Eye Care (Ophthalmology) · Seoul, South Korea
Retinal detachment treatment cost in Seoul
Treatments from
$134
Options priced
2 of 2
Up to
≈ $804
Treatment options · Seoul
one pathway per patient — never summed
- Comprehensive Eye Exam diagnostic from $134
- Retinal Detachment Surgery treatment from $804
How we collect & verify prices Compare treatments ↓
In plain words · Retinal detachment is a medical condition — the treatments hospitals price for it are compared below, from diagnostics to full treatment.
- Treatments from
- $134
- cheapest single option
- Options priced
- 2 of 2
- treatment menu
- Price span
- $134–$804
- across options
- MCI Index
- 72
- A
- Clinics
- 14
- in Seoul
- Specialists
- 1
- who treat this
Top hospital for this in Seoul · Newsweek #1 in South Korea
#1 Samsung Medical Center 3.9★ JCI accredited
Opened in 1994 by the Samsung Foundation, Samsung Medical Center in Gangnam is a 1,979-bed non-profit hospital ranked #30 in the world by Newsweek (2025). JCI-accredited and cancer-focused, it runs one of Korea's two proton-therapy centres and has operated a dedicated international centre since 1995.
Treatment options in Seoul from $134 — full menu below.
Treatments & prices in Seoul
VerifiedEvery treatment this condition maps to, cheapest first — diagnostics before treatments. Each links to its full price comparison. One pathway per patient; we never sum options into a fake total.
| Treatment | Type | Local price | from ≈USD | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Eye Exam | diagnostic | ₩200,000–₩350,000 | $134 | Verified |
| Retinal Detachment Surgery | treatment | ₩1,200,000–₩2,300,000 | $804 | unverified |
Each treatment links to its full price page — clinic prices, other cities, recovery and risks.
What diagnosis costs in Seoul
Not yet sourcedYour first spend is the work-up, not the treatment — the typical items, priced from this registry where we hold them.
- 1 Specialist consultation Not yet priced
- 2 Diagnostic imaging Not yet priced
- 3 Laboratory work-up Not yet priced
Consultation fees from our specialist registry; procedure prices from this condition's mapped diagnostics. Unverified prices are labeled on their own pages.
Managing it vs treating it
Modeled previewThe actual decision at this stage: the recurring cost of living with the condition vs the one-time treatment pathway. Unit prices only — we never extrapolate an annual total.
Managing — recurring
- Specialist follow-up Not yet sourced
- Monitoring imaging Not yet sourced
- Ongoing medication Not yet sourced
- Published annual cost of management Not yet sourced
Treating — one-time pathway
$804
entry prices across 1 treatment option — one pathway per patient, never summed
Which side wins is a staging call — the care pathway ↓ frame that conversation with the specialist.
When flying pays off — the break-even line
Modeled previewThe go/no-go math everyone does on a napkin, done transparently: price here plus trip costs from United States (change in the header) — flying beats staying when your quote at home is above the line.
| Treatment option | Price here | + Trip (est.) | Flying pays above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retinal Detachment Surgery 5-night modeled trip | from $804 | ≈ $1,920 | ≈ $2,720 |
Trip = flights, hotel, transport and medication from the same model as the all-in estimates — labeled estimates, not quotes. If your quote at home is below the line, staying home wins on pure price; quality, waits and urgency are separate calls — see the MCI index above.
Retinal detachment in other cities
ImportedThe same care market across the registry — cheapest entry first. Cheapest ≠ best: the MCI column grades each market as its data lands.
| City | Options priced | From | MCI | Specialists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Delhi India | 2 | $3 ★ | — | 3 |
| Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam | 2 | $5 | — | 7 |
| Suwon South Korea | 1 | $20 | — | 2 |
| Kuala Lumpur Malaysia | 2 | $36 | — | 11 |
| George Town Malaysia | 1 | $46 | — | 7 |
| Singapore Singapore | 2 | $101 | — | 12 |
| Bangkok Thailand | 2 | $122 | — | 31 |
| Seoul This page South Korea | 2 | $134 | 14 |
- Public-system wait at home (UK)NHS England referral-to-treatment statistics, Apr 2026 · Canada (CIHI) next 11.9-week median
- Recruiting retinal detachment trials in South KoreaClinicalTrials.gov — recruiting studies with a South Korea site Not yet sourced
- JCI-accredited organizations in South KoreaJCI public directory, country-wide (all specialties) Not yet sourced
Cheapest entry price per city with the size of its priced treatment menu and specialist density — countable signals only, "—" is never guessed.
Hospitals & clinics in Seoul
Best firstThe best hospitals first — Newsweek World's Best national top 10 lead, then our connected-chain grade. Re-rank by rating or reviews.
Destination-safety factor for South Korea: ×1.00 — Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions (the lowest advisory tier) (US State Dept Travel Advisory, 2025-08). Applies equally to every hospital here; it separates this market from higher-risk destinations.
- 93 Grade
- 91 Grade
- 87 Grade
- 73 Grade
- 79 Grade
- 81 Grade
Show all 14 clinics Show less
- 81 Grade
- 62 Grade
- The Catholic University of Korea Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital #16 Sourced profile
multi-specialty 3.4 Google 458 beds
65 Grade - SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center #38 Sourced profile
multi-specialty KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation) — 종합병원/급성기 (general-hospital, acute-care) certification 3.2 Google 765 beds
71 Grade - 64 Grade
- Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital #62 Sourced profile
multi-specialty KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation) 3.8 Google 619 beds
70 Grade - Seoul Medical Center #73 Sourced profile
multi-specialty KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation, 급성기병원 인증 — acute-care hospital accreditation) 3.6 Google 651 beds
69 Grade - Sahmyook Medical Center #80 Sourced profile
multi-specialty KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation, 급성기 acute-care type) 3.9 Google 418 beds
72 Grade
Who gets retinal detachment
Not yet sourcedEpidemiology slots — filled only from named registry sources, never estimated.
New cases
Not yet sourced
annual incidence — global registry data
Deaths
Not yet sourced
annual mortality — global registry data
Prevalence
Not yet sourced
people living with the condition
Second opinion first — before you commit
Not yet sourcedHaving your existing diagnosis re-read here is the cheapest way to test a hospital's quality before booking anything. Prices land per hospital with sources — never estimated.
- Remote records review — written second opinion your existing scans, pathology and reports, reviewed without flying Not yet priced
- Video consultation with a specialist live case discussion after the review Not yet priced
- In-person specialist consultation reference price if you're already here Not yet priced
A second opinion changes the plan often enough that specialists expect to be asked for one — it's a normal request, not an insult. Remote-review prices are being collected per hospital.
The care pathway
Modeled previewHow the treatment decision is typically made for this condition — your specialist confirms the path for your case.
- 1
See the right specialist
Care for retinal detachment starts with a ophthalmologist, who confirms the diagnosis and plans the next steps.
- 2
Diagnosis & tests
The diagnosis is confirmed with Comprehensive Eye Exam.
- 3
Treatment options
Options include Retinal Detachment Surgery — weighed on outcome, downtime, risk and total cost. See the priced menu and decision factors below.
- 4
Treatment or management
The chosen option is carried out or the condition is managed — every option below links to its own price page with a recovery timeline.
- 5
Follow-up & monitoring
Check-ups confirm the result and adjust treatment; remote follow-up is common for international patients.
Framework pathway modeled by field — per-condition clinical pathways replace it as they're sourced.
Choosing between the options
Modeled previewWhat actually decides between the treatments above — and the checklist an expert would put to the specialist.
Decision factors
- 1How advanced the condition is — stage or severity narrows the menu first
- 2Your goal: cure, control, symptom relief or appearance
- 3Downtime you can afford — the options below differ by weeks
- 4Total cost with travel and follow-up, not just the sticker price
- 5Your overall health and fitness for anesthesia
Ask the specialist
- 1How many of this exact procedure did you perform last year?
- 2What is your complication and revision rate for it?
- 3What anesthesia will be used, and who administers it?
- 4Who manages my aftercare once I fly home, and how?
- 5What exactly is included in the quoted price — and what isn't?
A planning frame — suitability is always the specialist's call.
South Korea for medical travel — safety, recourse & visa
Sourced Full South Korea guide →What matters if it goes wrong, and what it takes to get there — country-level, verifiable guidance in one place.
- Visa
- Most Western nationalities (US, UK, EU/Schengen, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan) enter visa-free for short medical or tourist visits. The K-ETA (electronic travel authorization) requirement is temporarily WAIVED for 67 countries and territories through 31 December 2026 — eligible travellers enter without applying for a K-ETA; the requirement is expected to resume 1 January 2027. Confirm your nationality's current rule before travelling.
- Medical / long-stay visa
- For treatment, foreign patients typically use the C-3-3 medical tourism visa (short-term, stays up to 90 days, generally not extendable beyond 90 days except in special circumstances). For treatment or recovery longer than 90 days, patients change to or apply for the G-1-10 long-term medical treatment visa, which can be extended inside Korea; it requires hospital documentation (medical opinion, treatment schedule, payment records). Applications must be tied to a medical institution registered with KTO/KHIDI.
- Arrival
- From 1 January 2026, all foreign arrivals must file the mandatory digital e-Arrival Card online (within 3 days before arrival) — it replaces the paper disembarkation card and is a declaration, not a visa. Travellers who hold an approved K-ETA are exempt from the arrival card, but nationals of K-ETA-waived countries (US, UK, EU, Japan, etc.) must still complete the e-Arrival Card.
- Currency
- South Korean Won (KRW, ₩)
- Languages
- Korean; English widely spoken in international-patient centers at major hospitals, with interpreter services in multiple languages
- Traveller safety
- Very safe for visitors
- Legal recourse
- Established malpractice recourse
- Insurance
- Medical-travel & complication cover widely available
- International patients
- Hospitals accustomed to international patients
General guidance from public sources — confirm current rules for your nationality. Verified against: Korea Immigration — K-ETA temporary exemption extended to 31 Dec 2026 (MOFA/KPMG GMS alert) · Korea e-Arrival Card mandatory from 1 Jan 2026 · Medical Korea — medical visa (C-3-3 / G-1-10), KHIDI · MOHW — Korea attracts 1.17 million foreign patients in 2024.
Medical Travel Cost Condition Index
MCI · Method 1.3 Methodology →One comparable grade for this city's care market for the diagnosis — treatment coverage, price, evidence, choice and provider trust on the same public formula. Unsourced metrics are excluded, never guessed.
100% of the formula backed by data
- Treatment coverage 100 Imported 2 of 2 options priced · share of this condition's treatment menu priced here
- Price competitiveness 47 Imported cheaper than 47% of cities · vs 15 cities treating this condition · 47th percentile
- Price evidence 50 ✓ Verified 2 priced options · sourced/verified prices behind the treatment menu
- Provider choice 100 Imported 14 clinics · specialty providers in this city
- Provider trust 65 Our index 65/100 top · best provider's Trust Index
Same method as every page in the registry. Machine-readable version below for models & crawlers.
Specialists & related conditions
DirectoryWho treats retinal detachment, and nearby diagnoses in the same field.
Specialists who treat this 1
Dots carry the lens colors — teal opens a specialist page, red another condition, both priced for Seoul.
Common questions
Sourced + modeledShort answers built from the numbers on this page — costs, pathway, providers and verification.
How much does retinal detachment treatment cost in Seoul?
2 treatment options are priced here, starting from ≈ $134 for the cheapest single treatment and ranging up to ≈ $804 depending on the option. Most patients follow one pathway — the options are never summed.
Is it worth flying to Seoul for retinal detachment treatment?
Purely on price: flying starts to pay off when your quote at home exceeds the price here plus trip costs. For the cheapest priced option (Retinal Detachment Surgery) that's ≈ $2,720 all-in from United States — a modeled 5-night trip estimate, not a quote. Quality and urgency are separate calls — see the MCI index and care team on this page.
Which treatment will I actually need?
That's a specialist's call after diagnosis and staging — the care pathway below shows how the decision is made. Each option links to its own price page with recovery details.
Who treats retinal detachment in Seoul?
14 eye care (ophthalmology) and multi-specialty providers are listed for Seoul, with a top Trust Index of 65. We list them as a directory — availability is confirmed on each hospital's page.
Are these prices verified?
1 of the 2 priced options are manually verified against a published source; the rest are labeled imported until checked.
Is it safe to be treated in South Korea?
Very safe for visitors for visitors, and established malpractice recourse. Hospital-level signals (accreditation, Trust Index) are per provider — see the directory below.
Data & sources
30% verified Methodology →How much of this page is verified data — every section carries a chip telling you where its numbers come from.
All 10 data fields — what's verified, imported or modeled Show more Hide
- Treatment prices· 2 of 2 options ✓ Verified
- Cross-city comparison· 15 priced Imported
- Provider directory· 14 clinics Imported
- Care pathway & decision factors· sourced per-condition ✓ Verified
- Stage → cost map Not yet collected
- Diagnosis price basket· 0 of 3 priced Not yet collected
- Prevalence & guidelines Not yet collected
- Second opinion & fly-or-stay math· trip model from United States Modeled
- Outcome benchmarks· slots ready — feed the Index Not yet collected
- Visa & travel guidance ✓ Verified
Every field is tagged by source state. "Verified" = sourced and checked; "Imported" = real data pending re-verification; "Modeled" = deterministic placeholder for this preview; "Not yet collected" = on our roadmap. Confidence feeds the Medical Travel Cost Index.