Best Countries for Eye Surgery in 2025: Where to Get Treatment

How We Ranked Countries

Our ranking evaluates five key criteria: clinical outcomes and safety data from national ophthalmology registries, technology adoption (latest laser platforms, diagnostic equipment, surgical techniques), pricing competitiveness, patient experience (language support, coordination, recovery environment), and travel accessibility (flight connections, visa requirements, medical tourism infrastructure). Each country's strengths are specific to certain procedures, so the best destination depends on your individual needs.

We also considered the depth of ophthalmic subspecialty expertise available in each country. While many destinations offer excellent LASIK and cataract surgery, fewer can provide world-class treatment for complex conditions such as retinal detachment, corneal transplantation, pediatric ophthalmology, or neuro-ophthalmology. Countries that scored highest overall — Turkey, South Korea, and India — have mature ophthalmology ecosystems with subspecialists across all areas, giving patients access to comprehensive care regardless of the complexity of their condition.

Another critical factor in our evaluation was the quality of post-operative support for international patients. Eye surgery outcomes depend not only on the procedure itself but also on proper recovery management. We assessed each country's infrastructure for remote follow-up (telemedicine capabilities), the availability of English-language medical documentation, and the ease of arranging local follow-up care after returning home. Countries with well-established medical tourism industries — particularly Turkey and Thailand — excelled in this area, with dedicated international patient departments that manage the entire care continuum from initial inquiry through post-operative recovery.

Accreditation and regulatory oversight also weighted heavily in our evaluation. Countries with robust healthcare regulatory frameworks — Turkey's Ministry of Health licensing, India's NABH accreditation system, South Korea's JCI-accredited hospital networks, and the EU's cross-border healthcare directive — provide patients with institutional safeguards that extend beyond any individual clinic's marketing claims. Government-backed medical tourism initiatives, such as Turkey's Health Tourism Authorization Certificate and Thailand's Centre of Excellence for Medical Tourism, create an additional accountability layer that benefits international patients. We prioritized countries where regulatory infrastructure actively monitors and enforces clinical standards at facilities treating international patients, rather than countries where medical tourism operates in a regulatory vacuum.

Continuity of care is the final critical dimension we assessed. The best eye surgery destinations facilitate seamless communication between the treating surgeon abroad and the patient's home ophthalmologist. This includes standardized discharge documentation formatted for international readability, secure digital platforms for sharing post-operative imaging (OCT scans, topography maps), and telemedicine follow-up capabilities that allow the operating surgeon to review healing progress remotely. Turkey and South Korea scored particularly well on this criterion, with leading clinics offering structured post-operative communication protocols, including scheduled video consultations at one week, one month, and three months after surgery. This remote follow-up infrastructure transforms what could be a fragmented care experience into a coordinated, continuous relationship between patient, treating surgeon, and home ophthalmologist.

Travel logistics and visa accessibility also influenced our rankings. For North American patients, Mexico and Turkey offer the most convenient access — Mexico requiring no visa and offering short flight times from southern US cities, and Turkey offering visa-free entry for many nationalities plus excellent direct flights via Turkish Airlines. For European patients, Turkey and Czech Republic provide the easiest access, while Asian and Australian patients benefit from the proximity of Thailand, South Korea, and Singapore. The practical consideration of how many total travel hours are required — including layovers, airport transfers, and ground transportation to the clinic — significantly impacts the overall patient experience, particularly for eye surgery where post-operative comfort during travel is a genuine concern.

Turkey: Best Overall for Eye Surgery

Turkey ranks first overall due to its unmatched combination of high-volume specialized eye hospitals, comprehensive procedure availability, and aggressive pricing. Istanbul is home to several dedicated eye hospital chains that serve tens of thousands of international patients annually. Dünyagöz Eye Hospital is Turkey's — and one of the world's — largest dedicated eye hospital networks, with over 30 locations and a complete range of ophthalmic services from routine LASIK to complex retinal and corneal surgery. Their refractive surgery department alone performs over 100,000 laser vision correction procedures using Alcon, Zeiss, and Schwind platforms.

Veni Vidi Eye Clinics represents the premium end of Turkish ophthalmology, offering boutique-style refractive surgery services with the latest wavefront-guided and topography-guided LASIK, SMILE, and ICL implantation. For patients needing complex procedures — vitreoretinal surgery, glaucoma surgery, corneal transplantation, or pediatric ophthalmology — Turkey's multi-specialty hospitals like Memorial Şişli Hospital and Anadolu Medical Center provide full-service ophthalmology departments within JCI-accredited hospital complexes.

South Korea: Technology Leader

South Korea is the technology leader in refractive surgery, with Seoul's Gangnam district hosting the highest concentration of premium eye clinics in the world. Korean ophthalmologists were early adopters of SMILE, ICL, and wavefront-guided LASIK, and the country leads in developing innovative surgical techniques and protocols. Korea has the world's highest per-capita rate of LASIK and ICL procedures, meaning its surgeons accumulate extraordinary experience. Pricing is mid-range — higher than Turkey and India but significantly lower than the US and Western Europe.

Korean eye clinics are particularly renowned for their patient-centric approach to refractive surgery consultations. A typical Korean refractive evaluation involves 15-20 separate diagnostic tests — significantly more than the 8-10 tests performed at most Western clinics. This extensive testing battery includes corneal tomography, epithelial thickness mapping, tear film analysis, mesopic pupil measurement, and angle kappa assessment, providing the surgeon with an extraordinarily detailed picture of the patient's visual system. This thoroughness translates to better surgical planning, more accurate outcomes, and lower enhancement rates.

India: Most Affordable

India offers the most affordable eye surgery globally, with basic LASIK available from $300 per eye and premium cataract surgery with multifocal IOLs from $1,000 per eye. India's ophthalmic infrastructure is world-class at the top tier — institutions like L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Aravind Eye Hospital, and Sankara Nethralaya are globally recognized for their clinical outcomes and research contributions. Aravind Eye Hospital alone performs over 400,000 eye surgeries annually, making it one of the highest-volume eye surgery centers in the world.

The quality variation within India is wider than in Turkey or South Korea, so careful clinic selection is essential. India's top-tier private eye hospitals — located primarily in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad — deliver outcomes that are on par with the best global centers. These institutions employ fellowship-trained ophthalmologists, many of whom completed advanced training in the US or UK, and use the latest equipment from Alcon, Zeiss, and Topcon. However, patients should specifically seek out these premium centers rather than defaulting to the cheapest available option. The Indian government's National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) certification is a useful quality indicator — NABH-accredited hospitals meet internationally recognized standards for clinical care, patient safety, and infrastructure.

For patients combining eye surgery with a broader travel experience, India offers extraordinary cultural richness. Recovery from LASIK or cataract surgery in Rajasthan, Kerala, or Goa allows patients to explore one of the world's most diverse and fascinating countries while their eyes heal. Many Indian eye hospitals offer international patient packages that include airport pickup, accommodation recommendations, and sightseeing coordination during the recovery period.

Thailand: Best Patient Experience

Thailand excels in the overall patient experience, combining quality ophthalmology with the legendary Thai hospitality culture. Bangkok's leading eye centers — including TRSC International LASIK Centre and Bumrungrad Eye Center — offer comprehensive refractive and cataract surgery services with dedicated international patient coordinators, luxury recovery suites, and concierge-level care. Thailand is particularly popular among Australian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian patients due to geographic proximity and excellent flight connections.

What sets Thailand apart from other eye surgery destinations is the holistic approach to patient care. Thai hospitals invest heavily in the non-clinical aspects of the patient experience — spacious private rooms, gourmet hospital dining, spa-like recovery environments, and attentive nursing care. For patients who are anxious about surgery, this nurturing environment can significantly reduce pre-operative stress and improve the overall experience. Thailand's eye centers also benefit from the country's strong regulatory framework — the Thailand Centre of Excellence for Medical Tourism works with hospitals to maintain international patient care standards.

Bangkok is also an excellent destination for complex eye procedures that require extended recovery periods, such as retinal surgery or corneal transplantation. The city's world-class hotels offer excellent long-stay rates, and the warm climate allows comfortable outdoor recovery. Thai cuisine is rich in eye-healthy nutrients — omega-3 fatty acids from seafood, vitamin A from tropical fruits, and antioxidants from fresh vegetables — making it an ideal dietary environment for post-surgical healing.

European Destinations

For European patients, Czech Republic and Spain offer quality eye surgery at lower costs than the UK, Germany, and France. Prague's eye clinics — including Gemini Eye Clinic and Lexum — perform high volumes of LASIK and cataract surgery at 40-60% lower prices than Western Europe. Spain's ophthalmology sector is anchored by large clinic networks like Clinica Baviera and Barraquer Eye Centre, offering advanced technology and experienced surgeons at moderate European prices. Both countries benefit from EU regulatory oversight and short flight times from major European cities.

Hungary — particularly Budapest — has also emerged as a notable destination for eye surgery within Europe. Budapest's eye clinics offer competitive pricing for cataract surgery and refractive procedures, benefiting from Hungary's lower cost of living while maintaining EU medical standards. Polish eye clinics, particularly in Warsaw and Krakow, similarly offer quality ophthalmology at prices significantly lower than Western European equivalents. For UK patients post-Brexit, these EU destinations remain easily accessible with minimal visa requirements.

Çağın Eye Hospital in Turkey is also easily accessible from European cities, with Istanbul being just 2-4 hours by air from most European capitals. This makes Turkey a compelling option for European patients who want the cost advantages of a non-EU destination without the long-haul travel required to reach India or Thailand. Turkey's geographic position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia gives it excellent air connectivity — Istanbul Airport is a major international hub served by Turkish Airlines, which flies to more countries than any other airline worldwide.

When comparing European eye surgery destinations, patients should consider the total cost of treatment including travel. For a UK patient, a LASIK procedure in Prague might cost $1,200 per eye plus $300-$500 in travel expenses, while the same procedure in Turkey costs $600 per eye plus $400-$600 in travel. Both represent significant savings compared to $2,500-$3,500 per eye in London. The decision between European and Turkish clinics often comes down to personal preference regarding travel distance, language comfort, and whether the patient values EU regulatory oversight over Turkey's more competitive pricing and higher surgical volumes.

I compared LASIK clinics in five countries before choosing Turkey. The technology at my Istanbul clinic was identical to what was offered in London at three times the price. The staff spoke perfect English, and the entire experience — from airport to final check-up — was flawless.

Emma W., LASIK in Turkey