What if I need other eye surgery?

What if I need other eye surgery in Singapore: $1,221 – $4,359 in a subsidised ward (Ward C), based on MOH Bill Size Benchmarks. Average hospital stay: 1.2 days.

Various eye surgeries including pterygium removal, eyelid surgery, squint correction, retinal procedures, and LASIK.

Hospital bill by ward class

Ward C (Subsidised · 8-9 beds): $1,221 – $4,359
Ward B2 (Subsidised · 6 beds): $581 – $5,656
Private (Single room): $432 – $31,175

Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, January–December 2023. Costs are after government subsidies but before MediShield Life or private insurance.

Treatment options

Pterygium removal:
Corneal crosslinking:
Corneal transplant: $4,182 – $5,656 (Ward B2)
LASIK / PRK:
Eyelid ptosis correction (unilateral):
Eyelid ptosis correction (bilateral):
Entropion/ectropion correction:
Squint surgery (2 muscles):
Squint surgery (3+ muscles / complex):
Retinal tear treatment (laser/cryo):
Pan retinal photocoagulation:
Intravitreal injections: $1,221 – $4,359 (Ward C)
Lacrimal duct surgery / probing: $1,680 – $4,323 (Ward C)
Eyelid tumour excision:
Chalazion / stye excision:
Conjunctival biopsy:
Anterior chamber procedures: $581 – $2,823 (Ward B2)
YAG laser capsulotomy:
Secondary IOL implantation:
Corneal keratectomy:
Glaucoma needling:
Orbit surgery:
Botox for blepharospasm:
Lacrimal punctum snip operation:
Wound resuturing post intraocular surgery:

Quick answer: How much does this cost?

Related scenarios

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What if I need other eye surgery?

9:00 AM

A curtain at the edge of your vision. Wavy lines where there should be straight ones.
Your ophthalmologist takes one look and books you in immediately.

It could be a detached retina, a tumour, or serious glaucoma. The cause determines what happens next.

90%

of retinal detachments can be repaired if treated quickly

Day surgery or a theatre procedure. Delicate, precise work.

Procedures range from vitrectomy for retinal detachment and macular hole repair to tumour removal or complex glaucoma surgery — each with different recovery timelines.

Singapore has one of the highest rates of myopia globally, increasing the risk of retinal detachment in adulthood

Vision stabilises. You wear an eye patch home on the MRT.
Then the bill arrives.

Treatment breakdown

It depends on the treatment

What they do determines the bill. Tap to see costs by ward class.

Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023

Pterygium removal

avg 1 days

$4,784 – $7,580

Private

Private$4,784 – $7,580

Corneal crosslinking

avg 1 days

$1,998 – $4,746

Private

Private$1,998 – $4,746

Corneal transplant

avg 1 days

$4,182 – $5,656

Ward B2

Ward B2$4,182 – $5,656

LASIK / PRK

avg 1 days

$2,635 – $7,063

Private

Private$2,635 – $7,063

Eyelid ptosis correction (unilateral)

avg 1 days

$5,885 – $11,556

Private

Private$5,885 – $11,556

Eyelid ptosis correction (bilateral)

avg 1 days

$11,333 – $16,910

Private

Private$11,333 – $16,910

Entropion/ectropion correction

avg 1 days

$3,868 – $11,464

Private

Private$3,868 – $11,464

Squint surgery (2 muscles)

avg 1 days

$8,788 – $11,115

Private

Private$8,788 – $11,115

Squint surgery (3+ muscles / complex)

avg 1 days

$11,569 – $13,034

Private

Private$11,569 – $13,034

Retinal tear treatment (laser/cryo)

avg 1 days

$2,278 – $6,286

Private

Private$2,278 – $6,286

Pan retinal photocoagulation

avg 1 days

$2,533 – $3,929

Private

Private$2,533 – $3,929

Intravitreal injections

avg 2.7 days

$1,221 – $4,359

Ward C

Ward C$1,221 – $4,359

Private$2,461 – $8,252

Lacrimal duct surgery / probing

avg 1 days

$1,680 – $4,323

Ward C

Ward C$1,680 – $4,323

Ward B2$1,365 – $3,058

Private$1,350 – $31,175

Eyelid tumour excision

avg 1 days

$668 – $2,916

Private

Private$668 – $2,916

Chalazion / stye excision

avg 1 days

$2,753 – $5,041

Private

Private$2,753 – $5,041

Conjunctival biopsy

avg 1 days

$3,736 – $5,929

Private

Private$3,736 – $5,929

Anterior chamber procedures

avg 1 days

$581 – $2,823

Ward B2

Ward B2$581 – $2,823

Private$1,026 – $2,785

YAG laser capsulotomy

avg 1 days

$1,490 – $2,527

Private

Private$1,490 – $2,527

Secondary IOL implantation

avg 1 days

$2,319 – $12,284

Private

Private$2,319 – $12,284

Corneal keratectomy

avg 1 days

$1,709 – $4,372

Private

Private$1,709 – $4,372

Glaucoma needling

avg 1 days

$748 – $2,374

Private

Private$748 – $2,374

Orbit surgery

avg 1 days

$6,900 – $8,072

Private

Private$6,900 – $8,072

Botox for blepharospasm

avg 1 days

$432 – $1,264

Private

Private$432 – $1,264

Lacrimal punctum snip operation

$526 – $1,661

Private

Private$526 – $1,661

Wound resuturing post intraocular surgery

$1,178 – $4,216

Private

Private$1,178 – $4,216

Your hospital bill

$0

Ward C (subsidised) · worst case · after subsidies, before insurance
Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023

But what does this actually mean for your wallet?

The bottom line

For this scenario, you need at least

$4,359

in cash. That's after government subsidies but before any insurance kicks in.

Your ward, your bill

Subsidised · 8-9 beds · After subsidies, before insurance

~2 months

of HDB mortgage

~14%

of avg Medisave

~0.9 months

of median salary

Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks · Data period: Jan–Dec 2023 · Compiled by Keith Teo

Make it personal

What does this mean for you?

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Age

Gender

Monthly take-home

$

!

%

$

~

×

Recovery period (LIA PGS 2022)

Ward class matters

Where you stay changes everything

Same condition. The ward determines the bill.

Source: MOH Bill Size Benchmarks, Jan–Dec 2023

Ward C · Subsidised · 8-9 beds

$1,221 – $4,359

Ward B2 · Subsidised · 6 beds

$581 – $5,656

No more subsidies below

Private · Single room

$432 – $31,175

up to 7x Ward C

Insurance impact

What insurance actually does

Ward C bill. The bar shows how much you still pay.

You pay 100%

Covered

$1,221 – $4,359

No insurance. You pay the full bill out of pocket or Medisave.

Good to know

Average Medisave balance ($31,000) covers this 7x in Ward C

Beyond the hospital bill

These costs are just the hospital stay

After discharge, expect ongoing costs that for many patients exceed the initial bill.

Eye dropsVision assessmentsSpecialist reviewsCorrective lensesFollow-up scans

And these costs keep rising. Healthcare costs are up 12% since 2020, outpacing general inflation.

If the worst happens

When someone dies in Singapore,
banks freeze every account.

Your family can't withdraw a single dollar until the legal process is complete. Most Singaporeans aren't prepared.

56%

of Singaporean adults don't have a will

40%

of under-65s have no CPF nomination

With a will

2-6 months to settle. Funeral, lawyer, and court fees combined.

~S$6,400

No will

6-12+ months to settle. Legal fees alone are S$10K-$20K. Contested estates reach S$93,000+.

S$10K–$93K+

While your family waits, mortgage payments, insurance premiums, and utility bills keep coming out of their own pockets.

What to do now

5 things to check today

1

Get regular eye exams

After 40, annual eye pressure checks can catch glaucoma early. Diabetics need yearly retinal screening.

2

Check subsidised options

SNEC and public hospital eye centres offer subsidised rates for Singapore citizens in Ward B2 and C.

3

Check what your insurance actually covers

Log into CPF, go to My Healthcare, check MediShield Life or ISP coverage. Look for your ward class limit and claim caps.

4

Know your Medisave withdrawal limits

Your Medisave balance doesn't mean that amount is available for one bill. There are per-day and per-procedure caps.

5

Write a will and make a CPF nomination

A simple will starts from S$99. CPF nomination is free at cpf.gov.sg. Without these, your family faces months of legal process and S$10K+ in fees.