Laser eye surgery in Poland: what it costs, how to plan the trip and what happens afterwards
Warsaw · Krakow · Vienna · Zurich
Patients from Germany, Austria, the UK and Scandinavia come to us for one reason: the same surgeon and the same technology they would find in Vienna or Zurich, at Polish prices. That is a real advantage, but it only works if the trip is planned around the eye and not around the flight. This page gives you the numbers, the timeline and the part most clinics leave out: what happens if something needs attention once you are home.
The essentials
- Lens procedures in one trip: possible if your stay is long enough. Delivery decides the schedule and we know it the day after the assessment — a standard intraocular lens arrives in 1 to 3 days, a toric lens in about a week, a phakic ICL is made to order and takes about 10 days. Assessment at the start of the stay, surgery within 7 to 10 days. Both eyes are operated in one session, which is our standard; on request we operate them on separate dates. The wait is the lens being matched to your eye — its axial length, power, corneal curvature and astigmatism. There are hundreds of variants and no clinic stocks them all, so the date is set by the delivery of the right lens rather than by the calendar.
- Prices, both eyes: SmartSight (lenticule extraction) 13,600 zł, about 3,160 €. FemtoLASIK 11,000 zł, about 2,560 €. Trans-PRK smart surFace 10,000 zł, about 2,325 €. Lens procedures are priced per eye: phakic ICL and refractive lens exchange 11,000 zł each, about 2,560 €.
- Assessment: 400 zł, about 93 €, around 90 minutes. It decides whether you can have surgery at all and with which method. It is a separate examination, not a sales appointment: you receive the corneal maps and a written plan either way.
- Time on site: plan three days for laser surgery — assessment, surgery the next day, check-up on the third day. For lens procedures allow a longer stay: assessment at the start, surgery within 7 to 10 days, both eyes in one session.
- Aftercare: the check-ups at one week and one month can be done by an ophthalmologist near you; we send the protocol and read the results. Anything urgent needs someone reachable where you live — we say plainly below when travelling abroad for surgery is not the right choice.
- Languages: Dr Derhartunian speaks English, German, Polish and French; the whole team speaks English, and Russian and Ukrainian are spoken at both clinics.
SwissLaser in numbers: over 25,000 refractive procedures by the lead surgeon, including around 6,000 lenticule extractions · MS-39 and Anterion diagnostics · clinics in Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna and Zurich, the same surgeon at each · Google 4.9 (Warsaw) and 5.0 (Krakow)
Who operates
Who operates. Dr. Victor Derhartunian was born in Kraków, read medicine at the University of Vienna (2002), spent 2002–2003 as a house officer in the United Kingdom, completed his ophthalmology residency at the university eye hospitals of Erlangen and Frankfurt am Main (2008), and holds the FEBO from Paris (2009). From 2009 to 2013 he held a refractive surgery fellowship at IROC Zürich under Prof. Theo Seiler, the inventor of corneal cross-linking.
He directs four SCHWIND reference centres — Zürich, Vienna, Warsaw and Kraków — has performed over 25,000 procedures, and in 2025 trained surgeons from 13 countries including the United Kingdom. The Polish clinics run the same equipment and protocols as the Austrian and Swiss ones, under the same surgeon. You speak to the surgeon directly, in English, German, Polish or French — no interpreter. The pre-operative assessment is carried out by our team, where everyone speaks English. More about the surgeon.
Why the price differs so much
The equipment is the same. We use SCHWIND Amaris 1050RS and ATOS lasers, MS-39 and Anterion diagnostics — the devices used in leading clinics across Europe. The surgeon is the same one who operates in our Vienna and Zurich clinics. What differs is the cost base: rent, salaries and running costs in Warsaw and Krakow are a fraction of those in Munich, Vienna or London.
That is the whole explanation. There is no cheaper implant, no shorter procedure and no junior surgeon. If a clinic abroad offers a price far below ours, ask which laser is used, who operates, how many follow-ups are included and what a repeat treatment would cost. Those four questions explain most price differences in this field.
What the price includes
- the procedure on both eyes (laser) or on one eye (lens procedures), performed by Dr Derhartunian personally
- medication for the first days and the protective lens where the method requires one
- the check-up on the day after surgery and the one after one month
- a written surgical report in English or German for your ophthalmologist at home
- a repeat treatment within the first year if the result needs adjusting and your eye allows it
What it does not include
- the assessment (400 zł), which you pay on the day of the examination
- travel and accommodation — we suggest hotels near the clinic but do not book them
- eye drops after the first weeks, if you need them longer
- check-ups performed by an ophthalmologist in your home country
Prices in złoty and euro
Laser procedures are priced for both eyes, lens procedures per eye. This is the most common source of confusion when our prices are quoted elsewhere, so it is worth reading the middle column carefully.
| Procedure | Priced for | Price | Approx. in euro |
|---|---|---|---|
| SmartSight (lenticule extraction, no flap) | both eyes | 13,600 zł | 3,160 € |
| FemtoLASIK | both eyes | 11,000 zł | 2,560 € |
| Trans-PRK smart surFace (surface, no flap) | both eyes | 10,000 zł | 2,325 € |
| Phakic ICL lens (EVO / EVO+, also toric) | per eye | 11,000 zł | 2,560 € |
| Refractive lens exchange with a premium lens | per eye | 11,000 zł | 2,560 € |
| Cross-linking for keratoconus | per eye | 3,600 zł | 840 € |
| Assessment with corneal tomography | one appointment | 400 zł | 93 € |
Euro amounts are converted at roughly 4.30 zł and rounded; billing is always in złoty, so the exact amount depends on the rate on the day. Card payment in your own currency goes through your bank. The full list is on the pricing page.
Planning the trip: a realistic schedule
The eye sets the pace, not the flight schedule. Below is how a laser correction usually runs for a patient travelling in.
Before you travel
Complete the online pre-qualification and send us your current prescription and, if you have them, previous corneal maps. We tell you what is realistic before you book anything. Stop soft contact lenses 7 days before the assessment, rigid lenses 3 to 4 weeks — this is not optional, lenses reshape the cornea and would falsify the measurements.
Day 1 — assessment
About 90 minutes: corneal tomography, thickness, pupil size in the dark, tear film, refraction with and without correction, and a dilated retinal examination. You will not drive for a few hours afterwards. We then discuss which methods are safe for your eye, and which we would advise against.
Day 2 — surgery
Both eyes on the same day, about 15 minutes in total, under anaesthetic drops. You rest at the hotel afterwards. Vision is usually clear the next morning with SmartSight and FemtoLASIK; with Trans-PRK the first three days are uncomfortable and vision takes one to two weeks to settle.
Day 3 — check-up and home
A short examination confirms the cornea is healing as expected. You receive the surgical report and the drop schedule. Flying is fine from this point; ask us before booking a flight on the day of surgery itself.
Follow-up once you are home
- One week and one month: an ophthalmologist near you can perform these. We send the protocol and read the results; there is no charge from our side for that.
- Three and twelve months: useful but not urgent — many patients combine them with a visit to Poland.
- Anything unexpected: pain that increases instead of decreasing, sudden loss of vision, a red eye with discharge. This needs to be seen the same day, wherever you are. Before you travel, make sure you know which ophthalmologist near you would see you at short notice.
- A second procedure, if needed: included in the first year, but it means travelling again. Factor that in.
Polish speakers living abroad: we have a separate page in Polish covering the same ground from the diaspora’s angle — trip length, prices in pounds and euro, and who does the follow-up once you are home. Laserowa korekcja wzroku, gdy mieszkasz za granicą.
Poland, Turkey or the UK?
Most people who consider surgery abroad compare three options. Price is the first thing they look at and the least useful on its own, so the table sets it next to the things that decide how the result holds up once you are home.
| Poland (SwissLaser) | Turkey | UK (private) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £990–£1,340 per eye (£1,975–£2,685 both eyes), fixed per method | Package offers vary widely; large hospital groups quote per eye only after a corneal scan (Acıbadem) | Starting prices £595–£2,593 per eye across 13 providers, May 2025 (Which?) |
| Flight from London | about 2.5 hours to Warsaw or Kraków | about 4 hours to Istanbul | — |
| Who operates | Dr Derhartunian personally, the surgeon of our Vienna and Zurich clinics | ask by name before you book | ask by name before you book |
| Stay needed | three days for laser; lens procedures in one longer stay | usually a short package stay | none |
| Follow-up at home | protocol in English for your UK optometrist; we read the results | arrange a UK optometrist before you travel | at the clinic |
| Language | surgeon speaks English; the whole team speaks English | varies by clinic | English |
Is Turkey cheaper than Poland? Often, on the advertised package price — and some Turkish hospitals do excellent work. The honest comparison is not the headline number but four questions for any clinic, including ours: which laser is used, who operates, how many follow-ups are included, and what a repeat treatment would cost. Those four answers explain most of the price differences in this field.
When travelling abroad for surgery is the wrong choice
We would rather lose a patient than have one regret the trip. These are the situations in which we advise against it, and we say so during the assessment even when you have already flown in.
Green light
- stable prescription for at least a year, healthy cornea confirmed by tomography
- you can stay three days for laser surgery, or make two trips for a lens procedure
- you have an ophthalmologist at home who can do the routine check-ups
- you are travelling for the price and the surgeon, not because you were refused elsewhere without explanation
Amber — let us discuss it first
- you were turned down by another clinic: send us the reason and the maps before booking anything
- dry eye symptoms outside working hours: the ocular surface may need treatment first, which takes weeks
- a very high prescription: a lens procedure may be the right answer, and that means two trips
- you are over 45: correcting distance alone will leave you needing reading glasses, so the plan needs to cover near vision too
Red — do not plan the trip around surgery
- keratoconus or suspicion of it: the cornea needs treating, not lasering, and that is a longer relationship than one trip allows
- an eye condition needing frequent monitoring — glaucoma under adjustment, retinal disease
- no ophthalmologist available to you at home for follow-up
- you cannot return for a second visit if one becomes necessary
If you are unsure which group you are in, use the online pre-qualification and describe your situation. We answer within one working day, and we say no when no is the honest answer.
Getting here
Both clinics are close to the main transport hubs. Warsaw Chopin and Krakow Balice are served directly from most European cities, and flights from Germany, Austria and the UK are typically one and a half to two and a half hours.
Warsaw, ul. Kolejowa 1: in the Wola district, 420 metres from Warszawa Zachodnia station and a 20-minute taxi ride from Chopin airport. Krakow, ul. Kluczborska 15/U3: in Krowodrza, on the tram line from the main station, 20 minutes from Balice airport. Both have hotels within walking distance; we are happy to name the ones our patients come back to.
You speak with the surgeon in English, German, Polish or French; the team speaks English throughout, and Russian and Ukrainian are also spoken. You can read what patients say on our reviews page.
Book a no-obligation assessment and find out which method is safe for your eye — and which we would advise against.
Frequently asked questions
How much does laser eye surgery cost in Poland?
At SwissLaser: SmartSight 13,600 zł for both eyes (about 3,160 €), FemtoLASIK 11,000 zł (about 2,560 €), Trans-PRK 10,000 zł (about 2,325 €). The assessment costs 400 zł. Lens procedures are priced per eye at 11,000 zł. Prices include the procedure, medication for the first days and the check-ups in the first month.
Why is it cheaper than in Germany or the UK?
Because rent, salaries and running costs in Warsaw and Krakow are far lower, not because anything about the procedure differs. Same lasers, same diagnostics, same surgeon who operates in our Vienna and Zurich clinics.
How many days do I need to stay?
Three days for laser surgery: assessment, surgery the next day, check-up on the third. For phakic lenses or lens exchange, plan a longer stay: the assessment comes first, the day after it we know when your lens arrives, and surgery follows within 7 to 10 days. Both eyes are operated in one session as standard, on separate dates on request.
Can I fly home the day after surgery?
After the check-up on the following day, flying is generally fine. We ask you not to book a flight for the day of surgery itself. Take your drops in hand luggage and use them during the flight — cabin air is dry.
Who does the follow-up when I am back home?
An ophthalmologist near you can do the one-week and one-month checks; we send them the protocol and read the results at no charge. Please arrange this before you travel rather than after.
What if something goes wrong after I get home?
Routine questions we answer by phone or email in your language. Anything urgent — increasing pain, sudden loss of vision, a red eye with discharge — has to be seen the same day where you are. That is exactly why we ask you to line up a local ophthalmologist before the trip.
Is a repeat treatment included?
Within the first year, yes, if your eye allows it. It does mean travelling again, which is worth knowing before you decide.
Do you speak German and English?
Yes. Dr Derhartunian studied medicine in Vienna and completed his residency in Erlangen and Frankfurt, so German is his working language; he also speaks English, Polish and French. The whole team speaks English; Russian and Ukrainian are also spoken at both clinics.
Can I pay by card or in euro?
Billing is in złoty. Card payment works normally and your bank converts at its own rate. Instalments through Santander Consumer Bank are available to residents of Poland only.
Will my insurance cover it?
Refractive surgery is usually not covered by statutory insurance anywhere in Europe. We issue an invoice you can submit to a private insurer or supplementary policy; whether it is reimbursed depends on your contract.
Is laser eye surgery cheaper in Turkey than in Poland?
Often, on the advertised package price, although large Turkish hospital groups themselves quote per eye only after a corneal scan. In Poland at SwissLaser the price is fixed per method: about £990–£1,340 per eye (£1,975–£2,685 for both eyes). Compare clinics on four questions rather than the headline price: which laser, who operates, how many follow-ups are included and what a repeat treatment would cost.
Related pages
- Laser vision correction: full price list
- Phakic ICL lenses for high prescriptions
- Refractive lens exchange
- Keratoconus treatment
- Online pre-qualification
- Dr Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS
- What our patients say
Medically reviewed by Dr med. univ. (Vienna) Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS. Last updated: 7 September 2026. This page is for information only and does not replace an eye examination.
Where we operate
Assessment, surgery and follow-up take place in Warsaw or Krakow — whichever suits your travel plans. The same surgeon, the same equipment and the same prices at both clinics. The surgeon speaks English, German, Polish and French; the team speaks English, Russian and Ukrainian.
SwissLaser Warsaw
ul. Kolejowa 1, 01-217 Warszawa · tel. +48 22 120 16 90
SwissLaser Krakow
ul. Kluczborska 15/U3, 31-271 Kraków · tel. +48 12 383 33 60
