Case study: Refractive surgery abroad

Health tourism is regarded as big business these days with a growing market both within the UK and elsewhere. Many patients with healthy eyes consider surgery as a viable option to correct their refractive errors where spectacles and contact lenses cannot meet their requirements. However, in many cases costs can be prohibitive with prices of around £7,000 being quoted for a treatment to both eyes.

One such example is of patients either coming to the UK or heading elsewhere in Europe for eye surgery. Scott McGowan, a patient based in Glasgow, did exactly that in September 2017. In this article based on interviews with Scott and his optometrist and from my own notes as his contact lens optician, I aim to explain the background and outcomes of his procedure.