Vitrectomy Cost in Chennai, India

The cost of vitrectomy in Chennai typically ranges from $510 to $4,900 USD (about ₹48,400 to ₹4.65 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

A typical estimate for vitrectomy in Chennai is around $1,650 (about ₹1.57 lakh). What you pay depends mainly on your own case. If one eye is treated with a standard lens or technique, your bill is likely to be closer to $510 (about ₹48,400). It is likely to be nearer $4,900 (about ₹4.65 lakh) if a specialised lens or graft is used, both eyes are treated or advanced equipment is needed.

When comparing Chennai packages for vitrectomy, check whether each quote includes:

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• Operating theatre or procedure room
• The lens, implant or graft
• Hospital stay and room category
• Medicines and consumables
• Follow-up visits before you fly home

A vitrectomy removes the clear gel that fills the back of the eye (the vitreous), so the surgeon can repair the retina, clear bleeding or peel away scar tissue.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust sets out diabetic eye disease, bleeding in the eye, retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, injury and infection, and laser or scar tissue removal might be done at the same time.

Most operations are done under local anaesthetic, and the eye generally settles over two to six weeks.

The Royal Free makes clear that a gas bubble disappears by itself over up to 4 to 10 weeks, while silicone oil is generally taken out in a later operation, and face-down positioning might be needed for up to seven days.

Flying is not allowed while gas remains in the eye, and other risks include further detachment, raised eye pressure, cataract and, very rarely, infection.

Fitness to fly: if gas is used in the eye, the UK Civil Aviation Authority's medical guidance says not to fly for about 2 weeks with sulphur hexafluoride or about 6 weeks with perfluoropropane, so ask which was used.

In Chennai, the price of vitrectomy is generally built from these parts:

• Eye measurements and scans: carried out before surgery.
• Lens, implant or graft: a standard or premium choice.
• Surgeon's fee: for the eye specialist.
• Reason: detachment, bleeding or macular hole.
• Gas or oil: oil needs a second operation.
• Anaesthesia: generally local.
• Laser: or other repair at the same time.

Eye surgery estimates in Chennai frequently list the lens or implant, surgeon, theatre, medicines and follow-up appointments separately, so compare like with like.

Eye care in Chennai is provided by hospital ophthalmology departments and by specialist eye hospitals with separate clinics for cataract, cornea, glaucoma and retina.

Hospitals in Chennai can hold NABH accreditation, India's national quality standard set by a board of the Quality Council of India and itself accredited by ISQua, and the NABH website shows whether an accreditation is still valid.

Joint Commission International (JCI) accredits a number of Indian hospitals, and its public directory lets you check whether a Chennai hospital on your shortlist is currently included.

Foreign patients can apply online for an Indian e-Medical visa, and family members who travel with them for an e-Medical Attendant visa; the official visa website lists the current conditions.