Cataract surgery in Korea: one eye at a time, lens choices and how long to stay

Last updated 17 September 2026

Why the two eyes are usually done on separate days and what that does to a travel plan, how the choice between a monofocal and a multifocal lens drives the bill, the follow-up visits, and what Korea's published price data says about multifocal lenses.

A short operation with a long calendar

Cataract surgery replaces the eye's clouded natural lens with a clear artificial one. The NHS gives the operating time as 20 to 45 minutes, under local anaesthetic, and you leave the same day. The US National Eye Institute says about nine in ten people see better afterwards.

What makes it awkward for a visitor is the spacing. Most people who need one eye done need the other too, the two are normally done on separate days, and each eye has its own checks. This page is written mainly for families planning the trip for an older parent.

One eye at a time, and the gap between them

The NHS states plainly that cataracts in both eyes are treated on separate days. An AAO ophthalmologist gives the everyday reason: some blur is normal after any eye operation, so you want to be seeing adequately with the first eye before the second is touched. The timing beyond that is individual, and the surgeon's call.

How long between eyes — what public sources say.
Source	Gap between eyes
American Academy of Ophthalmology, Ask an Ophthalmologist	Routinely one week or longer, once the surgeon is satisfied with the first eye
American Academy of Ophthalmology, recovery guidance	Refers to the second eye as typically two weeks later
US National Eye Institute	Usually about a month apart

A gap of one to two weeks is within normal practice, and that is what makes a single trip possible. Some centres offer both eyes on one day for selected patients. It is not the pattern the NHS or the AAO describe for cataracts, and an older patient far from home is not the obvious person to choose it.

A both-eyes schedule in one trip

Before you flySend the latest eye report, a full medication list and a summary of general health. If the clinic wants any medicine adjusted, let the prescribing doctor at home make that decision.
Day 1–2Examination with dilated pupils, and the measurements that set the lens power. Lens choice is discussed and the quote is written. Allow a rest day after a long flight first.
Day 2–3First eye. The AAO says you may be asked not to eat solid food for six hours beforehand. Numbing drops or an injection, sometimes a relaxant. A shield goes on, and someone takes the patient back to the hotel.
The next dayFirst check: pressure and vision are tested and the drop schedule is explained.
Day 9–10One-week review of the first eye. If the surgeon is satisfied, the second eye follows that day or the next, with its own check the morning after.
Day 14–16Review of the second eye, then the flight home.
Back homeDrops for about four weeks per eye, whatever check the clinic asks a local eye doctor to do, and a glasses test once vision has settled — the AAO suggests waiting two to three weeks.

Budget about 14–16 nights for both eyes, and 8–9 if only one eye is being done. If the surgeon prefers a longer gap, the alternatives are a stay of around three weeks or two shorter trips. An AAO ophthalmologist's published answer is that waiting even a year for the second eye carries no medical risk.

Practical note: For an older patient, choose the hotel by distance to the clinic: there are five or six visits, several with a shield on or pupils dilated. A companion should attend every appointment, both for the journey and because a drop schedule with several bottles is easy to confuse. Ask the clinic to write it out as a chart.

Lens choice is the main cost driver

The operation is much the same whatever lens goes in. The lens is where the bill diverges. The AAO describes the main types:

Lens type	What it does	Trade-off
Monofocal	One focusing distance, usually set for far. The most commonly used lens	Reading glasses afterwards
Toric	Also corrects astigmatism	Usually an upgrade with its own price
Multifocal	Zones of different power give distance and near focus together	More glare, halos and ghosting than monofocal lenses
Extended depth of focus	One stretched zone of focus instead of several	Ask how much near vision to expect

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists puts the trade-off in one sentence: all multifocal lenses bring more optical side effects than monofocal ones, and all give more freedom from glasses. Korea's own evidence agency, NECA, reported in November 2023 that distance vision was equally good with either type and near vision better with multifocals, while noting that international guidelines associate multifocals with more glare, halos and reduced contrast. It is an optional upgrade: nobody needs one to be rid of a cataract, and for someone who drives at night or is content with reading glasses it may be the wrong choice.

What Korea's published price data says

Within Korea's national health insurance, cataract surgery with a monofocal lens is covered. Multifocal lenses are not, and because they are a non-covered item, institutions must report what they charge and HIRA publishes it.

Multifocal lens for cataract surgery, 2024 non-covered price disclosure. Ministry of Health and Welfare press release, September 2024. KRW, for the lens item.
Figure	KRW
Median	2,200,000
Lowest reported (a clinic in Seoul)	about 290,000
Highest reported (a clinic in Seoul)	6,800,000

Verify before you rely on this: These figures are as of the September 2024 disclosure, are for the multifocal lens item rather than the whole operation, and are what institutions reported charging Korean patients. A visitor without Korean national health insurance pays privately for everything, including the surgery and a monofocal lens that would be covered for an insured resident, and a clinic may price international patients differently. A parent who lives in Korea and is enrolled in national health insurance is in a different position from a visitor: ask the hospital's billing desk which applies. Do not assume travel insurance pays for planned surgery or its complications.

What a quote usually includes, and what it leaves out

Usually inside the per-eye price	Often separate — ask
Surgery and the named lens	The first-day examination, especially if you do not proceed
Anaesthetic drops or injection	Extra scans added on the day
Checks during the stay	The toric upgrade for astigmatism
Shield and first drops	Further drops, an interpreter, and laser treatment later if the lens capsule clouds over

What the patient can and cannot do afterwards

From AAO and NHS patient guidance. The surgeon's written instructions take priority.
When	Usually fine	Hold off
First 48 hours	Television, reading, short walks, showering with the eye kept dry	Bending with the head below the waist, heavy lifting, rubbing the eye
First week	Gentle sightseeing with sunglasses; shield on at night	Eye make-up, and driving until the surgeon agrees
After 7–10 days	Moderate exercise such as cycling or golf	Soap and water directly in the eye
First 2 weeks	Most of normal life	Swimming, hot tubs, saunas and bathhouses

Who is told to wait, or steered to a simpler lens

People whose cataract is not yet interfering with daily life. The NHS says surgery is not always needed straight away
Anyone whose general health is unsettled, such as poorly controlled blood sugar or blood pressure. The clinic may ask for a letter from the doctor at home
Anyone on medicines that affect the operation. The AAO says you may be asked to stop some beforehand, so declare everything
For multifocal lenses: surgeons commonly hesitate where there is other eye disease, a lot of night driving, or a low tolerance for glare
Patients who cannot lie flat and still for half an hour should say so in advance

Questions to ask at the consultation

Does the cataract explain the level of vision, or is something else contributing?
What gap between the two eyes do you recommend for this patient, and can it be done in one stay?
Which lens do you suggest, and what would night vision and reading be like with it?
Is there anything in the examination that argues against a multifocal lens?
What is the price per eye with a monofocal lens, and with the lens you are recommending?
Who operates, and what anaesthetic or sedation do you plan given the patient's age and health?
When are the checks, and what is the earliest date you are happy for us to fly?
Which medicines should be continued on the day of surgery?
Will you give us the lens model and power, and the operation record, in English?

The NHS lists sudden new floaters, flashes of light, a dark curtain or shadow across the vision, or sudden blurring as possible signs of a detached retina that need urgent help. The AAO adds loss of vision, eye pain, and nausea or vomiting. On the trip that means the clinic the same day; at home it means an emergency eye service, not the next routine appointment.

Common questions

How long do I need to stay in Korea for cataract surgery?

About 8–9 nights for one eye and 14–16 for both, assuming the surgeon is happy with a gap of around a week between eyes. A longer gap means a longer stay or a second trip.

Can both eyes be done on the same day?

Usually not. The NHS treats the two eyes on separate days, and the AAO describes the second eye as routinely a week or more after the first. Some centres do offer it; it is not the usual pattern in the guidance cited here.

When can you fly after cataract surgery?

An AAO ophthalmologist's published answer is that there is generally no restriction on air travel after cataract surgery in an otherwise healthy eye. The constraint is follow-up: most surgeons want to see the eye the day after and again about a week later, so plan the flight around those visits and clear the date with the surgeon.

Is a multifocal lens worth it?

It depends on what the patient minds more: reading glasses, or halos around headlights. Distance vision is comparable either way. Exchanging a lens afterwards is a second operation, so a patient who is unsure is usually better served by the simpler lens.

Can a cataract come back?

Not the cataract itself, but the membrane behind the new lens can turn cloudy weeks, months or years later. The National Eye Institute calls this a secondary cataract and says it is fixed with a laser treatment.

Work out the whole trip: open the total cost calculator with 14 nights filled in. That is a planning default, not a schedule — replace it with the dates your own clinic gives you.

Sources

This site is an information resource, not a medical provider, agency or broker. We do not arrange treatment, refer patients to specific hospitals, or receive commission from clinics for introductions. Nothing here is medical advice — decisions about treatment belong to you and a licensed doctor.