What are the risks of having laser eye surgery abroad?
What should you consider when choosing your laser eye surgery provider?
Laser eye surgery is the most popular elective vision correction surgery in the world and has given around 30 million people freedom from glasses and contact lenses since it was invented in the 1990s. At Optimax, since our establishment in 1991, we have performed well over 700,000 procedures, so our patients come to us safe in the knowledge that we’re a highly experienced provider.
Something that we get asked a lot on social media is why laser eye surgery here is more expensive than providers abroad. A lot of the comments we see tend to suggest that price is the most important thing to take into account when choosing where to have your treatment, and that going abroad is the obvious choice because of this. We understand that the cost of treatment is crucial (which is why we offer several payment plans to make surgery more accessible) but there are a huge number of other factors to consider….
Should you visit the clinic beforehand?
It’s normal to feel nervous before your treatment and one thing that our patients tell us helps calm their nerves is to visit the clinic prior to having surgery. When you choose Optimax, you’ll have your consultation in your local clinic and meet the team there. This gives you a chance to look around, ask any questions you have, and make a fully informed decision about whether to proceed to surgery or not, based on your own experience.
When you choose a provider abroad, you’re making your choice based on photos or videos which might not be truly representative of what the clinic really looks like. Sometimes, you just get a feeling when you visit a clinic, and if that’s a negative feeling with your chosen provider abroad, you won’t get that feeling until your surgery day. Alternatively, you could fly out to visit the clinic before booking your surgery, but if you do that, you might as well put the extra cost towards quality surgery closer to home.
Have you got travel insurance?
In this post-Brexit era, getting emergency healthcare treatment abroad can be an expensive business. Travel insurance is highly recommended when you travel anywhere outside of the UK, as you simply never know what might happen. However, if you’re travelling abroad with the express purpose of having laser eye surgery, getting reasonable travel insurance can be quite difficult. This is another cost to consider to the ever-growing list when it comes to having laser treatment abroad, along with travel and accommodation, which brings us to our next point….
How much are your flights and accommodation?
While the cost of the actual treatment may be cheaper abroad than it is here, once you’ve factored in your flights and accommodation, it’s a different story. You’ll probably also need a friend or relative with you to accompany you for the process, so double those travel and hotel costs. It’s also likely that you’ll stay near the clinic for a few days as you’ll need post-surgery checks. Navigating the airport while your eyes are healing also isn’t the best way to recover, so it’s possible that your trip abroad to have your eyes treated turns into a minimum of a three day stay, with all the associated costs mounting.
Are you planning to combine laser eye surgery with a holiday?
Some of the comments we’ve seen suggest that people want to combine their laser eye surgery abroad with a holiday – well, think again. After your surgery, you’ll need to avoid water anyway, ruling out swimming or water parks. Your eyes will also be light sensitive for the first few days, so spending time in the sun is out too. In fact, we recommend resting at home and avoiding screens for the first few days in order to give your vision the best chance of recovery. This might not combine particularly well with any holiday plans you may have….
Want to recover in the comfort of your own home?
If you’re going to be lying down and resting, either with a nap or by unwinding with an audiobook or podcast, wouldn’t you prefer to do that from the comfort of your own home? Lots of our patients go home to rest their eyes by sleeping more than usual, or by relaxing at home with sunglasses on. If you’ve travelled abroad for your laser eye surgery, you’ll be resting in your hotel, which isn’t quite the same as being in your own home. Concerns about forgetting to pack something or not feeling comfortable can be avoided simply by having treatment locally.
Where will you have regular aftercare appointments?
At Optimax, we invite our patients in for four separate aftercare appointments. This is so we can monitor your healing and ensure that everything is on track following your treatment. If you have your treatment with us, you can expect to visit us for aftercare appointments in the following periods after your treatment:
- 1 day (LASIK) or 3-5 days (LASEK)
- 7-14 days
- 1 month
- 3 months
If you have your treatment abroad, have you considered flying back out on a further three occasions for your aftercare appointments? Perhaps you planned to visit a UK provider for your aftercare? At Optimax, we can’t see patients who have had treatment elsewhere, and most other UK eye surgery providers are the same. If you have your laser eye surgery abroad, you run the risk of being unable to visit anywhere closer to home that can provide aftercare to you. We also see Optimax patients at any point after their treatment if they have a concern or would like us to check their eyes in closer detail. We offer continuity of care, with your own personal patient advisor there with you each step of the way. Unless you fly back to your treating clinic abroad, how can you expect to see the same staff members who know your treatment journey from start to finish?
Do you want healthcare regulations and standards you can trust?
It’s important to note that there is no global regulatory body for laser eye surgery. This means that when you visit a provider abroad, there is no guarantee or regulation of their qualifications. At Optimax, all of our surgeons are NHS consultant level doctors and are all on the GMC register. They are also all members of the Royal College of Surgeons or Royal College of Ophthalmologists, so you can rest assured that our surgeons have a wealth of experience and training.
Further to this, healthcare clinics in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all regularly inspected and held to standards which are applied to all providers across the UK. This means you can be truly confident in the level of care you receive. The relevant service regulators are:
England: CQC
Wales: Care Inspectorate Wales
Scotland: Care Inspectorate
Northern Ireland: Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
Get in touch with Optimax
If you’ve been considering laser eye surgery and would like to visit us for a consultation, you can give us a call on 0800 093 1110 or book online. With 19 clinics around the UK, you’re sure to find a branch close to you. Benefit from a provider nearby who you can trust and book your free consultation today.
