One of the most common questions when travelling for medical treatments is also one of the most practical: What will the treatment cost, and will my insurance cover any part of it? The answer depends on the type of treatment, the complexity of your case, and the rules of your own insurance provider. This page will provide more information for you to plan your travel and treatment.
Insurance coverage
Simply put – in most cases you would need to clarify with your own health insurance company whether a Swiss invoice is recognized or partially recognized by your national health insurer. ELZA patients usually settle the bill on site and then go to their insurance company afterward for reimbursement.
ELZA provides detailed invoices listing all items. This is important for international patients because insurers often require clear billing documentation when reviewing claims from another country. ELZA also notes a Swiss billing detail that can matter for reimbursement: under Swiss law, invoices do not include an exact diagnosis by default, but if a patient needs this, ELZA asks them to let the clinic know.
That can be especially relevant if your insurance provider requests diagnosis wording or supporting documentation before reviewing or processing a claim. If you think your insurer may require a more detailed medical explanation, it is wise to clarify this in advance and ask what documents they will want.
Before you travel, it is sensible to ask your insurance company a few specific questions:
Costs breakdown
The total cost depends on what type of care you need, whether your visit is for a second opinion, diagnostics, treatment, surgery, or follow-up, and whether the case is routine or more complex.
The most accurate way to understand costs is usually to begin with a review of your records. Once we have a clearer picture of your diagnosis and likely treatment pathway, it becomes much easier to explain what kind of consultation, procedure, and stay may be needed. That is one reason the clinic asks patients to send available medical documents before the visit.
International patients should think about costs in a practical way. Depending on the case, the total budget may include:
FAQs
Keratoconus is an eye disease that affects the outermost layer of the eye, called the cornea. The mechanical strength of the tissue is reduced. This causes the cornea to bulge forward, forming a “cone” shape and resulting in irregular astigmatism The cornea may continue to bulge and thin out at the tip, increasing the amount of astigmatism over time. The fact that the cornea becomes so irregularly shaped means that spectacles can no longer be used to correct the visual effects of keratoconus effectively, although this is still possible with the use of special contact lenses in the early stages of the disease.
The main symptom of keratoconus is reduced visual acuity that cannot be fully corrected with glasses. In the early stages of the disease, the edges of objects can appear blurred and the disorder is particularly noticeable in the evening. As the disease progresses, double, triple, and even quadruple vision may result.
Literature has identified various factors for keratoconus development, such as genetic and environmental factors. Studies have identified several genes that may increase the chance of keratoconus. It is recommended to screen direct family members for keratoconus. In addition to genetics, excessive eye rubbing might be associated with the worsening of keratoconus.
Yes. Corneal cross-linking is a procedure that can stop the disease with a chance of success of over 90%. The idea of cross-linking was first conceived in Germany, but the technique and technology was developed in Zurich and has spread from Switzerland to the whole world. Today, CXL (corneal cross-linking) represents the global standard of keratoconus treatment.
Prof. Farhad Hafezi from the ELZA Institute was from the original group that established this technique in modern ophthalmology. He has one of the longest experiences in cross-linking in the world. Also, ELZA’s research group officially is the most productive in the history of CXL research.
Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is a technique that combines UV light (UV-A) and riboflavin (vitamin B2) to cause a photochemical reaction that mechanically stiffens the cornea by increasing the number of crosslinks in collagen and thus prevents further progression.
Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is able to stop the progression of keratoconus. Generally speaking, performing CXL makes sense when the disease is still progressing. The question of when to cross-link is closely linked to the age of the patient – but other factors factor into the decision making process, too.
This depends on the stage of your condition. Early-stage patients may need exams every 6-12 months, while those with more advanced cases may need more frequent visits. In children, we may need to examine the corneas every 4 weeks. Regular monitoring helps in detecting any progression so we can intervene as necessary.
Keratoconus very often begins with the hormonal changes in puberty. However, it is also quite possible that the disease is already evident in children. In 2012, the ELZA member Prof. Farhad Hafezi showed in a scientific study that keratoconus progresses in children and adolescents (8 to 19 years) with a frequency of almost 90% and worsens vision. It is therefore very important to carry out regular follow-up checks here.
No. Keratoconus is far more common than previously thought.
One of the most frequently cited scientific publications on keratoconus came from the United States of America in 1986 and stated that the prevalence of the disease is 1:2000, making keratoconus a rare disease. However, the equipment used at that time to detect diagnosis was far, far less sensitive than modern diagnostic instruments. What this means is that keratoconus is expected to be far more common than 1:2000 people – and if it’s thought to be rare, people might not be routinely screened for the disease, meaning that keratoconus might not always be detected early enough. Also, there are major differences in prevalence in different regions of our planet. In general, the earlier you treat keratoconus, the better the patients’ outcomes.
The study with the highest prevalence reported so far also comes from ELZA: in 2018, Emilio, Torres, Nikki Hafezi and Farhad Hafezi showed that the prevalence in children in Saudi Arabia is 1 in 21 or 4.7%.
With increasing age, our body (and the connective tissue it contains) becomes stiffer. Since the cornea is made from connective tissue (i.e. collagen), it becomes stiffer as well. Therefore, keratoconus will some day stop and not deteriorate further, often between the 35th and 45th year of life. However, we also see patients who still display active keratoconus inn their 50s: ageing only decreases the likelihood of keratoconus progression, but that probability will never be zero.
Yes, there are several ways to enhancing vision after in eyes with keratoconus.
All options are highly customised, and which option – or combination of options – are best depends on the individual eye. Notably, contact lenses, Femto-CAIRS, and wavefront-guided excimer laser treatments primarily serve to improve visual quality rather than address progressive corneal ectasias.
Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is unique in its ability to halt ectasia progression. ELZA’s pioneering ELZA-PACE customized cross-linking procedure not only strengthens the keratoconus to stop disease progression but also enhances visual quality simultaneously.
Yes, although the vision and image quality may vary depending on the severity of the keratoconus.
Unfortunately, on a global scale, keratoconus represents one of the major causes of legal blindness in the young, which is due to the fact that access to diagnosis and treatment is difficult in many countries. In industrialized countries, CXL has reduced the need for corneal transplantation by 50%, because keratoconus is detected and treated before it leads to major visual impairment. With corneal cross-linking and vision rehabilitation with the use of special contact lenses most patients can maintain good quality of life and functional vision.
Get in touch
Send us a message and one of our international patient coordinators will be in touch within 24 hours. You can also reach us directly by phone or email.
Address
ELZA Institute AG
Weinbergstrasse 16
8001 Zurich, Switzerland
+41 44 741 81 81
international@elza-institute.com
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