Lasik in India? How cheap? These questions are somewhat answered in a recent news article by MercuryNews.com, on a Silicon Valley resident’s medical treatment experiences in India. The article states that Lasik eye correction surgery costs less than $1000, which is around a third the cost of undergoing the surgery in the United States.

And the article’s details of Mr. Heman Buch’s positive experiences in Indian hospitals have turned my initial poor impression of India’s medical standards on its head. Quoting the article:

But he has no doubts about the hygiene standards now. During his last exam, he watched the medical staff dispose of the used syringes in a machine that instantly incinerated the needles, instead of tossing them in a special trash can that someone eventually has to empty.

“I’ve never seen this even here” in Silicon Valley, Buch said. “I wish I had taken a picture.”

While Mr. Buch’s statement was probably not a good indicator of US medical standards, it is clear that India is rapidly catching up in terms of medical treatment quality. More importantly, it is doing that while keeping treatment costs far lower than any developed country can offer. For normal people like us, India’s burgeoning medical tourism industry can only be a boon.

So, keen to travel to India for Lasik surgery yet?