A question of timing

Different people have different concerns. One that must rank pretty high with most people is that of complications after the operation.

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.