Eye care abroad
Eye care on Medbook covers vision correction and the treatment of eye conditions. It includes laser eye surgery (LASIK, LASEK and SMILE), ICL lens implants and cataract and lens replacement surgery, as well as treatment for glaucoma, the retina and macula, keratoconus and the cornea, and strabismus (squint) surgery.
Two countries offer eye care through Medbook. Turkey offers every procedure in the area except ICL lens implants, in eight cities. South Korea offers laser eye surgery, ICL lens implants and cataract and lens replacement surgery, in Seoul, Busan and Incheon. This page explains what can be arranged, how the two destinations differ and what to gather before you travel.
You see a price only when a clinic makes you an offer.
Procedures
- Laser eye surgery (LASIK, LASEK, SMILE)
- ICL lens implant
- Cataract & lens replacement surgery
- Glaucoma treatment
- Retina & macular treatment
- Keratoconus & cornea treatment
- Strabismus (squint) surgery
Where you can have it
-
Turkey
- Airport and clinic transfers
- Accommodation
- Interpreter
- Personal coordinator
- Visa support
- Online consultation before you travel
- Aftercare
-
South Korea
- Accommodation
- Online consultation before you travel
How a Medbook trip works
- Tell the assistant what you need treated, where you travel from and when.
- See the destinations that offer your treatment and choose where to ask.
- Receive offers with a price and dates.
- Confirm an offer and get a day-by-day travel roadmap.
What Medbook can arrange
Laser eye surgery, offered as LASIK, LASEK or SMILE, uses a laser to change the shape of the cornea, the outer layer of the eye. In lens surgery, an artificial lens is put in the eye: an ICL lens implant is one form of it, and in cataract and lens replacement surgery the eye's own lens is replaced with an artificial one.
For eye conditions, the area covers glaucoma treatment, treatment of the retina and the macula, treatment of keratoconus and other conditions of the cornea, and strabismus (squint) surgery, which moves the muscles that control eye movement. If you are not sure which procedure you need, choose "Not sure yet" under eye care when you describe your case, or write in your own words what your eye doctor has told you. The clinic looks at the details of your case before it makes you an offer.
Choosing a destination
Turkey offers every eye procedure on Medbook's list except ICL lens implants, in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Bodrum, Bursa, Eskişehir and Kayseri. Every service on Medbook's list is arranged there: airport and clinic transfers, accommodation, an interpreter, a personal coordinator, visa support, an online consultation before you travel and aftercare. Glaucoma, retina, keratoconus and cornea treatment and strabismus surgery are offered only in Turkey.
South Korea offers laser eye surgery, ICL lens implants and cataract and lens replacement surgery, in Seoul, Busan and Incheon. Accommodation and an online consultation before you travel are arranged there.
How long you stay depends on the procedure, and your clinic confirms the dates in its offer. Wherever you go, once you confirm an offer, your roadmap lets you book flights and transfers yourself or ask Medbook to arrange them.
Before you travel
Gather the results of your recent eye examinations and your current glasses or contact lens prescription. For an eye condition, add your eye doctor's letters, any scans and a list of the eye drops and other medications you use, along with any allergies. The assistant asks about chronic conditions, allergies and medications when you describe your case.
An online consultation before you travel is arranged in both countries. Questions worth asking there:
- If I wear contact lenses, should I stop before the examination, and for how long?
- Will both eyes be treated on the same trip?
- How long should I plan to stay, and when can I fly home?
- Which follow-up checks are planned, and can an eye doctor at home do any of them?
When you compare offers, look at the dates and at whether follow-up is included.
Questions
Where can I have an ICL lens implant?
In South Korea. Turkey does not offer it through Medbook at the moment, though it offers laser eye surgery and cataract and lens replacement surgery.
Is eye care only about vision correction?
No. Glaucoma treatment, retina and macular treatment, keratoconus and cornea treatment and strabismus surgery are offered in Turkey, and cataract and lens replacement surgery in both Turkey and South Korea.
Can I ask Turkey and South Korea at the same time?
Yes, if both offer the treatment you choose, as they do for laser eye surgery and for cataract and lens replacement surgery. Your results show every destination that offers it, and you choose which ones to ask for offers.
Is an interpreter arranged?
In Turkey, yes: an interpreter is among the services arranged there. South Korea's services do not include one. The assistant asks which language you are most comfortable communicating in, and your answer is part of your request for offers.