What to ask the doctor before considering LASIK: where it is done, whether insurance covers it, and how to check fees
LASIK surgery was at that time mainly provided by private hospitals or doctors in private practice; the surgery must be performed by a registered doctor and, like all medical procedures, carries a certain degree of risk (Government reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013). Doctors must explain the nature, effect and risks of a treatment and the alternatives before the patient consents (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, October 2022). Whether an individual patient is suitable for LASIK is decided by the treating doctor.
What should I ask the doctor before considering LASIK?
For a patient's consent to be valid, it must be voluntary, the doctor must properly explain the nature, effect and risks of the proposed treatment and the alternatives (including no treatment), and the patient must clearly understand them; besides significant risks, the explanation must also cover risks that are unlikely but have serious consequences, and the patient must be given reasonable time to decide (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 2, October 2022).
Private hospitals must protect patients' right to obtain the information they need to decide whether to consent to an operation, including what the procedure involves, its effectiveness, its risks and alternative treatments (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026); LASIK, like all medical procedures, carries a certain degree of risk, and patients should understand the procedure and its potential risks in detail before treatment and decide only after discussing with the doctor (Government reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013).
Our analysis: based on these requirements, you can ask the questions in the table below when you see the doctor. Whether an individual patient is suitable for the surgery is decided by the treating doctor.
| What you want to know | How you can ask |
|---|---|
| Suitability | Is my eye condition suitable for it? Which procedure does the doctor recommend? |
| Other options | Besides surgery, what other options are there, including what happens if I do not have surgery? |
| Risks | What are the common risks? Are there risks that are unlikely but have serious consequences? |
| Aftercare | What follow-up is needed after surgery, and what should I watch for? |
| Fees | Which items does the quotation include, for example pre-operative tests, the surgery, medicines and follow-up? |
Where is LASIK done? Do public hospitals offer it?
LASIK surgery in Hong Kong was at that time mainly provided by private hospitals or doctors in private practice, and the Hospital Authority did not provide this service; at that time four private hospitals provided it, performing a total of 5,847 procedures in 2012, and a department of a medical school also provided this service to the public (Secretary for Food and Health's reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013).
LASIK surgery must be performed by a registered doctor, and the professional conduct of all registered doctors is regulated by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (Secretary for Food and Health's reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013); a doctor's registration and specialty can be checked on the Medical Council register; see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty.
Ophthalmology specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems and diseases of the eye and its related tissues (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025); for choosing an ophthalmologist, see How to choose an ophthalmologist, and for private ophthalmology consultation fees, see Private ophthalmologist fees compared. To find an ophthalmologist by district, Book a Doctor's Ophthalmology list shows 177 doctors (as of 25 October 2026) listed under Ophthalmology on the Medical Council's Specialist Register, in order of English name, not of preference; ask the clinic whether the doctor performs LASIK (this page is compiled by this site).
Does insurance cover LASIK?
The Health Bureau's policy template for the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme Standard Plan (version of 1 July 2022) states under ‘General Exclusions’ that services to correct vision or refractive problems that can be corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses, including laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and related tests and procedures, are not covered.
Whether other medical insurance covers it depends on the policy terms, and you can ask the insurer first; for the basic rules of the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, see VHIS basics, and for pre-approval, see Medical insurance pre-approval.
How do I check LASIK fees?
The Department of Health's Pilot Programme for Enhancing Price Transparency for Private Hospitals lists LASIK as one of 30 treatments or procedures for which private hospitals are recommended to publish historical bill statistics; the programme website lets you look up, by procedure and hospital, the data published by participating hospitals.
Private hospitals must keep a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026). Confirm fees with the hospital.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask the doctor before considering LASIK?
Doctors must explain the nature, effect and risks (including risks that are unlikely but have serious consequences) of a treatment and the alternatives before the patient consents (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, October 2022). Our analysis: you can ask whether you are suitable, what other options there are, what the risks are, what the follow-up arrangements after surgery are, and what the fee includes.
Do public hospitals offer LASIK?
LASIK surgery in Hong Kong was at that time mainly provided by private hospitals or doctors in private practice, and the Hospital Authority did not provide this service (Government reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013).
Does insurance cover LASIK?
The Health Bureau's policy template for the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme Standard Plan (version of 1 July 2022) lists services to correct vision problems that can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses, including LASIK, as an exclusion; for other policies, the policy terms apply, and you can ask the insurer first.
Does LASIK carry risks?
Yes. LASIK, like all medical procedures, carries a certain degree of risk (Government reply to the Legislative Council, March 2013); doctors must explain significant risks, and risks that are unlikely but have serious consequences, before the patient consents (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, October 2022).
What is 激光矯視 in English?
LASIK; see LASIK: the English term.