Orbital Cost in Germany

The cost of orbital surgery in Germany typically ranges from $7,000 to $25,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Orbital surgery treats problems of the eye socket (orbit). A common example is orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease, which reduces bulging of the eyes and pressure on the optic nerve. In Germany, the total depends on:

• Condition treated: such as thyroid eye disease or tumours.
• Walls or fat removed: the extent of decompression.
• Anaesthesia: general anaesthetic.
• Hospital stay: usually one night.

University Hospitals Dorset explains that orbital decompression removes part of the socket walls or fat to reduce bulging and pressure in thyroid eye disease.

It takes about 2 hours under general anaesthetic, and most people stay one night.

Bruising lasts 3 to 4 weeks, and most people return to work after 1 to 2 weeks.

Double vision needing prism glasses or squint surgery occurs in 10 to 15%, numbness in up to 1 in 100 and severe vision loss or brain fluid leak in up to 1 in 1,000.

International patients are usually treated in Germany as self-paying patients: the hospital reviews the medical reports, sends a cost estimate and asks for an advance payment before admission, then settles the final bill after discharge.

Inpatient hospital care in Germany is billed under the German DRG system, which depends on the main diagnosis, other diagnoses and the procedures carried out, so the final amount is known only after the stay.

Patients insured in another EU country need an S2 form from their own insurer for planned treatment in Germany, as the EHIC is intended for unplanned care.