Thailand And India Lure Visitors With Cheap Laser Eye Surgery

In India, some come for excellent laser eye surgery for about US$625, as compared to as much as US$10,000 in the United States. One doctor says patients can fly to India, undergo the surgery and view the glorious Taj Mahal palace with their new sight for less than half of what a procedure would cost in the United States. One downside of treatment in Thailand is a legal and medical system that makes it difficult for patients to win malpractice lawsuits.

Few are even attempted by Thais who know chances of success are slight. With or without a vacation tacked on, Thailand is proving increasingly popular with patients from the Middle East. Mohamed Fiwad Alnaimi says he boarded a plane from his home in Oman as soon as he was diagnosed with serious heart, stomach and liver problems.

(AP Biscom)