Sure, it's great to have LASIK eye surgery in Thailand, only a fraction of what it costs in Europe, America or in many other Asian cities costs. But there's more. LASIK eye surgery is a specialized procedure and most would agree that in addition to the quality of the equipment, it is the experience of the surgeon's preference to make the difference. Through its status as a regional center with thousands of LASIK eye surgery patients abroad, offers both Bangkok.
Thailand has developed over the years into a major player in the field of medical tourism. The people here come from all over the world not only for LASIK eye surgery, but for a wide range of medical services. Dental services and cosmetic surgery are among the most popular, but the number of Americans, Singaporeans, Japanese and Europeans who come here for hip relplacements or more bypass roads is growing explosively as well. Why? Services are of excellent quality, they are a fraction of the cost what she at home and in the price ... They are available at short notice. There are no waiting lists for appointments here.
In the places recommended on this site, you as a foreigner is not a strange sight to anyone. Quite the contrary - they are created for you with English speaking staff and information in different languages.
We have no financial ties to a medical facility in Thailand and if we are credible feedback from people who have problems with LASIK eye surgery in Thailand, we will publish their report in the visitor reports. Needless to say, that we would appreciate positive feedback too.
While still in Thailand
The good news here is that complications will most likely be detected already during the procedure or shortly after. All facilities we had a look at included the treatment of complications in their package. Should their be problems or even the need for a redo of the surgery, it is all taken care of by your clinic at no extra cost, except maybe for medication. This means they have an incentive to get it right the first time ;-)
After you have left Thailand
This is the weakest aspect of the whole LASIK in Thailand concept. None of the clinics to our knowledge has any arrangements to help you deal with the scenario of problems after your return to your home country. The idea is that you don't have problems. It reminds me a little of the approach of scuba diving instructors who refuse to discuss behavior during a shark attack because ... they don't happen. If it is that extremely unlikely, why not offer patients a 'just in case' insurance cover for their peace of mind?
What the clinics do offer is a copy of your medical record, which you can then take to an eye doctor back home for your check-up there or in case of complications. Oh yes, they also offer you to come back to Thailand and have your complications looked after for free. Needless to say that it might be quite costly to have complications treated back home if you don't have insurance cover. So far, we have not met anybody who had this problem, but if we get some feedback, we will make it available under visitor reports.
Our first recommendations: Stick to all the instructions from the clinic to keep the risk of complication at an absolute minimum. This will definitely lower your personal risk versus the average risk of people with similar starting conditions. The second recommendations is to give yourself more time in Thailand, to ensure that if problems happen, you can have them looked after right there.
Should you in spite of all precautions encounter difficulties after the operation, the SurgicalEyes website is a fantastic source of information. Come to think of it, you should have a look at it before you decide to go for LASIK.
