Eye surgery in Georgia: cataract, refractive surgery, retina and glaucoma for international patients

Which eye operations do international patients come to Georgia for?

Eye surgery is a single speciality, but its branches differ greatly when it comes to travel. Here we look at the four most common cases:

• Cataract: the eye's natural lens becomes cloudy and the surgeon replaces it with an artificial lens. This is usually a planned operation and needs only a short visit.
• Refractive surgery: vision correction by laser or by implanting a lens, so that you depend less on glasses or contact lenses. It is an elective operation, and the doctor decides whether you are suitable for it after an examination.
• Retinal surgery: retinal detachment, macular hole, complications of diabetic eye disease and problems with the vitreous. Some of these conditions are urgent and cannot wait for lengthy planning.
• Glaucoma: a chronic disease that damages the optic nerve. Surgery is one stage of its management and does not replace long-term monitoring afterwards.

Only an ophthalmologist can decide which procedure suits you, after examining your eye; we do not give medical advice. The state funding rules for Georgian citizens are covered in a separate guide; this page is for people who come to Georgia from abroad and pay for treatment themselves or through their own insurer.

The process in brief: from your records to your return home

The organisational side is the same for every speciality, so here we simply list the steps:

1. You send us your ophthalmologist's latest report and measurements, and we check that everything is complete and legible.
2. You confirm which clinics should receive your records; their doctors assess your case and reply in writing. This stage is covered by our clinic selection service.
3. We compare the quotes in a single table, and you choose the clinic and the date.
4. Arrival, assessment, surgery and follow-up visits; your personal coordinator arranges airport pick-up, transport and an interpreter.
5. Copies of your records, their translation, and your flight home on the day the surgeon confirms.

You can talk to your coordinator in English or Russian; if you prefer another language, such as Arabic, Turkish or Armenian, an interpreter joins the conversation.

Cataract surgery: what should you expect?

Before cataract surgery, the clinic measures your eye to calculate the power of the artificial lens. This measurement is called biometry, and most clinics repeat it on their own equipment even if you have already had it done at home. Your schedule should therefore set aside at least one day for the examination and measurements before the day of surgery; the clinic will tell you the exact length of stay.

Choosing the lens

Artificial lenses come in several types: some give you sharp vision at one distance, some also correct astigmatism, and others are designed for seeing at different distances. The surgeon will recommend the lens that suits your eye based on the examination results. From an organisational point of view, the preliminary quote should list the lens type and the price options separately, because the lens changes the total more than anything else.

One eye or both

If you have a cataract in both eyes, the surgeon decides whether to operate on both during one visit or separately, and how many days should pass between the two operations. This decision directly affects the length of your trip, so we ask the clinic about it at the quote stage, not after you arrive.

Before surgery, the clinic will ask you to sign a consent form: under Georgian law, consent to a surgical procedure must be given in writing. If the form is in a language you do not know, a medical interpreter is present when you sign.

Laser vision correction: why is the assessment decisive?

For a patient who travels for refractive surgery, the main risk is financial and organisational: the on-site assessment may show that a particular technique, or surgery altogether, is not recommended for you. That is a normal and welcome outcome, since this is exactly why the thickness and shape of the cornea and other features of the eye are measured.

That is why, at the quote stage, we ask the clinic three things in writing: what you pay if surgery does not go ahead after the assessment; whether your deposit is refunded in that case; and what happens if you need an additional correction a few months later. The answers appear as a separate column in the comparison table.

If you wear contact lenses, the clinic will tell you in advance how long before arrival to stop wearing them, because lenses affect the corneal measurements. We take this instruction into account when planning your dates, so that the measurements on site do not have to be postponed. The surgeon chooses the technique (surface laser, flap-based laser or lens implantation); we do not interfere in that choice.

Retinal and glaucoma surgery: how does the planning differ?

Retina

If your doctor considers your condition urgent, for example a new retinal detachment, arranging travel abroad must not delay the start of treatment. In such cases local care comes first, and we can help at a later stage.

At the end of retinal surgery, the surgeon sometimes leaves gas or silicone oil in the eye to hold the retina in place. Until a gas bubble has been absorbed, flying is dangerous, so only the surgeon can confirm your return date. Some patients are also asked to keep their head in a set position for several days after surgery. This is easier with the help of a caregiver at your hotel, whom our post-operative care service can arrange. Silicone oil may need to be removed later, which means a second visit.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma surgery aims to control the pressure inside the eye, but it does not end the disease: pressure checks, visual field tests and OCT are still needed in the years that follow. So before having surgery in Georgia, make sure you have an ophthalmologist at home who will continue your monitoring, and ask the Georgian clinic which results you should pass on to them and when. The surgeon decides where and when the first follow-up visits after surgery take place.

What should you send us for an eye surgery quote?

In ophthalmology a quote rests on figures, so along with the general report we need your measurements, as recent as possible:

• Visual acuity with and without correction, plus the details of your current glasses or contact lenses;
• Intraocular pressure, with the history of earlier readings if you have glaucoma;
• OCT scans and fundus photographs as the original files, not only as a written report;
• Corneal topography if you are considering refractive surgery, and biometry if it has already been done;
• Visual field tests for glaucoma and optic nerve problems;
• Reports of previous operations, especially if you have had laser correction before, as this affects the lens calculation;
• General health: diabetes, blood thinners, allergies and any other medication you take regularly.

If your records are in a language a Georgian doctor cannot read, our imaging report translation service will translate them, carrying over every figure exactly.

How can you check an eye clinic's permit?

A clinic's permit and licence are issued by the Regulation Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities, a state agency within the Ministry of Health system. The rules for issuing them are set by Government Resolution No. 385 of 2010, which imposes additional requirements on inpatient facilities with an ophthalmology profile, including operating theatre and anaesthesia equipment. Many eye operations are performed as day surgery, so we ask each clinic which document covers the exact procedure it is offering you.

We could not find an open register where patients can check a permit themselves. So we ask the clinic for a copy of its permit or licence before sending your records, and we note the result in the comparison table. We present any claim of international accreditation as the clinic's own statement and do not confirm it in our name. You will find further criteria in our guide to choosing a clinic.

What does the price of eye surgery include?

We do not quote figures: they depend on the clinic, the technique and the lens, and they change over time. Instead, the table lists the items that should appear separately in a quote for eye surgery.

The clinic issues the treatment invoice in your name and you pay it directly; our coordination fee is agreed separately in a contract before work begins. The clinic itself confirms which cards and transfer methods it accepts, so we check this before you arrive. You will find more on planning your costs in our guide to costs and payment.

Insurance, flying and records for your ophthalmologist at home

To enter Georgia, you must have a health and accident policy covering your entire visit; the minimum sum insured is GEL 30,000. As a rule, such a policy does not cover elective eye surgery, but it is a condition of entry and may help with another, unexpected problem. Details are in our insurance guide.

The surgeon assesses whether you are fit to fly after surgery, and we buy or change your ticket only once they confirm it. Post-operative eye drops are ordinary medicines: for personal use you can take up to 10 standard packs without medical documents, while a larger quantity requires a prescription.

Your ophthalmologist at home will need exact details in future: the operation report, the model and power of the implanted lens, the measurements before and after surgery and your eye-drop schedule. You may need the lens details even years later, so keep them safe. Under Georgian law, copies of records are requested in writing and the usual time limit for a reply is 10 working days, so we send the request on the day of surgery. Our medical records translators will translate the operation report and the discharge summary into your home doctor's language.

Frequently asked questions about eye surgery in Georgia