{"id":2314,"date":"2013-01-08T16:24:36","date_gmt":"2013-01-09T00:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jett.in\/?p=2314"},"modified":"2013-01-08T16:24:36","modified_gmt":"2013-01-09T00:24:36","slug":"lasik-for-999-in-2000-me-as-medical-tourist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/wanderlusty\/2013\/01\/lasik-for-999-in-2000-me-as-medical-tourist\/","title":{"rendered":"LASIK for $999 in 2000 — Me As Medical Tourist"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"At<\/a>

While waiting for the doctor<\/p><\/div>\n

i got my first eye exam in nearly 8 years today (result: all good, close enough to 20\/20 to not require a prescription!), which reminded me of my LASIK procedure back in 2000. this was before “medical tourism” was a thing<\/a> — i was fresh out of college at my first job and wanted LASIK but didn’t think i could afford it. i heard on the internet grapevine that prices were great and the equipment was more advanced up in Canada (none of that pesky FDA business to deal with!), so i did some research.<\/p>\n

i found one company with good reviews was offering it for $999 for both eyes. that was less than 1\/4 of the price back then (iirc), and according to my new eye doctor, still 1\/4 of the price today!<\/p>\n

with my poor memory, i couldn’t remember if it was $999 or $1999, but thanks to the power of the wayback machine<\/a>, i can verify it was indeed THAT CHEAP. note that today it’s less than $490 per eye<\/a> at the same company for US residents (not an endorsement).<\/p>\n

\"Untitled\"<\/a>

(It was $999 per eye if you did it at a US clinic)<\/p><\/div>\n

i was fresh out of undergrad<\/a>, working near Chicago and had enough miles on TWA (RIP) for a free ticket (thanks to their Youth Travel Pack for getting me to and from California for the holidays during college!), so i did it. like their page suggested, i combined “a short holiday north of the border” to Toronto with my laser vision correction procedure. (if you’re interested, you can read blog entries<\/a> from back then.)<\/p>\n

i don’t need any medical procedures (or foresee needing any, *knock on wood*), and i never really thought of myself as a medical tourist (since this was before the term became popular), but i wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, as long as i know it’s reputable facility with competent professionals (with bonus points for being somewhere new to me!).<\/p>\n

in other news, i’m sad i won’t be sporting snazzy glasses!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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