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Eye Surgery in India: LASIK and Cataract procedures

The concept of medical tourism is not a new one. The first recorded instance of medical tourism dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This territory was the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios. Epidauria became the original travel destination for medical tourism. Medical tourism in India is picking up momentum, as more patients from neighboring countries travel to India for cost effective procedures provided by experienced medical professionals. Medical tourists come from anywhere in the devloped countries including Europe, the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Canada. Patients travel from countries that operate a public healtchare system due to long wait taimes for planned procedures. While in other countries where private healthcare is the predominant option, out of pocket costs is what drives patients to lower cost destinations such as India. India has a huge talent pool of English speaking doctors who are in many cases trained in US and UK. About15 % of all physicians in the US is of Indian origin. UK similarly has a substantial number of physicians of Indian origin. The cost of surgery in India, can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in the US, for example, goes for $10,000 in India--and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the US costs $500 in India, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, In eyecare, the most popular procedures performed for medical tourists are LASIK and Cataract surgeries. Other surgeries can be performed based on request by patients. Typically patients undergo a preliminary telephonic consultation with the surgeon in India to assess their suitability for surgery. The schedule of activities leading to surgery at Alexander Eye Centre in Kochi, Kerala looks like the following.

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Day 1: Pick up from Airport / Railway Station to Hotel Day 2: Hotel to Alexander Eye Centre (For Consultation and Counseling) Pre-Procedure Work-up Local Sightseeing Trip Day 3: Hotel to Alexander Eye Centre (For Procedure) Procedure takes less any where from 30 minutes to 1 hour for LASIK/Cataract surgeries. Time required in the hospital is 3 hours. Day 4: Hotel to Alexander Eye Centre (For first Post-Procedure Evaluation) Post-Procedure Counseling and Treatment Advice Day 5 to Day 8: Vacation (Travel & Tour Assistance) Day 9: Hotel to Alexander Eye Centre (For final Post-Procedure Evaluation) Post-Procedure Counseling and Treatment Advice Journey back home

Prices:

Cataract surgery

Prices range from Euros 400 – 700 (for each eye) for depending on the type of intraocular lens LASIK (for both eyes) Euros 600 – 850 The price includes the tests prior to the surgery and intraocular lens for cataract surgery. Does not include tourism package or airfares. Contact: appointments@alexandereyecentre.com www.alexandereyecentre.com