The following is a transcript of Jesse Jones' report shown exactly the way it appeared on WLWT Eyewitness News 5 at 11 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2003.

Anchorman: If you ever thought about getting eye surgery with a laser, listen up. Tonight, Target 5 investigates a company that advertises affordable LASIK, but in the end, you may be hemorrhaging cash. Jesse Jones is here now with the eye-opening details on the price of perfect vision.

Jones: The company is LASIK Vision Institute, and if you check your local paper, they offer a super discount on LASIK surgery. But when Target 5 went in with its hidden cameras, we found that getting the deal is not easy. Even if you blink you can't miss it. The deal is in bold print, right next to the funny papers -- $299 per eye for LASIK surgery. It's a discount some Tri-State residents are calling a bad joke because very few people get it.

Video

Target 5 Looks Into $299 LASIK

Becky Higgins: I went in there on their advertisement and then there was nothing on the advertisement that stuck.

Jones: Would you call this a bait and switch?

Higgins: Oh, absolutely.

Jones: The company is LASIK Vision Institute, or LVI. Target 5 sent a producer with an undercover camera into its Montgomery Road location to see if we could get the special. First, our producer is introduced to a salesperson with no medical experience. She says the surgeon was out of town and then adds that the price is not $299 but rather $899 per eye.

Salesperson: $899 for your one eye, yep.

Jones: That's right: $899 dollars per eye -- $600 dollars more than the advertised price. The only way the $299 price would be offered to our producer is if we purchased $600 worth of extras. Then we were asked to put $100 dollars down or the price would go away

Salesperson: I've got to tell you that I can't guarantee this will be here again.

Higgins: It was worse than buying a car. I've never seen anything like it, and it was a high-pressure sales. It was insane

Jones: In January, Becky Higgins tried to get the special at another location, but LVI doubled the price. Then when she put her money down, Ms. Higgins says it took months for LVI to return it.

Higgins: I was already planning on getting this done no matter what, but when I left there I felt so taken that I didn't have this operation done

Jones: The ad does say in small print -- barely legible for someone who needs glasses -- that the price may increase due to the prescription. So who gets the deal? According to former LVI Dr. John Siems, hardly anyone.

Dr. John Siems: The $299 is kind of a bait and switch model. Very few people qualify for $299. The attempt is to lure you in for $299 and get the price up to a higher level.

Jones: LVI's attorneys say that Dr. Siems left the company to work for a competitor and that his statements about LVI are false. So here are some tips in finding a LASIK center. Medically, you should make sure the surgeon is board certified and is a cornea specialist, and check with the medical board to see if the surgeon has been disciplined. Financially, you should not have to put any money down to a hold a price. And check with the Better Business Bureau. Finally Dr. Gary Varley a board certified surgeon from the Cincinnati Eye Institute says after you've made your checks, schedule a visit to make sure what you see is what you get.

Dr. Gary Varley: I would expect to have a comprehensive exam to see medical people, not just a salesperson. I would expect not to talk about price and scheduling until I talk about the risks and benefits and met with the surgeon.

Jones: The attorney for LVI says the $299 special is available. It's hard to determine how many people receive it because often people buy the extras. The attorney says the salesperson on our video was too aggressive and adds that the decision to have LASIK is one that should be made without any pressure being asserted by anyone. Finally, we have no information that points to Cincinnati's LVI as being unsafe.