International patients, start to finish
If you're traveling from outside Egypt or Iraq for cornea treatment, at our Cairo or Erbil clinic, the path from your first WhatsApp message to your return home is defined and predictable. Nothing happens "by chance": every step below is known in advance so you can plan your trip and budget with confidence.
The five steps, from first contact to follow-up
The same steps apply to any procedure, only the number of visits and length of stay change by procedure type.
Pre-consult over WhatsApp or video call
Send any topography report (Pentacam) or photos of your eyes you already have on WhatsApp, and the team reviews your case and gives an initial assessment before you book anything.
Personalized cost estimate in USD
Use the calculator for the procedure that fits your case (corneal transplant, corneal cross-linking / CXL, ICRS rings, LASIK, and others) to get a price range in about a minute, based on your own inputs.
Travel logistics
Our Cairo clinic is about 30 minutes from Cairo International Airport; our Erbil clinic, inside PAR Private Hospital, is about 15 minutes from Erbil International Airport. Visit count depends on the procedure, CXL and ICRS are typically same-day, while corneal transplant (DMEK / DSAEK / DALK) needs an initial visit plus a follow-up within 7-10 days.
Treatment days at the clinic
The first visit includes a full corneal topography scan, then the team walks you through the actual day-by-day schedule for the technique agreed on during your pre-consult.
Post-op follow-up
Before you fly home you get a detailed surgical report, medication schedule, and complication red-flags in English, so your local ophthalmologist can continue your follow-up, while our clinic's line stays open for any question.
A patient from Bahrain who got in touch before he travelled
Jamal, from Bahrain, two weeks after a repeat full-thickness corneal transplant. After more than eighteen years of corneal disease and a first operation that failed, he found the clinic online and got in touch from Bahrain.
"So I asked around and found your website online, and I got in touch with you from Bahrain."
Follow-up after surgery, from outside Egypt
A patient from Saudi Arabia describes how the clinic followed him up after a repeat corneal transplant through the website and WhatsApp, so he always knew his drops and his next check.
"I knew the treatment, the drops and when the follow-ups were, I didn't even need to check my calendar."
Who coordinates your care?
Your care, from the first pre-consult through your follow-up after you fly home, is coordinated directly with Dr. Ahmed Shaarawy's team on the clinic WhatsApp line, no middlemen. Choose the clinic line closest to you:
Tripoli, March 2022
Libya's national corneal transplant programme
Visiting surgeon for the programme the Libyan Ministry of Health launched at Tripoli University Hospital: about 20 corneal transplants in one week, restarting the surgery there after a pause of nearly eight years.
The full story and sourcesTravel logistics
Coming from abroad for treatment?
We handle airport pickup, partner-hotel rates, and English-speaking aftercare end-to-end. Most international patients spend less than a week in Cairo for routine procedures.
How much does it cost compared to my home country?
Most procedures run 50-80% cheaper than the UK / Germany / Gulf. Exact pricing is in USD on every service page; insurance reports issued in English on request.
How long do I need to be in Cairo?
LASIK: 4 days minimum. ICL and cataract: 7 days, and you may leave after day 3 on one condition, that an ophthalmologist in your home country examines you on day 7 after surgery. DMEK / DSAEK / DALK: 7-10 days. Follow-up can shift to your local ophthalmologist with our protocol.
What about post-op follow-up at home?
We provide detailed surgical reports, medication schedules, and complication red-flags in English. Many international patients only return for the 1, 3, 6, 12-month checks.
Get your estimate now
Each calculator takes under a minute and returns a price range based on your own inputs.
All cost calculatorsBook your appointment
A few simple steps to book your consultation with Dr. Ahmed Shaarawy