctor who is trained in the contraindications of LASIK.  Prior to your surgery day, you will need to come in for a dilated pre-operative examination.  During your preoperative examination, the technicians will use corneal mapping technology to create topographical representations of your cornea.  This will show the doctor the steepness and thickness of your cornea. The thickness and steepness of the cornea is important because this is the part of the eye that the laser removes tissue from during LASIK.  Additionally, the doctor will dilate the eye in order to make the pupil large, and he or she will be able to inspect the inside of the eye for health.

ClearChoice Procedural Updates

Clear Choice has made adjustments to its processes and procedures in order to make our office safe in our new normal. Some of the changes made to the office are:

1. The addition of 18 wall-mounted hand sanitizing stations has been added to the center.  The stations are positioned such that every time someone touches a door handle, they will be able to sanitize their hands.
2. We are taking the temperature of every staff member on a daily basis. If an employee’s temperature is 100 degrees or higher, they are sent home.  We will also be taking the temperature of our clients, and if their temperature is more than 100 degrees, they will be asked to reschedule.
3. Our staff and doctors will be wearing a different pair of gloves for each patient they see on an as-needed basis.
4. We will be offering Virtual Post ops and annual examinations for patients who would prefer to be seen via Zoom Video Conferencing instead of in person.
5. Our staff will be wearing masks for your protection.
6. Breath guards have been installed on all of our microscopes for the protection of our patients and our team.
7. We have removed many of our coffee tables and chairs from our waiting space to limit the places where hands can land.
8. We have designated one staff member per shift to work as a cleaning technician. The cleaning technician will do nothing but disinfect surfaces and maintain the hygiene of the center.
9. We’ll be offering you a phone number via which you may check-in using our curbside check-in. This will allow us to maintain the guidelines suggested about social distancing and keep a low number of patients in the office at the same time.

There has never been a better time to start your process with a virtual LASIK consultation.  Call us today to schedule your virtual LASIK consultation, and get those economic stimulus dollars working for something worthwhile for you.

[1] Restrictions apply. Details available upon scheduling.