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ophthalmology
LASIK / refractive eye surgery
Laser refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, SMILE) on modern excimer / femtosecond platforms. Same generation of laser as Canadian private clinics, roughly a third of the price. The case for going abroad is cost, not wait — Canadian private LASIK is fast; it's just expensive.
Typical Canadian wait
0–2 months
Canadian private cost
$2,400 – $4,500
Abroad cost (CAD)
$900 – $1,600
Why LASIK abroad makes sense — cost, not wait
To be honest about it: Canadian private LASIK is fast. Most clinics get you from consult to surgery inside 2–4 weeks. There’s no waitlist crisis here. What there is, is a price gap.
Canadian private clinics charge $2,400–$4,500 per eye all-in — call it $4,800–$9,000 for both. The same procedure on the same generation of excimer / femtosecond laser at a JCI-accredited Vietnamese hospital costs $900–$1,600 per eye. Typical both-eyes total in Vietnam: $1,800–$3,200, including the workup, the procedure, the post-op drop kit, and an in-country follow-up.
If you’d otherwise pay $6,000 for both eyes in Toronto or Calgary, the flight + hotel + procedure in Vietnam runs about half that. If price isn’t the constraint and a Canadian clinic is around the corner, this isn’t the trip we’d push you to take. We’ll tell you that on the consult call.
What’s included
- Pre-op consultation with the surgeon (in English)
- Topography + wavefront mapping
- The procedure itself
- One-week follow-up appointment in-country
- Post-op drop kit
- Continuity letter for your Canadian optometrist
- 4-week and 3-month video check-ins
What’s not included
- Flights and hotel (we book; you pay direct, transparent pricing)
- Pre-op prescription glasses if you don’t already have a recent script
- Any non-refractive eye conditions surfaced during workup (rare; we’d flag and recommend Canadian follow-up)
Typical trip shape
Day 1: Arrive HCMC. Day 2: Pre-op workup + topography. Day 3: Procedure (~30 minutes both eyes). Day 4: Day-after follow-up. Day 5-7: Buffer / return flight. Total trip: 5-7 days.
FAQ
Same lasers as Canadian clinics?
Yes — major Vietnamese refractive centres run current-generation excimer and femtosecond laser platforms from leading global manufacturers. Same generation as most Canadian private clinics.
What about post-op drops and follow-up?
Drop regimen is identical to Canadian protocols. We provide a one-page summary your Canadian optometrist can sign off on, plus 4-week and 3-month video check-ins included.
Can I fly home the same week?
Yes — most patients fly home 2-3 days post-op. We schedule the surgery at the start of the trip so the recovery overlaps with the buffer days.
