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Cost of enucleation and an artificial eye in Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
An artificial eye in Hyderabad has no single price. The bill depends on whether you need only a new eye or an operation to remove the eye first, the implant material, whether the eye is ready-made or custom-made, and the room and stay. For families with Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance, the amount paid from pocket is usually far below the sticker figure. This page explains each part of the bill. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What does an artificial eye cost in Hyderabad?
- Which band is your bill likely to fall into?
- What is the bill actually made of?
- What is usually inside a package, and what is usually outside?
- What do families believe about the cost, and what is true?
- How do I get a real estimate and an approval?
- What can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about the cost of an artificial eye
The short answer
What does an artificial eye cost in Hyderabad?
There is no single price. The cost of an artificial eye in Hyderabad depends on whether it is ready-made or custom-made, and on whether it comes with an operation to remove the eye and place an implant. For most families in Telangana, the figure that matters is what is paid from pocket after Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance.
Two very different bills
If the eye was removed some time ago and you only need a new artificial eye, the bill is for the eye itself and the fitting visits. If the eye is being removed for cancer now, the bill covers the operation, the orbital implant (a small ball placed in the socket), the hospital stay, the pathology tests and, later, the artificial eye. An orbital exenteration with a facial prosthesis is a larger bill again.
What this page can and cannot do
It explains what goes into the bill, which parts are usually inside a hospital package and which are not, and how schemes change the figure. It cannot give you a quote. A real estimate needs the surgeon's written plan, your room choice and your scheme or policy card. Everything here is indicative and dated 2026.
Indicative cost
Which band is your bill likely to fall into?
Bands, not quotes. Where you sit depends on what is being done, the materials and the stay.
Lower band
Artificial eye only
A new or replacement eye for a socket that has already healed. A ready-made eye costs less than one shaped and painted for you.
Middle band
Eye removal with implant and custom eye
The operation, the implant, a short stay, pathology and a custom-made artificial eye fitted some weeks later.
Higher band
Exenteration with facial prosthesis
A larger operation, a longer stay, often radiotherapy, and a silicone prosthesis that may be held with bone implants.
Indicative only, for 2026. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. In those cases your out-of-pocket cost is usually very different from the sticker figure. Call the helpline for an estimate against your own cover.
Line by line
What is the bill actually made of?
Ask for the estimate broken into these parts, so you can compare like with like.
The operation
Surgeon, anaesthetist and theatre fees for removing the eye. Under most schemes these sit inside the package.
The orbital implant
The ball placed in the socket to fill the space. Implants are made of different materials, and some cost much more than others.
Ask the surgeon
- Which material they plan to use
- Why that one suits you
- Whether the scheme covers it
The artificial eye
A thin acrylic shell made by an ocularist, the specialist who makes artificial eyes. A custom eye is shaped to your socket and painted to match your other eye. It is often billed by the ocularist separately from the hospital.
Room, stay and pathology
The room category and the nights in hospital drive much of the difference between bills. The removed eye is always examined in the laboratory, and some special tests are billed separately.
The years afterwards
Artificial eyes need polishing and, over time, replacing. Children need new, larger eyes as the face grows. Follow-up visits and scans also add up.
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Side by side
What is usually inside a package, and what is usually outside?
Usually inside
Usually outside
Inside: surgeon, anaesthetist and theatre fees
Outside: scans and tests done before admission
Inside: a standard implant, where the package names one
Outside: a higher-cost implant material you choose
Inside: the temporary plastic shell placed at surgery
Outside: the custom artificial eye made later
Inside: the agreed nights in the agreed room
Outside: a higher room category or extra nights
Inside: medicines given in hospital
Outside: take-home drops, polishing and replacement eyes
Commonly believed
What do families believe about the cost, and what is true?
"Aarogyasri will pay for everything, including the eye."
The scheme covers approved packages at empanelled hospitals. The custom artificial eye, a costlier implant, tests before admission and medicines afterwards may fall outside it. Ask the scheme desk what is and is not included before the operation.
"A ready-made eye is just as good, so why pay more?"
A ready-made eye can be a sensible short-term or budget choice. A custom eye usually fits the socket more closely, moves a little better and matches the other eye more naturally. Ask the ocularist to show you both before deciding.
"We pay once and the cost is over."
An artificial eye is not a one-time purchase. Polishing, refitting and replacement are part of wearing one, and a child will need several as the face grows. Plan for these costs from the start.
"A cheaper hospital must be cutting corners."
Room rates and location drive most of the difference. What matters more is the surgeon's experience with eye cancer, the pathology laboratory, access to an ocularist and whether a tumour board reviews the plan.
Before admission
How do I get a real estimate and an approval?
Get the plan in writing
Ask the surgeon to write down what is planned: removal of the eye or of the whole socket, the implant material, whether radiotherapy may follow, and the expected nights in hospital.
Take it to the scheme or insurance desk
Carry your Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS or EHS card, or your policy details. The desk checks the package and tells you what sits inside and outside it.
Wait for pre-authorisation
For cashless insurance and schemes, the hospital sends the plan for approval before admission. Start early, because a slow approval can delay the operation date.
Ask the ocularist separately
Ask for a written figure for the artificial eye, the fitting visits and future polishing, so there is no surprise later.
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you?
It cannot tell you what your own treatment will cost, or whether your policy will approve it. Those come from your plan and your card, checked at the hospital desk.
Whether the eye has to be removed at all
The choice between removing the eye, saving it with radiotherapy or other treatment, or a larger operation belongs to your treating team. It rests on the type and size of the tumour, the scans and the tumour board's view. Cost should not make that choice. If the recommended plan is out of reach, tell the team and the scheme desk before the operation. Many families qualify for a scheme they did not know about.
Costs that come later
Surgery may be one part of a longer treatment. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may follow, each with its own approval and bill. For a child, replacement eyes over the growing years are a real part of the total. Ask for the likely sequence early, so the family can plan the whole course and not only the operation.
Call the helpline with your card details and the surgeon's note. We will help you understand what your cover is likely to include before you travel.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the cost of an artificial eye
Is eye removal for cancer covered under Aarogyasri?
Cancer surgery, including removal of an eye, is usually within the scheme's cancer packages at empanelled hospitals. The scheme desk confirms the exact package for your plan and applies for approval. Ask specifically whether the implant and the custom artificial eye are included, as these are sometimes outside.
Why does a custom artificial eye cost more than a ready-made one?
A custom eye is moulded to the exact shape of your socket and hand-painted to match the other eye. That takes several visits and skilled work. A ready-made eye is chosen from stock sizes and colours. It costs less but may fit and match less closely.
Does CGHS, ECHS or EHS cover it?
At empanelled hospitals and at the scheme's approved rates, the operation is usually covered. Room category follows your entitlement. Whether the artificial eye is reimbursed varies, so ask your scheme office and keep every bill and prescription. Bring your card and referral letter to start the approval.
Will my private insurance pay for the artificial eye?
Many policies pay for the operation cashless once pre-authorisation is granted. Artificial eyes and later replacements are treated differently by different insurers. Check the room rent limit, any waiting period, and whether prosthetic devices are covered. Ask for the answer in writing.
How often will the artificial eye need replacing?
Adults usually keep an eye for some years, with regular polishing in between. Children need new, larger eyes more often as the face grows. The ocularist checks the fit at each visit and tells you when a new one is due. Plan for this as an ongoing cost.
Is an orbital prosthesis much more expensive?
Usually yes. The operation is larger, the stay is longer, and the silicone prosthesis is made by a specialist over several visits. Bone implants to hold it add another operation. Ask your surgeon and the prosthesis maker for separate written figures before deciding.
Can we pay in instalments?
CION does not offer instalment payment schemes, and nobody is authorised to offer one in our name. What we can do is check every scheme and policy you may qualify for, and help you get a written estimate before admission.
Why is our estimate different from what a relative paid?
Usually because the treatment was not the same. The implant material, the type of artificial eye, the room, the nights and the year all change the bill. An operation for cancer also includes pathology tests that a replacement eye does not. Compare the written plans, not the totals.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A surgical consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where the operation itself takes place.
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Surgery for Eye Cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for eye cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Managing Costs and Medical Information
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Help with the cost of cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Cost, Insurance and Schemes for Cancer SurgeryHow surgery packages, approvals and claims workThe Orbital Implant and Artificial EyeWhat the implant and the eye are, and how they are fittedEnucleation: Removing an Eye for CancerWhat you are actually being billed forFacial Prosthesis After Orbital ExenterationThe larger operation and the prosthesis that followsEnucleation in Children: A Parent's GuideWhy a child's costs continue as the face grows
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