Laser eye surgery abroad?
SMILE, LASIK or ICL in Korea, Turkey, Thailand or China? An honest comparison
Korea, Turkey and Thailand all sell laser eye surgery to visitors, and Korea can cost less than China. A travel guide puts Korea’s average SMILE price at KRW 2,500,000 for both eyes (2024), and an Istanbul SMILE package costs about USD 2,527–2,600 including hotel. In Shanghai, public tertiary hospitals charge CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150) for SMILE on both eyes, before tests and follow-up (Chinese media, 2026). What China adds is very large volume and the chance to combine the trip with a checkup.
- CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150)
- Shanghai public tertiary hospitals, SMILE on both eyes, before tests and follow-up (Chinese media, 2026)
- KRW 2,500,000
- South Korea, average SMILE price for both eyes (travel guide planning figure, 2024)
- THB 101,000
- Bangkok, SMILE or femto-LASIK on both eyes, with 5 follow-ups over 6 months (hospital package, 2026)
- USD 2,527–2,600
- Istanbul, SMILE package for both eyes with 2 hotel nights and transfers (broker, 2025–26)
Vision correction, published prices (sources: hospital and clinic price pages, travel guides and brokers, 2023–26; China: Chinese media 2026). Check whether each price is per eye or for both eyes
| Where | Price | What it covers (source type, year) |
|---|---|---|
| USA (university hospital laser centre) | USD 3,500 per eye for LASIK or SMILE; USD 6,663 per eye for ICL | Includes 1 year of follow-up and one enhancement (hospital price page, current) |
| UK | GBP 1,295 per eye for LASIK; GBP 3,395 per eye for ICL | Clinic price list, 2026; SMILE typically GBP 2,200–2,600+ per eye (guide, 2026) |
| Canada | CAD 1,500–3,500 per eye for LASIK; CAD 2,000–3,500 for SMILE | All-inclusive clinic chain prices (clinic page, 2026) |
| Australia | AUD 3,250–3,950 per eye | Not covered by Medicare (clinic page, 2026) |
| South Korea | KRW 1,900,000 LASIK; KRW 2,500,000 SMILE; KRW 5,400,000 ICL, both eyes | Averages the guide calls dated planning references, source not named (travel guide, 2024) |
| Turkey (Istanbul) | About USD 2,527–2,600 for SMILE, both eyes | Includes 2 hotel nights, transfers and 30-day follow-up (broker, 2025–26); LASIK from EUR 1,790, treatment only (broker, 2026) |
| Thailand (Bangkok) | THB 101,000 for SMILE or femto-LASIK, both eyes | Includes 5 follow-ups over 6 months; pre-op check THB 2,000 extra (hospital package, 2026) |
| China, public tertiary hospitals (Shanghai) | CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150) for SMILE, both eyes | Pre-op tests (CNY 400–1,000 (≈ USD 60–150)), drugs and follow-ups charged separately (Chinese media, 2026) |
| China, listed private eye-hospital chain (Hefei) | CNY 15,800 (≈ USD 2,350) SMILE; CNY 16,800 (≈ USD 2,500) femto-LASIK; CNY 30,000 (≈ USD 4,500) ICL, both eyes | Hospital price list quoted by Chinese media, 2026 |
| China, foreign patients | Quoted individually | No official price list for SMILE, LASIK or ICL; each hospital sets its own price, and refractive surgery is self-pay for everyone |
Where Korea is strong
Often a lower price and a well-worn route for visitors
Korea’s published averages of KRW 1,900,000 for LASIK and KRW 2,500,000 for SMILE on both eyes (travel guide, 2024) can come in below Shanghai public-hospital prices, and Korea treated about 1.17 million foreign patients in 2024. If price is your only criterion, Korea may be the better choice. One Seoul clinic asks visitors to stay at least 2 days after SMILE and 1 week after LASIK.
Where Turkey and Thailand are strong
Packages that include the hotel and the follow-up
Istanbul SMILE packages of about USD 2,527–2,600 bundle 2 hotel nights, transfers and 30 days of follow-up. A Bangkok hospital’s THB 101,000 package includes 5 follow-up visits over 6 months, and an eye hospital there asks laser patients to plan a 7-day stay. Check that a promotional price applies to visitors and not only to residents.
Why consider China
Very large volume, at public and private hospitals
Chinese financial media reported over 3 million myopia operations in China in 2024, and the maker of the SMILE laser said in 2023 that China does more than half of all SMILE procedures worldwide, with over 800 of its lasers in use there; these are industry figures, not official statistics. Shanghai public tertiary hospitals charge CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150) for SMILE on both eyes, and one listed private chain lists CNY 15,800 (≈ USD 2,350). The same trip can include a full health checkup and a TCM consultation.
How to compare quotes
Ask the same questions everywhere
Is the price per eye or for both eyes? Which exact procedure and laser generation is it (SMILE 3.0 and SMILE Pro are priced differently)? Are the pre-op tests, drugs, follow-up visits and any enhancement included? How many days must you stay? And will you get your full records, including your measurements before and after surgery, which the American Academy of Ophthalmology advises keeping for any future cataract surgery?
We handle the China part
An English-speaking coordinator from airport to aftercare
We book the hospital, meet you at the airport, arrange a hotel near the hospital, put an interpreter beside you at every appointment, help with WeChat and Alipay payment, translate your reports into English and stay in touch for follow-up after you fly home.
Common questions
How much does LASIK cost per eye?
At home it is usually quoted per eye. Published examples: USD 3,500 per eye at one US university hospital laser centre, including a year of follow-up and one enhancement; GBP 1,295 per eye at one UK clinic chain (2026); CAD 1,500–3,500 per eye in Canada (2026); and AUD 3,250–3,950 per eye at one Australian clinic group, not covered by Medicare (2026). Abroad and in China, prices are usually quoted for both eyes, so halve them before you compare.
How much does LASIK or SMILE cost in China?
Refractive surgery is self-pay in China and there is no official price list, so each hospital sets its own price and foreign patients are quoted individually. For reference, Shanghai public tertiary hospitals charge CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150) for SMILE on both eyes, with tests of CNY 400–1,000 (≈ USD 60–150), drugs and follow-ups charged separately (Chinese media, 2026). One listed private eye-hospital chain lists CNY 15,800 (≈ USD 2,350) for SMILE, CNY 16,800 (≈ USD 2,500) for femto-LASIK and CNY 30,000 (≈ USD 4,500) for ICL, all for both eyes (Chinese media, 2026).
How much does SMILE eye surgery cost?
Published prices for both eyes: KRW 2,500,000 on average in South Korea (travel guide, 2024), about USD 2,527–2,600 for an Istanbul package with hotel (broker, 2025–26), THB 101,000 at one Bangkok hospital (2026) and CNY 18,000–21,000 (≈ USD 2,700–3,150) at Shanghai public tertiary hospitals (2026). At home, SMILE is quoted per eye: USD 3,500 at one US university hospital, typically GBP 2,200–2,600 or more in the UK and CAD 2,000–3,500 in Canada. Newer versions such as SMILE Pro cost more.
Where can you get LASIK eye surgery abroad?
Common choices are South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, Mexico, India and China. Korea’s published averages are among the lowest for visitors, Turkish and Thai packages often include the hotel or follow-up visits, and China has very large volume at both public hospitals and private chains. Compare total prices with the same items included, check whether the price is per eye or for both eyes, and plan the stay: clinics advise anything from the day-1 check for SMILE or LASIK to about a week for ICL.
Complete package
Make the trip count: eye surgery + health checkup + TCM
You stay in China for the checks after eye surgery anyway. The same days can include a full health checkup and a TCM consultation, at public-hospital prices. We plan and quote all three together.
- Your cataract or vision correction surgery, quoted individually
- Health checkup about CNY 1,500 (≈ USD 220)
- TCM consultation from CNY 50 (≈ USD 7)
USD amounts converted at about CNY 6.70 per USD (2026-10-07), for reference only. Foreign patients pay the full listed price.