International patients
Two hours by plane. Weeks instead of waiting lists.
Patients from the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and beyond come to Vienna for cataract surgery without the queue. Here is how treatment abroad works when it is organised properly.
- English-speaking surgeon
- Surgery in hospital
- Support with your stay
Why patients travel to us
What Vienna offers that a waiting list does not
Treatment abroad stands or falls with organisation and honesty. These six points are our answer to both.
English as a working language
Consultation, consent forms, reports and invoices in English or German. You discuss your eyes with the surgeon directly, in your own words. For any other language, bring an interpreter and every language is possible.
Weeks, not waiting lists
Public waiting times for cataract surgery stretch to many months in several European countries. As a private practice, we plan your treatment within weeks.
Surgery in hospital
The operation takes place at the Hospital of the Brothers of St John of God, Vienna, with an experienced team and the infrastructure of a hospital, under EU medical device and hygiene regulation.
Paperwork done properly
Itemised quotes and invoices, medical reports and a lens passport, prepared for insurers, EU cross-border claims and your doctors at home.
Support with your stay
We schedule your appointments so the stay works as one plan and, if you wish, help you organise your stay and accommodation. Vienna has direct flights from most European cities.
One surgeon, reachable
The surgeon who operates is the one who examined you and the one who answers afterwards, also by email once you are home.
Your stay
One compact, well-planned visit
A typical plan for one eye takes five to seven days in Vienna; both eyes fit into ten to fourteen. Your personal plan is fixed before you book a single flight.
- 1
Before you travel
from homeSend us recent eye reports or your optician's findings by email. We review them, answer your questions in a call if you wish, and propose a treatment window. You book flights only once the plan stands.
- 2
Day 1–2 · Assessment in Vienna
Full examination with OCT and biometry, lens consultation and your fixed written quote. If the findings confirm surgery, your operation follows within the same stay.
- 3
Surgery and first follow-up
day 3–6The operation at the Hospital of the Brothers of St John of God, Vienna takes about 15 minutes per eye. Your surgeon checks the eye the next day. For both eyes, the second operation follows once the first eye is stable, findings permitting.
- 4
Fit to fly, documents in hand
day 5–10Before departure we confirm you are fit to fly and hand over complete English documentation: surgical report, lens passport, medication plan and invoices formatted for insurers. Your ophthalmologist or optician at home can take over the final check with our report as the basis.
Cost certainty
from€8,700
complete treatment of both eyes in one stay, monofocal lenses
- One assessment for both eyes · €250
- Surgery on each eye · from 2 × €3,950
- All follow-up checks · 2 × €150 + €250
- One eye only: from €4,600 all-in
- English invoices for your insurer
Rates for patients without Austrian health insurance. Premium lenses and the laser option are quoted individually before you travel. EU patients: your National Contact Point advises on cross-border reimbursement.
Travel questions
Answers for patients coming from abroad
Is it safe to fly home after cataract surgery?
After routine, uncomplicated surgery, flying is generally possible within days. The pressurised cabin does not harm the healed micro-incision. We examine you before departure and confirm in writing that you are fit to fly.
Can I have both eyes treated in one trip?
Often yes. The second eye follows once the first is stable, typically within the same ten-to-fourteen-day stay, provided your findings allow it. At the assessment we tell you honestly whether a one-trip plan is medically sensible for you or whether two shorter visits serve you better.
I am from Ireland. Does the Cross-Border Directive apply?
Ireland reimburses planned treatment in other EU states under the Cross-Border Directive up to the cost of the same treatment at home, subject to HSE rules and prior arrangement. Contact the HSE National Contact Point before travelling. We supply the quote, the clinical documentation and the invoices your application needs. We cannot promise a refund; the decision is the HSE's.
I am from the UK. Can the NHS reimburse me?
Since Brexit, planned treatment in the EU is generally not reimbursed by the NHS, so UK patients come to us as self-payers or through private insurance. Compare our complete total from €8,700 for both eyes (from €4,600 for one, without Austrian insurance) with UK private quotes and factor in the trip; many patients find Vienna competitive, with no waiting list.
What if I need help after I have flown home?
You keep direct email contact with the practice, and urgent questions are answered promptly. For examinations, your local ophthalmologist takes over with our full report in hand. Cataract aftercare beyond the early weeks is routine and any eye clinic at home can provide it.
Do you help with hotels and logistics?
Yes, if you wish. We recommend accommodation near the practice and the hospital, help you organise your stay, and schedule your appointments so the trip works as one coherent plan.
Start with your reports, not with a flight
Email us your current eye findings. We tell you honestly whether the trip is worth it for your eyes, and what your complete plan would look like.