Vitrectomy in Thailand Your guide to cost, top specialists & hospitals

Our partner hospitals have dedicated vitreoretinal surgical suites with small-gauge platforms, wide-angle non-contact viewing, endolaser systems, and intraoperative OCT. They stock all tamponade options including multiple gas types and silicone oil. These are high-volume retinal centres, not general eye hospitals performing occasional vitrectomy.

Our partner vitreoretinal surgeons completed subspecialty fellowships and now perform vitrectomy as a core part of their surgical practice. They manage the full range of indications, including macular hole, epiretinal membrane, vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment, and complex diabetic tractional disease. That breadth and volume build the kind of surgical judgment that lower-volume surgeons cannot develop.

Fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery is non-negotiable. Surgical case volume is one of the better proxies for outcomes; ask your surgeon how often they perform vitrectomy for your specific condition. A surgeon who does 200 vitrectomies a year but rarely handles macular holes is not the right choice for macular hole repair. Ask about their closure rates, reoperation rates, and whether they have intraoperative OCT available. Transparency with outcomes data is a good sign.

Macular hole surgery achieves closure in over 90% of cases¹ with meaningful visual improvement, often 2–3 lines of acuity gain. Epiretinal membrane removal typically reduces distortion and improves acuity gradually over 3–6 months. Vitreous haemorrhage clearance restores good vision when the retina underneath is healthy. More complex pathology limits the ceiling for recovery.

Your pre-operative imaging (OCT and fluorescein angiography) provides the data your surgeon uses to predict outcomes. They should discuss not just the best-case scenario but the realistic range of outcomes for your specific situation. Understand that vitrectomy often stabilises rather than fully restores vision, and that the recovery timeline is measured in months, not days.

Vitrectomy in Thailand typically costs between $4,500 and $8,100, depending on the complexity. A straightforward epiretinal membrane peel sits at the lower end. Complex macular hole repair with gas tamponade and positioning sits mid-range. Vitrectomy combined with retinal detachment repair, silicone oil, and extensive endolaser costs the most.

The total includes the vitreoretinal surgeon's fee, anaesthesia, operating theatre, small-gauge instruments and disposables, tamponade materials (gas or silicone oil), hospital stay, post-operative medications, and follow-up appointments. Silicone oil removal, if needed later, is a separate procedure.

Complexity and operative time are the main drivers. An epiretinal membrane peel takes less time and fewer consumables than a combined vitrectomy with membrane peeling, endolaser, and silicone oil for proliferative diabetic tractional detachment. The underlying condition determines the surgical plan, and the plan determines the cost.

Pricing varies by the complexity and scope of the procedure. Typical ranges at our partner hospitals in Thailand:

• Standard 25-gauge vitrectomy: $4,500–$5,500. Small-gauge keyhole surgery for epiretinal membrane, macular hole, or floaters.
• Complex vitrectomy with membrane peel: $5,500–$6,800. Includes internal limiting membrane or epiretinal membrane removal.
• Vitrectomy with silicone oil or gas tamponade: $6,500–$8,100. Retinal support agent placed inside the eye for complex detachment repair.

Exact pricing is confirmed after your consultation and treatment plan are finalised.

Vitrectomy in Thailand costs 40–60% less than in the US ($11,300–$18,000), Australia (A$10,400–A$17,100), and UK (£9,000–£15,800). The microsurgical platforms, tamponade materials, and sterile protocols are the same. The cost difference reflects lower operating and facility charges at JCI-accredited Thai hospitals.

Vitrectomy is not always the first step. Some of the conditions it treats can be watched rather than operated on, at least for a time. A small epiretinal membrane causing only mild distortion, an early-stage macular hole, or a vitreous haemorrhage that may clear on its own are often monitored with regular OCT scans before surgery is recommended. Where bleeding comes from diabetic eye disease, anti-VEGF injections and retinal laser can sometimes settle the underlying vessels and delay or avoid the need to operate. These are decisions a retinal specialist makes from your scans, not something we arrange.

The limit of watching and waiting is that it does not repair anything mechanical. A full-thickness macular hole will not close on its own, a contracting membrane keeps distorting vision the longer it pulls, and a non-clearing haemorrhage leaves you unable to see while the cause goes untreated. Monitoring buys time and spares you surgery you may not need yet, but in many cases it postpones rather than removes the problem, and some conditions worsen the longer they are left.

When a hole needs closing, a membrane needs peeling, blood needs clearing, or a detachment needs repairing, vitrectomy is the operation that does it, and the timing matters: acting before the retina is permanently damaged usually protects more vision. The rest of this page covers the surgery itself, and a consultation with your OCT scan is the clearest way to know whether yours is a case to monitor or one to treat now.

You must not fly while gas is present in your eye. Cabin pressure causes the gas to expand dangerously.^1,2 Depending on the gas type, this restriction can last several weeks and, with long-acting gas, up to around 12 weeks. If silicone oil is used, flying is permitted. Your surgeon confirms gas absorption at follow-up before clearing you to travel. This restriction is non-negotiable.

Light desk work may resume after 2–3 weeks depending on positioning requirements and visual recovery. Physical exercise should wait at least 4–6 weeks. Swimming is off-limits until fully healed. If face-down positioning is required, that dominates your schedule for the first 1–2 weeks and takes priority over everything else.

Visual recovery is gradual. Gas bubble cases see vision clear progressively as the bubble absorbs. Macular hole closure produces improvement over weeks to months. Epiretinal membrane peel results continue to improve for 3–6 months. Maximum recovery depends on the condition treated and the health of the underlying retina.

Most vitrectomies are done under local anaesthesia with sedation, so you are relaxed and comfortable but awake. The eye itself is fully numbed, usually with a local block placed around it, and the sedation keeps you calm and drowsy throughout. An anaesthetist stays with you and monitors you the whole time. General anaesthesia, where you are fully asleep, is used when the case calls for it, for example longer or more complex repairs, but it is not the default for routine vitrectomy.

A reassurance that matters here: you do not see the surgery happening. With the eye numbed and a bright light directed into it, most patients describe seeing only soft colours, shifting light, or a vague blur, never the instruments or the detail of what the surgeon is doing. There is no pain during the operation. Your surgeon and anaesthetist decide between local with sedation and general anaesthesia together, based on the complexity of your case, how long surgery is likely to take, and your general health and medical history.

Before you are cleared, you have a pre-operative assessment that reviews your medications, particularly blood thinners such as anticoagulants and antiplatelets, which need checking before any intraocular surgery. Once it is over, the eye is patched and any discomfort is mild: more often a gritty, foreign-body sensation or slight soreness than real pain, and easily managed with the relief your surgeon prescribes. Where a gas bubble is used, patients usually find the face-down positioning more of a nuisance than the eye itself.

Yes. Thailand's vitreoretinal centres operate within JCI-accredited hospitals with fully equipped microsurgical theatres, small-gauge vitrectomy platforms, wide-angle viewing systems, and intraoperative OCT at leading centres. Our partner surgeons are fellowship-trained and manage high volumes of complex vitreoretinal cases. Outcomes are consistent with published international data.

Choose a centre with a dedicated vitreoretinal department, not a general ophthalmology clinic that occasionally performs vitrectomy. Ensure your surgeon has fellowship training and high case volume. Adhere strictly to positioning requirements if gas tamponade is used. Attend all follow-up appointments, especially in the first 2 weeks. And understand that cataract progression is expected; planning for it reduces future inconvenience.

Very likely if you have a natural lens. Vitrectomy accelerates cataract formation in most patients, and cataract surgery is typically needed, usually within a year. Some surgeons offer combined vitrectomy and cataract surgery in a single session to address both at once. Discuss this option during your consultation if your cataract is already visually significant.

Plan for 10–14 days minimum. This covers assessment, surgery, critical early recovery including positioning if required, and multiple follow-up appointments. If gas tamponade is used, you cannot fly until the gas has absorbed, which may extend your stay to 2–12 weeks. If silicone oil is used, you can fly sooner. Discuss tamponade options with your surgeon before surgery.

Your care coordinator manages all scheduling, hospital transfers, positioning equipment, and follow-up logistics. The surgical quote covers the surgeon, anaesthesia, theatre, instruments, tamponade, medications, and follow-up appointments. If extended stay is needed due to gas tamponade, your coordinator helps arrange suitable accommodation.

Stay close to the hospital, especially during the first 1–2 weeks. If face-down positioning is required, comfort matters; your coordinator can arrange hotels with suitable positioning equipment. As recovery progresses and positioning ends, Bangkok offers a comfortable environment for convalescing. Avoid dusty environments, swimming, and strenuous activities throughout your stay.