Reading time: 10 minutes

Retinal disease is the most surgically demanding subspecialty in ophthalmology — retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, macular hole, vitreous haemorrhage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and others. China’s leading retinal centres (Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre, Beijing Tongren, Fudan Eye and ENT, Wenzhou Medical University Eye Hospital, and others) are equipped with 25G/27G micro-incision vitrectomy platforms, wide-field viewing systems, and intraoperative OCT, and they use the same anti-VEGF drugs that are standard worldwide (ranibizumab, aflibercept, conbercept). Clinical outcomes are comparable to leading Western centres, while pricing is typically 25–40% of US levels. This article works through the common conditions, surgical approach, drug options, and typical pricing by disease category.

1. Common Retinal Conditions

Condition Primary treatment Urgency
Retinal detachment Vitrectomy or scleral buckle Urgent (within 48 hours)
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) Laser / anti-VEGF / vitrectomy Depends on stage
Macular hole / epiretinal membrane Vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peel Not urgent but should be done within 1–3 months
AMD, wet Intravitreal anti-VEGF Depends on progression
AMD, dry Mainly prevention and monitoring Long-term management
Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) Anti-VEGF / laser Depends on macular oedema
High-myopia maculopathy Anti-VEGF / vitrectomy Depends on complications
Vitreous haemorrhage Vitrectomy (if non-resolving) Depends on severity
Central retinal vein / artery occlusion Emergency supportive care (arterial occlusion has a poor prognosis) Urgent

2. Vitrectomy (PPV) — The Core Surgery of Retinal Care

Leading Chinese centres routinely use 25G or 27G micro-incision vitrectomy systems (Alcon Constellation, Bausch + Lomb Stellaris). Incisions are under 0.5 mm and most do not require sutures.

Typical operative times:

  1. Isolated macular hole: 30–45 minutes
  2. Complex retinal detachment: 60–120 minutes
  3. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy with tractional detachment: 90–180 minutes

Concurrent manoeuvres depending on disease:

  1. Internal limiting membrane peel (ILM peel) — macular hole, epiretinal membrane
  2. Silicone oil or gas tamponade — complex detachment, giant retinal tear
  3. Intraocular laser or cryotherapy — peripheral retinal sealing
  4. Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF or steroid

3. Anti-VEGF Agents Available in China

Drug Manufacturer Available in China Notes
Ranibizumab (Lucentis) Novartis Yes Long-established global option
Aflibercept (Eylea) Bayer / Regeneron Yes 8 mg high-dose formulation has expanded indications
Conbercept (Conbercept) Chengdu Kanghong Yes Domestically produced, lower priced
Faricimab (Vabysmo) Roche Yes (recently launched) Bispecific antibody allowing extended dosing intervals
Brolucizumab (Beovu) Novartis Selected centres Limited indications
Bevacizumab (Avastin) off-label — Individual centres only Legal grey zone

Typical anti-VEGF injection pricing in China:

  1. Domestic conbercept: USD 600–1,200 per injection
  2. Imported aflibercept or ranibizumab: USD 1,200–2,500 per injection
  3. Roche faricimab: USD 1,800–3,000 per injection

US reference: aflibercept roughly USD 1,800–2,500 per injection; ranibizumab roughly USD 1,200–2,000 per injection (insurance coverage varies widely) [1].

4. Retinal Detachment — Time Is Vision

Retinal detachment is an ophthalmologic emergency. The general principles:

  1. Macula not yet involved: surgery within 72 hours, visual recovery is generally good
  2. Macula already involved: surgery within 7 days, visual recovery is more limited
  3. More than 1 month: the retina can still be reattached, but visual recovery is poor

Practical advice for international patients: if you have already been diagnosed with retinal detachment, do not spend two weeks arranging cross-border travel — get emergency surgery locally as quickly as possible. Cross-border options are only relevant if local delay would be unacceptable.

5. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

China has a large diabetic population and extensive DR management experience. Treatment is stepwise:

  1. Non-proliferative (NPDR): glycaemic control and monitoring; anti-VEGF for moderate-to-severe disease
  2. Proliferative (PDR): panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) plus anti-VEGF
  3. Vitreous haemorrhage or tractional retinal detachment: vitrectomy

Typical in-China duration for international patients:

  1. Laser alone: 1–2 outpatient visits, 3–5 days
  2. Single anti-VEGF injection: 1 day
  3. Vitrectomy: 1 week (including preoperative evaluation and post-op review)

6. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

  1. Dry AMD: approximately 80–90% of cases, slow progression, no specific drug therapy; the AREDS-2 vitamin formulation has shown a preventive role [2]
  2. Wet AMD: approximately 10–20% of cases, but accounts for 90% of severe AMD-related vision loss; treated mainly with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections

A typical anti-VEGF regimen for wet AMD:

  1. Initial 3 monthly injections (loading phase)
  2. Subsequent injections on an as-needed or fixed interval (e.g. every 8 weeks)
  3. Selected patients can extend to a “treat-and-extend” regimen, with intervals up to 12–16 weeks

Practical note for international patients: AMD is a chronic condition. For most patients, ongoing treatment in your home country is more economical — unless your home country cannot provide timely access to the newer agents, or you want a Chinese leading-centre opinion on the treatment plan.

7. Hospitals to Consider

Hospital City
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou
Beijing Tongren Hospital Ophthalmology Beijing
Peking Union Medical College Hospital Ophthalmology Beijing
Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai
Shanghai First People’s Hospital Ophthalmology Shanghai
Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University Wenzhou
Eye Centre of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University Hangzhou
Xiangya Second Hospital Ophthalmology, Central South University Changsha
Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University Ophthalmology Wuhan

8. Typical Costs (USD, 1 USD = 6.5 RMB)

Item Public tertiary High-end private
Full retinal evaluation (OCT, FFA, wide-field fundus imaging) 300–700 500–1,200
Single anti-VEGF injection (drug included) 600–2,500 800–3,200
Panretinal photocoagulation (both eyes, split sessions) 600–1,500 1,000–2,500
Standard vitrectomy 3,500–6,500 5,500–10,000
Complex retinal detachment repair (including silicone oil) 5,500–10,000 8,000–14,000
Silicone oil removal (second procedure) 2,500–4,500 4,000–7,000

9. Post-op Care

  1. After gas or silicone oil tamponade: specific head positioning (e.g. prone) for days to weeks, and air travel is strictly prohibited while gas remains in the eye — cabin pressure changes can cause catastrophic intraocular pressure spikes. Intraocular gas typically takes 2–6 weeks to fully resorb.
  2. Eye drops: antibiotic plus anti-inflammatory for 4–6 weeks
  3. After anti-VEGF injection: avoid eye rubbing for 1 week; watch for endophthalmitis warning signs (pain, redness, vision loss) and seek immediate care if they appear
  4. Return travel timing: patients with intraocular gas must wait for full gas resorption before flying

10. What MedCareInChina Can and Cannot Do on the Retinal Pathway

Our two products are Remote Consultation and In-China Accompanied Care.

  1. Remote Consultation: a USD 800 single-expert consultation with a Chinese retinal specialist who reviews your OCT, FFA, and fundus imaging
  2. In-China Accompanied Care: hospital accompaniment with translation through surgery and post-op reviews

What we do not do: emergency response (for retinal detachment, seek local emergency surgery), insurance reimbursement, long-term anti-VEGF treatment follow-up.

11. Action Checklist

  1. Bring electronic copies of OCT, FFA, and wide-field fundus imaging from the last 3 months
  2. Engage a remote consultation for surgical plan and cost estimate
  3. If retinal detachment is less than 7 days old: do not travel internationally; seek immediate local surgery
  4. Apply for an S2 visa
  5. Plan 7–14 days in China
  6. After gas tamponade surgery, do not fly until gas has fully resorbed and the treating physician confirms it is safe
  7. After returning home, continue scheduled follow-up (anti-VEGF treatment is typically long-term)

Sources

[1] American Academy of Ophthalmology — Anti-VEGF Therapy for Retinal Diseases: https://www.aao.org/ [2] AREDS-2 Research Group — Lutein/zeaxanthin and omega-3 supplementation for AMD: https://www.nei.nih.gov/research/clinical-trials/age-related-eye-disease-studies-aredsareds2 [3] Chinese Medical Association Ophthalmology Branch, Fundus Disease Group — Retinal Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines [4] American Society of Retina Specialists — Treatment guidelines: https://www.asrs.org/