LASIK is notoriously profitable. Even more than Ortho, possibly less than radiology.
Normally I would be annoyed by this, but LASIK has a small but significant rate of severely bad outcomes, and a larger rate of poor outcomes (e.g. extreme light sensitivity), and the cost reduces the number of bad outcomes.
It’s also free of the notorious inefficiencies of insurance-bound medicine. So the profitability doesn’t necessarily translate to higher cost for the patient (at least comparing out-of-pocket prices). It’s almost like an actual free market!
Normally I would be annoyed by this, but LASIK has a small but significant rate of severely bad outcomes, and a larger rate of poor outcomes (e.g. extreme light sensitivity), and the cost reduces the number of bad outcomes.