Would you like
to have laser
eye surgery?

Laser eye surgery offers you the chance to live without glasses or contact lenses, but what are the costs involved?

On this page, you can find out what prices you can expect for the different procedures at our laser eye surgery centers in Düsseldorf, Basel, Bern & Zurich and what the costs depend on.

We show you what is included in the price, how billing according to the GOÄ (German Medical Fee Schedule) ensures transparency, and what financing options are available.

We also compare the costs of laser eye surgery with the long-term expenses for glasses or contact lenses: When does laser surgery pay off?

Another important point is the cost comparison between Germany and other countries: We explain why laser eye surgery in Turkey and other countries is only cheaper at first glance.

Finally, we answer frequently asked questions (FAQ) about prices, health insurance, tax deductions, and more.

The information on prices, installment payments, and health insurance companies is not identical in Germany and Switzerland: sections that only apply to one country are marked accordingly. If you are unsure which information applies to your location, please feel free to contact us.

The cost of laser eye surgery can vary depending on country, procedure and individual findings.

If you would like to have surgery in Switzerland, you can find the prices for Basel, Bern, and Zurich here. If you would like to visit YOUSEE in Düsseldorf, the prices listed here apply.

We offer a 5-year warranty if you take advantage of our annual inspections.

Laser eye surgery costs are a one-time expense, but at YOUSEE we also offer convenient financing and installment payment plans so that you can spread out your payments flexibly. If you do not want to pay the entire amount at once, the following options are available:

We work with established financing partners to provide you with a quick and easy process. You can apply either directly with us or online via a financing application.

After a credit check, you will quickly and easily find out whether financing is possible.

YOUSEE helps you with financing:

We offer installment payments through mediserv AG: The minimum monthly installment is CHF 65, and he maximum term is 24 months. Installment payments of up to 4 months are interest-free, after which an annual interest rate of 10.9% is charged. A one-time processing fee of CHF 15 is always charged. Please note that a credit check will be carried out as a matter of priority.
As a borrower, you must be at least 18 years old, have health insurance in Switzerland, and have been living in Switzerland for at least 3 years.

All treatment costs are billed according to the German Scale of Medical Fees (GOÄ). The GOÄ is a legally regulated fee schedule in Germany that ensures that medical services are billed uniformly and transparently. For you as a patient, this means that the items on the invoice (e.g., preliminary examination, laser procedure, check-ups) are listed according to fixed fee scales. This prevents arbitrarily inflated prices: you only pay for services that are actually provided.

Our philosophy is transparency:
There are no hidden costs with us.

The necessary follow-up checks in the first three months (up to six months for Trans-PRK) are included, but we are of course also available to you later on. In the rare event that follow-up treatment, i.e. a second laser correction, is necessary, you will of course not incur any additional costs.

Once everything has healed well, we recommend our annual check-ups. These are charged separately and cost €150.

GOÄ billing is particularly common with private health insurance companies, as they check reimbursements based on GOÄ numbers. But the GOÄ also provides guidance for self-payers.

This way, you know exactly what costs you will incur.

Under certain circumstances, your health insurance provider is obligated to contribute to the cost of your laser eye surgery at YOUSEE:
Nevertheless, some insurers state that they do not provide coverage for laser eye corrections, so it is worth taking a closer look.
We have compiled an overview showing when your health insurance company will contribute and which supplementary insurance policies are advisable.

Everyone in Switzerland has it: basic health insurance. It helps you finance laser eye surgery, but only in rare exceptional cases.

Specifically, your health insurance company will reimburse you for laser eye surgery “after special approval” by your medical examiner. This means that your ophthalmologist must prepare a report stating that the procedure is medically necessary in your case.

The health insurance company will then make a decision after consulting and assessing your medical examiner. Even if your decision is positive, basic insurance often only covers the correction of one eye to a level that can be achieved with glasses.

Since basic insurance only covers the costs of laser eye surgery in very rare exceptional cases, it is worth looking into supplementary insurance.

All procedures aim to enable you to live without visual aids. There is no single best method, but there is the best procedure for you: Together we will find it.

The price should only be one of several criteria.

Only an excimer laser is used in Trans-PRK, making this method the most cost-effective.

Femto-LASIK requires two lasers, the femtosecond laser and the excimer laser, which results in higher equipment costs.

The KLEx (SMILE) method uses a special state-of-the-art femtosecond laser to prepare the lenticule. This technology is expensive to purchase and maintain and requires a highly experienced surgeon, which explains the higher price.

You often hear and read about laser treatments abroad, especially laser eye surgery in Turkey (e.g. in Istanbul), which is popular because the all-inclusive prices are very low.

This sounds like impressive savings compared to your home country, but be careful:
Cheap is not always better, especially when it comes to something as valuable as your eyes.

Here are a few reasons why you should be cautious about supposedly cheap offers abroad:

The DOG, the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft, also emphasizes that such offers are only cheap at first glance. If a patient needs follow-up treatment due to complications, for example, they will ultimately end up paying more (source: mt-portal.de).

In the worst case, poor quality can also lead to permanent damage to the eye, a risk that is minimal in Germany at qualified centers.

Laser eye surgery is a medical procedure performed on a central sensory organ.

At YOUSEE, we place the highest value on safety, quality, and care, and our prices reflect these services. The procedure itself may be cheaper abroad, but you also forego comprehensive local care. When you add everything up, the price difference is often smaller than you might think, and the peace of mind that comes with having a dedicated contact person close to home is priceless.

Laser eye surgery is an investment, but when you consider the long-term costs of glasses or contact lenses, the amount quickly becomes relative. Many of our patients are surprised to discover that they have already spent a similar amount (or more) on vision aids over the years.
Let's take a look at a cost comparison:

High-quality designer glasses (anti-reflective, thin lenses, modern frames) can easily cost €500 or more. In addition to their main glasses, many people also need prescription sunglasses, possibly a spare pair of glasses, or special sports glasses. Even if you only buy new glasses (plus sunglasses) every two years, this adds up to around €5,000 in 10 years, or €10,000 in 20 years. The cost of glasses is not the only expense.

Contact lenses are also not cheap: high-quality lenses plus care products cost around €300 to 600 per year, depending on the type of lens. That's approximately €3,000 to €6,000 over 10 years, and twice as much over 20 years. In addition, most lens wearers also have glasses as a backup, which adds to the cost. In short, those who start using vision aids early on can easily spend a five-figure sum on glasses and lenses by middle age.

On the other hand, there is the one-time cost of laser eye surgery. Let's assume you decide to have laser treatment at around the age of 30. Depending on the method, the cost ranges from €1,600 to €3,900 (for both eyes).

In return, you will be free of glasses and contact lens costs for the next few decades. Even by conservative estimates, laser eye surgery often pays for itself after just 5 to 7 years.

Our Trans-PRK for both eyes (€1,580 total) would pay for itself in less than 5 years compared to the 5-year requirement for new glasses.

But even a higher-priced Femto-LASIK (€2,580 in total) pays for itself within approximately 7 years compared to the cost of contact lenses.

With the premium KLEx procedure (€3,780 for both eyes), the break-even point may be 8 years, but even after that, you will save money.

In addition to the pure figures, there are intangible benefits that are difficult to quantify in euros: quality of life and comfort. No more annoying glasses on your nose, no fogging up, no restrictions when playing sports. No ongoing costs for lenses and care products, no foreign body sensation in the eye. Many patients report that they do not regret their decision for a second. On the contrary, we often hear:

“I wish I had done it sooner!”

“We compared the risk of complications from laser eye surgery with the risk of long-term contact lens wear: after just three years, the figures are similar, and after that, the risk for contact lens wearers is even higher, for example if wearing the lenses for too long leads to infection or inflammation in the eye.”

(Prof. Theo G. Seiler, MD, FEBO Ophthalmologist FMH)

Finally, we will answer some frequently asked questions about the costs of laser eye surgery. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us directly.