By Lee Kyung-min
The ongoing turmoil in Ukraine is impacting eye clinics here, as the price of a medicinally used gas here and produced in the country is soaring.
Eye clinics in Korea use a specific excimer laser for vision correction surgeries such as laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK).
The laser uses a mixture of gases in its production of ultra-violet light; and neon is a key component, making up 95 percent of the total with the rest being fluorine and argon.
The Eastern European country is a major producer of neon.
As the conflict there has continued for months, eye clinics, alongside the semiconductor industry, are bearing the brunt of the material shortage and subsequent price hikes.
The price of a 6,000-liter bottle of the gas has increased more than 20 fold from $1,200 at the end of last year to $25,000 in July, according to experts.
Industry watchers estimate that the price is likely to soar to $55,000, as the conflict in the region is showing no signs of abating, following a U.S. Senate approval of military aid to Ukraine.
Considering that LASIK or LASEK operations cost between 1.5 and 2.5 million won, a hike is inevitable, if the price of the gas keeps soaring.
A number of clinics are considering increasing the price as maintaining it at current levels will decrease their profits.
"We jokingly say the more we perform LASIK surgery, the more losses we see," a director of an eye clinic in Seoul said. "But raising the fee is not easy, as it will deter patients."
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 200,000 people receive vision correction operations in Korea per year.
The ongoing turmoil in Ukraine is impacting eye clinics here, as the price of a medicinally used gas here and produced in the country is soaring.
Eye clinics in Korea use a specific excimer laser for vision correction surgeries such as laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK).
The laser uses a mixture of gases in its production of ultra-violet light; and neon is a key component, making up 95 percent of the total with the rest being fluorine and argon.
The Eastern European country is a major producer of neon.
As the conflict there has continued for months, eye clinics, alongside the semiconductor industry, are bearing the brunt of the material shortage and subsequent price hikes.
The price of a 6,000-liter bottle of the gas has increased more than 20 fold from $1,200 at the end of last year to $25,000 in July, according to experts.
Industry watchers estimate that the price is likely to soar to $55,000, as the conflict in the region is showing no signs of abating, following a U.S. Senate approval of military aid to Ukraine.
Considering that LASIK or LASEK operations cost between 1.5 and 2.5 million won, a hike is inevitable, if the price of the gas keeps soaring.
A number of clinics are considering increasing the price as maintaining it at current levels will decrease their profits.
"We jokingly say the more we perform LASIK surgery, the more losses we see," a director of an eye clinic in Seoul said. "But raising the fee is not easy, as it will deter patients."
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 200,000 people receive vision correction operations in Korea per year.
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