What Does It Cost to Acquire a New Eye Care Patient? (By Channel)
Benchmarks and analysis of patient acquisition costs across marketing channels for eye care practices to help allocate budget effectively.
“What should I spend on marketing?”
It’s one of the most common questions we hear from eye care practice owners. And the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re willing to pay to acquire a patient.
Patient acquisition cost (PAC) is the total marketing cost to acquire a new patient. Understanding your PAC by channel helps you spend smarter—putting more money where it works and cutting what doesn’t.
But here’s the thing: acquisition costs vary wildly across channels, patient types, and markets. A LASIK patient acquired through Google Ads costs very different from a routine exam patient acquired through referral. This guide breaks down the benchmarks and how to think about your own numbers.
First: What’s a Patient Actually Worth?
Before you can decide what to spend on acquisition, you need to know what a patient is worth.
Lifetime Value (LTV) by Patient Type
Comprehensive eye exam patient:
- Initial exam: $150-300
- Annual return visits: $150-300/year
- Optical purchases: $200-400 average
- Contact lens annual supplies: $300-600/year
- Potential procedures over lifetime
- LTV estimate: $1,000-5,000+ depending on retention
LASIK patient:
- Procedure revenue: $4,000-6,000
- Follow-up visits included
- Possible enhancement procedures: $1,500-3,000
- Future comprehensive care
- LTV estimate: $5,000-8,000
Cataract patient:
- Surgery revenue: $2,000-4,000 (varies by IOL)
- Premium IOL upgrade: +$2,000-5,000
- Follow-up care
- LTV estimate: $3,000-8,000
Contact lens patient:
- Annual supply revenue: $300-600/year
- Annual exams: $150-200/year
- Potential for glasses, specialty lenses
- LTV estimate (10-year): $4,000-8,000
The LTV:PAC Ratio
As a rule of thumb, healthy practices target a 3:1 or higher ratio of lifetime value to acquisition cost. If a patient is worth $3,000, you shouldn’t spend more than $1,000 to acquire them—and ideally much less.
For high-margin services like LASIK, you can tolerate higher acquisition costs. For routine exams, you need tight efficiency.
Patient Acquisition Cost by Channel
Let’s break down what you can expect from each marketing channel.
Google Ads (Search)
What it is: Pay-per-click ads that appear at the top of Google search results.
Typical cost per click: $3-15 for general eye care terms, $15-50+ for LASIK terms
Typical cost per lead: $75-300 depending on keyword competitiveness
Cost per new patient: $150-600 for comprehensive care, $300-1,000 for LASIK
Best for: Capturing high-intent patients actively searching for care
Pros:
- Immediate visibility
- Targets patients ready to book
- Highly measurable
Cons:
- Expensive in competitive markets
- Requires ongoing management
- Costs rise over time as competition increases
When to invest more: When you have capacity, want quick results, or are launching new services
When to pull back: If cost per patient exceeds your targets, or if you’re not tracking conversions properly
Learn more about PPC for medical practices
SEO (Organic Search)
What it is: Optimizing your website and online presence to rank in unpaid search results.
Typical monthly investment: $1,000-5,000 for ongoing SEO
Typical cost per lead: $30-100 (once established)
Cost per new patient: $50-200 (once established)
Time to results: 6-12 months to see significant impact
Best for: Sustainable, long-term patient acquisition
Pros:
- Lower cost per patient over time
- Results persist even after reducing investment
- Builds practice authority
Cons:
- Slow to show results
- Requires patience and consistency
- Competitive markets require ongoing effort
When to invest more: As a long-term strategy alongside paid channels
When to pull back: Rarely—SEO is almost always worth maintaining
Social Media Advertising (Facebook/Instagram)
What it is: Paid ads targeting users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Typical cost per click: $0.50-3.00
Typical cost per lead: $30-150
Cost per new patient: $75-300
Best for: Building awareness, promoting elective procedures, reaching younger demographics
Pros:
- Precise demographic targeting
- Lower cost per impression
- Good for brand building
Cons:
- Lower intent than search (people aren’t actively looking)
- Requires compelling creative
- May require more nurturing before conversion
When to invest more: For LASIK and elective procedure marketing, practice awareness campaigns
When to pull back: If leads aren’t converting to appointments (quality issue)
Referral Marketing
What it is: Patients acquired through word-of-mouth, patient referrals, or physician referrals.
Direct cost: Often near $0
True cost: Staff time, referral programs, relationship building
Cost per new patient: $0-50 when fully burdened
Best for: The highest-quality, most loyal patients
Pros:
- Lowest cost acquisition
- Pre-sold patients (trust transferred)
- Higher retention rates
Cons:
- Hard to scale quickly
- Depends on existing patient satisfaction
- Less controllable
How to increase referrals:
- Ask satisfied patients directly
- Implement a referral program
- Build co-management relationships with ODs (for MD practices)
- Nurture PCP relationships
Community Marketing / Events
What it is: Health fairs, community sponsorships, educational seminars, school screenings.
Typical investment: $500-2,000 per event
Patient acquisition: Highly variable, often indirect
Cost per new patient: $50-300 when effective, difficult to measure
Best for: Building local awareness and goodwill
Pros:
- Builds community presence
- Face-to-face trust building
- Can generate media coverage
Cons:
- Hard to attribute patients directly
- Time-intensive
- Results may take time to materialize
Direct Mail
What it is: Postcards, letters, or promotional materials mailed to homes in your area.
Typical cost: $0.50-2.00 per piece delivered
Response rate: 0.5-2% typical
Cost per new patient: $100-500 depending on response rate
Best for: Reaching older demographics, promoting specific services
Pros:
- Reaches patients not online
- Tangible presence
- Can target specific geographies
Cons:
- Low response rates
- Hard to track without dedicated phone numbers
- Environmental concerns
Insurance Directories
What it is: Listings in vision plan provider directories (VSP, EyeMed, etc.)
Direct cost: Usually included with plan participation
Indirect cost: Often lower reimbursement rates
Cost per new patient: Embedded in lower margins
Best for: Visibility to insurance-driven patients
Pros:
- Captures patients searching within their insurance
- No additional marketing spend
Cons:
- Commoditizes your practice
- Patients often price-sensitive
- May not be your ideal patients
Putting It Together: A Sample Marketing Mix
Here’s what a balanced marketing budget might look like for a mid-size eye care practice spending $5,000/month:
| Channel | Monthly Spend | Expected New Patients | Cost per Patient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | $2,000 | 8-12 | $165-250 |
| SEO | $1,500 | 10-20 | $75-150 |
| Social Ads | $1,000 | 5-10 | $100-200 |
| Community/Events | $500 | 2-5 | $100-250 |
| Total | $5,000 | 25-47 | $106-200 |
Plus referrals (essentially free), which might add another 10-20 patients per month in a healthy practice.
These numbers are illustrative. Your actual results depend on market competition, execution quality, and practice capacity.
LASIK vs. Comprehensive: Different Economics
LASIK acquisition deserves separate consideration because the economics are so different.
LASIK patient value: $4,500-5,500 average Acceptable acquisition cost: $500-1,000 (10-20% of revenue) Typical acquisition cost: $300-800 when well-optimized
With LASIK, you can afford higher acquisition costs because the immediate revenue is much higher. You’re also often creating demand (convincing someone to have an elective procedure) rather than capturing existing demand (someone who needs an eye exam).
This is why LASIK practices spend heavily on awareness channels like social media and display advertising—channels that would be less efficient for routine exam acquisition.
Tracking: The Foundation of Everything
None of these benchmarks matter if you’re not tracking properly. You need:
Call tracking: Unique phone numbers for each marketing channel so you can attribute calls to sources.
Form tracking: Source attribution on all website forms.
CRM integration: Connecting leads to appointments to production in your practice management system.
Regular reporting: Monthly review of cost per lead and cost per patient by channel.
Without tracking, you’re guessing. And guessing usually means wasting money.
Optimizing Your Mix
Once you’re tracking, optimization becomes possible:
Double down on what works. If Google Ads generates patients at $150 and you have capacity, increase spend.
Fix or cut what doesn’t. If social ads generate lots of leads but few appointments, either improve your funnel or reallocate the budget.
Balance short and long term. Paid channels deliver now; SEO delivers later. You need both.
Match channels to services. Use high-intent channels (search) for high-value services (LASIK). Use awareness channels for services patients don’t know they need.
Account for patient quality. A referral patient who stays for 10 years is worth more than a deal-seeker who leaves for the next coupon.
Need Help Optimizing Your Patient Acquisition?
Understanding acquisition economics is one thing. Implementing effective multi-channel marketing is another. At MedTech Consulting, we help eye care practices grow their patient base efficiently—measuring what matters and optimizing continuously.
Contact us to discuss your patient acquisition strategy.
Related reading: Eye Care Marketing Services | PPC Advertising for Medical Practices | Medical Practice SEO
