This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
LASIK center settles Illinois suit over advertising
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Lasik Vision Institute and Illinois’ attorney general have reached a settlement in a suit over allegedly misleading advertisements. The suit, filed by the attorney general’s office, had alleged that a statewide advertising campaign by Lasik Vision Institute misrepresented the costs for refractive surgical vision correction.
The settlement ensures that future advertisements by the laser vision correction company will reflect “the actual cost of the procedures,” a press release from the state attorney general’s office said.
The state office filed the suit against Lasik Vision Institute alleging that between June 2003 and June 2004 the company advertised surgeries for “as low as $299” in newspapers around Illinois. After June 2004, new ads promoted “LASIK — $499 per eye.” The state’s lawsuit alleged that the advertisements did not adequately disclose the limitations on the advertised price, nor did they disclose the range of prices of surgeries offered and the conditions for each, the release said.
“As a result, many consumers ended up paying more than the advertised price,” the release said. Prospective patients were required to pay a $100 non-refundable deposit before learning if the lower-cost procedure was appropriate for their vision needs, the release said.
In addition, the lawsuit alleged that Lasik Vision Institute advertised that screenings would be performed by an ophthalmologist, but optometrists performed the screenings.
The press release noted that Lasik Vision Institute agreed to pay a “voluntary contribution” of $17,500 to a state agency for consumer enforcement and education.
The company acknowledged no wrongdoing as part of the settlement. In a report on the settlement in the Peoria Journal Star, a company official said that if any of its ads violated Illinois law, it was unintentional.