Vision Correction Surgery: LASIK and ICL

Vision Correction Surgery: LASIK and ICL covers elective procedures that reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses.¹ Prices are fully self-pay, so residents compare clinic package quotes rather than insurance copays.²

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the treating eye clinic and the clinic fee page. This article is general information, not medical advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed physician or the treating eye clinic.

Overview

Vision correction surgery in Japan means private LASIK and ICL procedures for residents who want less dependence on glasses or contact lenses.¹³ Both paths run through private eye clinics in major cities, with large networks operating across Tokyo, Osaka, and other cities.⁴⁵

The coverage rule is national and uniform. A refractive procedure excluded from public insurance in Tokyo is excluded in Osaka too, while the price itself varies by clinic and plan tier.²⁶ This article describes mechanics, costs, and clinic flow only; it does not recommend a procedure.

How LASIK and ICL differ in mechanics

LASIK reshapes the corneal surface with a laser to change how light focuses on the retina.⁴⁵ ICL is an additive procedure that implants a lens inside the eye without removing corneal tissue.¹⁵³

The practical difference is tissue removal against tissue preservation. LASIK permanently changes corneal shape, while ICL places a removable lens that leaves the cornea structurally intact.¹³

LASIK in brief

The LASIK path uses an excimer laser on the inner cornea after creating a corneal flap, including femtosecond-laser flap options.⁴ The flap is then repositioned, and the clinic flow describes no sutures at this step.⁴

ICL in brief

The ICL lens sits between the 虹彩 (kōsai, "iris") and the 水晶体 (suishōtai, "crystalline lens").⁷¹³ It uses a biocompatible collagen-derived material called Collamer.⁷⁵

The folded lens enters through a small corneal incision of about 2 to 3 mm and unfolds behind the iris, with no sutures required.⁷¹⁵ Because the lens can later be removed or replaced, clinic and professional sources describe ICL as reversible in a way laser reshaping is not.⁷¹³

ICL is discussed for a wide correction range, including higher 近視 (kinshi, "myopia") reported up to minus 20 diopters and 乱視 (ranshi, "astigmatism") with toric lenses.⁵³ Sources present it as an option for thin or irregular corneas and for people concerned about dry eye, since corneal nerves are not cut.¹³

Insurance status and what self-pay means

LASIK and ICL are categorized as elective refractive surgery and are not covered by Japanese public health insurance.⁴⁸²⁹⁵⁶ You pay the full clinic-set fee out of pocket.²

Your enrollee category does not change this result. Whether you carry National Health Insurance or Employees Health Insurance, the exclusion applies the same way.⁸²

Some private life or medical insurance policies may pay a surgery benefit depending on contract terms.² Confirm in writing with your insurer whether your contract covers refractive surgery before you book.

Fees for vision correction surgery can qualify for the 医療費控除 (iryōhi kōjo, "medical expense deduction") when yearly medical costs pass the threshold.²¹⁰ The threshold is 100,000 yen per year, or 5 percent of income when income is below 2,000,000 yen, with a maximum deduction of 2,000,000 yen (as of 2024-07; confirm current figures with the National Tax Agency or your tax office).²¹⁰

To claim the deduction you file a tax return with your withholding slip, receipts, and My Number card.²¹⁰ Keep every receipt for 5 years, since the tax office can ask for verification and clinic invoices cannot be reissued.¹⁰

Cost bands and what the fee usually includes

Clinic fees are tax-inclusive package quotes that typically bundle counseling, exams, surgery, early medicines, and a defined follow-up window (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with the treating clinic).⁴⁹⁵ Published fees are clinic-specific and subject to change without notice (as of 2026-09).⁴

Market guides place LASIK for both eyes at about 300,000 to 600,000 yen depending on technology and customization (as of 2025-11).⁹ Market guides place ICL for both eyes at about 800,000 to 1,000,000 yen (as of 2025-09).⁵

Item	Typical package (both eyes, tax incl.)	As of	Notes
LASIK tier, entry	158,000 yen	2026-094	Lowest published tier at one large network
LASIK tier, mid to high	260,000-320,000 yen	2026-094	Platform determines the step
LASIK with crosslinking add-on	from 380,000 yen	2026-094	Combined procedure tier
ICL network entry, from	from 407,000 yen	2026-094	Astigmatism adds 100,000 yen at this network
ICL specialist plan	580,000-680,000 yen	2026-097	Experienced certified doctors; toric costs more
ICL expert plan	730,000-830,000 yen	2026-0987	Expert instructors; toric costs more
ICL reference band, surgical group	approx. 500,000-700,000 yen	2026-091	Varies with lens type and astigmatism

LASIK price bands

Published LASIK tiers at one large network span 158,000 yen to from 380,000 yen for both eyes depending on platform and add-ons (as of 2026-09).⁴ The package at that network includes counseling, comprehensive exam, surgery, postoperative exams, medicine, and check-up fees for the protection period.⁴

Resident guides also report about 150,000 to 400,000 yen per eye at some centers, reflecting tiers and promotions (as of 2025-11).¹¹ Treat such per-eye figures as center-specific reports, not a national tariff.

Compare quotes on the same both-eyes or per-eye basis

Ask each clinic whether its quote covers one eye or both eyes before you compare totals. One Tokyo clinic states one eye costs half the both-eyes fee, so mixing the two bases doubles or halves the apparent gap.⁸⁷

ICL price bands

Eye Clinic Tokyo charges the same regardless of lens power, while toric plans for astigmatism cost more than non-toric plans.⁸⁷ The one-eye fee is half the both-eyes fee, and a 300,000 yen deposit is required (as of 2026-09).⁸⁷

Lens orders can take 3 weeks at the earliest and up to 2 to 3 months depending on power.⁷ After the warranty period, follow-up exams at that clinic cost 10,000 yen per visit (as of 2026-09).⁸⁷

Read the warranty window on your own plan documents

Lens replacement, lens removal, and LASIK touch-up terms change when the warranty window ends, and windows differ between plans. Confirm your plan start date, end date, and after-window fees in writing.⁸⁷

Clinic path from exam to follow-up

The standard path runs from suitability exam to counseling, lens order for ICL, surgery day, then scheduled follow-up exams.⁴⁷⁵ The flow below shows the sequence residents typically move through.

Suitability exams test refraction, visual acuity, astigmatism, corneal thickness and shape, intraocular pressure, fundus, anterior chamber depth, and endothelial cell count.⁴¹⁵ Pupil dilation leaves near vision blurry for about 5 to 6 hours, so clinics advise using public transport after the exam.⁴

Suitability exam and scheduling

Suitability exams at one large network can be booked online or by phone, with clinics open year round from 10:00 to 20:00 (as of 2026-09; confirm current hours with the clinic).⁴ Bring your health insurance card and ID as identification; the visit itself remains self-pay.⁴

ICL adds a second power-determination exam after the initial exam before the lens is ordered.⁷ Contact-lens holidays apply before exams and surgery, with longer pauses for hard or extended-wear lenses.⁴⁷

Clinics describe declining suitability for thin corneas, eye disease, pregnancy or nursing, or insufficient anterior chamber depth or endothelial count.⁴¹⁵ The final call follows your own exam results, not a general checklist.

Post-operative follow-up pattern

One Tokyo clinic recommends checks the day after surgery, at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, then annually.⁸⁷ Other surgical groups describe the next day, one week, one month, and onward on a similar cadence.¹⁵

LASIK follow-up typically runs the next day, in the first week, then at 1 to 3 months, with exact timing set by the center and package.⁵¹¹ Warranty terms set whether later checks stay bundled or bill per visit, and one clinic pages pair shows a 3-year window on the cost page against a 1-year window with a paid 3-year extension on the plan page (as of 2026-09).⁸⁷

Safety-and-outcome questions to raise with a clinic

Clinic materials describe millions of LASIK procedures worldwide and domestic approval of excimer lasers in 2000, and state no blindness cases in their own materials.⁴ Treat such summaries as the clinic view of safety, not an independent registry.

For ICL, a professional patient guide quotes more than 90 percent of patients achieving better than 20/25 vision.³ One Tokyo clinic reports 1.0 or higher in 98.5 percent and 1.5 or higher in 95.3 percent one month after surgery for its February 2019 cases (as of 2019-02; confirm current figures with the treating clinic).⁷

Japanese screening is described as conservative, with emphasis on topography, pachymetry, tear-film testing, and stable refraction before surgery.¹¹ Reported ICL risks include elevated intraocular pressure, rare infection or inflammation, halo or glare, lens exchange or axis adjustment in some cases, and rare cataract or glaucoma development.⁷¹³

Use these points as questions for your own consultation. Ask how the clinic screens your cornea and tear film, what follow-up schedule your fee covers, what enhancement or exchange terms apply to you, and what symptoms should prompt an earlier visit. For your own treatment decision, consult a licensed physician.

Good to know

Self-pay at every clinic means quotes are the price, not estimates against a tariff

ICL is self-funded so the cost varies from clinic to clinic.² Published fees are subject to change without notice, so the written quote for your plan and date is the operative price.⁴

Both-eyes totals and per-eye quotes are easy to confuse

One clinic states one eye costs half the both-eyes fee.⁸⁷ When you compare centers, convert every quote to the same basis and confirm whether medicines and follow-ups sit inside or outside the headline figure.⁴⁹⁵

Follow-up windows and warranty terms differ by clinic and plan

Bundled postoperative exams run for a protection or warranty period, then bill per visit at some clinics.⁸⁷ Specialist and Expert plans at the same clinic carry different windows, so confirm your own plan dates rather than borrowing another plan description.⁷

Tax deduction paperwork is separate from insurance coverage

The medical expense deduction runs through national tax rules, not clinic billing.²¹⁰ File a tax return with your withholding slip, receipts, and My Number card, and keep receipts for 5 years since reissue is not available.¹⁰

See also

• Eye Exams: The Optical-Shop Default
• What Insurance Doesn't Cover
• Clinic vs. Hospital: The Two-Tier System
• Finding an English-Speaking Provider
• What to Bring to a Doctor's Visit

References

Footnotes

1. Horiuchi Ophthalmic Surgery Group. ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens): Differences from LASIK, Costs and Complications. https://horiuchi-eye-surgery.jp/en/surgery-icl.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

2. EYE CLINIC TOKYO. Column: Is ICL surgery not covered by insurance? Medical expense deductions and surgery benefits. 2024-07-16. https://eyeclinic-tokyo.jp/en/news/icl_insurance_coverage/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

3. American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL). Reviewed by Sidney K. Gicheru MD, published 2026-07-31. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/treatments/implantable-collamer-lens-icl ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

4. Shinagawa LASIK Center. Official English page: price table, procedure flow, FAQ on insurance and suitability. https://www.shinagawa-lasik.com/english/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³

5. Ophthoagent (Vison forth Co., Ltd.), reviewed by Dr. Daiki Sakai. A Patient's Guide to ICL Surgery in Japan: flow and cost. 2025-06-05, updated 2025-09-02. https://www.ophthoagent.com/post/a-patient-s-guide-to-icl-surgery-in-japan-understanding-its-flow-and-cost ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

6. LASIK JAPAN. Can You Use Health Insurance for LASIK in Japan? 2025 Guide. https://lasikjapan.org/lasik-insurance-japan/ ↩ ↩²

7. EYE CLINIC TOKYO. ICL Surgery: What is ICL, process flow, costs by plan, merits and demerits, aftercare. https://eyeclinic-tokyo.jp/en/icl/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²²

8. EYE CLINIC TOKYO. ICL Surgery Costs (Hole ICL fee table, warranty, follow-up schedule). https://eyeclinic-tokyo.jp/en/icl/icl-cost/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

9. Ophthoagent (Vison forth Co., Ltd.), reviewed by Dr. Daiki Sakai. LASIK Eye Surgery Cost in Japan: Transparency, Value Analysis. 2025-11-05. https://www.ophthoagent.com/post/lasik-eye-surgery-cost-in-japan-transparency-value-analysis-and-what-your-investment-covers-for-w ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. EYE CLINIC TOKYO. Column: Is ICL eligible for medical expense deduction? 2024-12-12. https://eyeclinic-tokyo.jp/en/news/medical-deduction ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

11. Japan Handbook, Sarah Williams. LASIK and Vision Correction in Japan: What Expats Should Know. 2025-11-12. https://japanhandbook.com/lasik-and-vision-correction-in-japan-what-expats-should-know/ ↩ ↩² ↩³