St. Erik Eye Hospital

What St. Erik Eye Hospital does

St. Erik Eye Hospital (Sankt Erik Ögonsjukhus) is Sweden's only hospital dedicated exclusively to a single organ - the eye - operating as a publicly funded specialty provider under Region Stockholm. The hospital offers emergency eye care, specialized outpatient clinics across retina, glaucoma, cornea, oculoplastics, pediatric ophthalmology, and ocular oncology, alongside day surgery and inpatient services. It serves approximately 182,000 patients annually from Stockholm County and across Sweden, handling roughly 32,600 emergency visits, 10,000 surgeries, 31,000 intravitreal injections, and 200+ corneal transplants per year. Care is accessed via referrals from primary care, regional partner hospitals, and walk-in emergencies, with international patients routed through Karolinska University Hospital's International Patient Office.

The technology stack combines specialized ophthalmic medical technology - OCT imaging, advanced surgical lasers, mobile fundus photography, and AI-enabled diagnostic computer-vision tools for ocular melanoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration - with a translational research program that includes gene therapy for hereditary blindness (restored sight in 11 of 12 trial patients), retinal stem cell transplantation, and ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) co-developed with the Karolinska ATMP Center. About 35-40 scientific articles are published annually, more than 100 staff are involved in research and education, and a dedicated Kliniskt Forskningscentrum (clinical research center) coordinates trials in partnership with Karolinska Institutet.

The business model is publicly funded: the hospital is a government state entity wholly owned by Region Stockholm and operates within Sweden's regional healthcare budget. Revenue mechanics are public-payor-driven with no individually disclosed pricing or commercial billing; funding flows from regional taxes and public insurance rather than direct patient payment. The facility is ISO 14001 certified (since 2000) and located in a Miljöbyggnad Guld-certified building in Solna. Growth has shifted in 2024-2025 toward a hub-and-spoke regional model: satellite operations at Norrtälje and Södertälje (the latter opening November 2026), telemedicine OCT partnerships with Danderyds sjukhus, ATMP collaboration with Karolinska, and an international research collaboration with Harvard/Dana-Farber on uveal melanoma.

Name

St. Erik Eye Hospital

Legal name

Sankt Erik Ögonsjukhus

Website

https://sankterik.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

St. Erik Eye Hospital is Sweden's only publicly funded specialty hospital dedicated exclusively to eye care, operating under Region Stockholm. It serves approximately 182,000 patients annually with emergency ophthalmology, specialized clinics, advanced gene and stem cell therapies, and AI-enabled diagnostics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Services

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310)

SIC

Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmic Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ophthalmology Clinics (Medical & Surgical Eye Care) (HLAKAKAC), Ocular Imaging & Diagnostic Testing Centers (HLAKAKAN)

Keywords

• Ophthalmology services
• Eye care hospital
• Retinal disease treatment
• Cataract surgery
• Corneal transplantation

Headquarters

HQ city

Solna

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Healthcare Services: Publicly funded specialized ophthalmology hospital under Region Stockholm. Services are funded through the regional healthcare budget, providing emergency care, specialized treatments, surgeries, and clinical trials to patients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Erik Eye Hospital is Sweden's only hospital exclusively dedicated to eye care, providing specialized ophthalmology services including a 24/7 emergency eye department, advanced eye surgeries (cataract, retinal, corneal transplants, oculoplastics), specialized outpatient clinics (glaucoma, contact lens, pediatric, oncology), gene and cell therapies for retinal diseases, AI-assisted diagnostic imaging, and corneal transplantation services. The hospital also conducts clinical research integrated with Karolinska Institutet and offers education and training for medical professionals in ophthalmology.

Product overview

St. Erik Eye Hospital is Sweden's only hospital dedicated exclusively to eye care, offering comprehensive ophthalmic services through multiple specialized clinics and departments. The hospital operates as a single-organ specialty facility providing emergency care, specialized surgeries (cataract, retinal, corneal transplants, oculoplastics), diagnostic services, and advanced therapies including AI-powered diagnostics and gene/cell therapies. With approximately 182,000 patients annually, 32,600 emergency visits, 10,000 surgeries, and 31,000 intravitreal injections per year, the hospital combines clinical care with research and education in partnership with Karolinska Institutet. Key services include specialized clinics for glaucoma, contact lenses, pediatric eye conditions, and eye cancer, supported by AI diagnostic tools for image analysis and screening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Eye Care (Ögonakuten) 24/7 emergency department for acute eye conditions and vision-threatening emergencies, handling approximately 32,600 visits annually. Provided to walk-in patients with acute eye injuries, sudden vision loss, infections, and acute glaucoma.
• Surgical Services Comprehensive eye surgery services including cataract surgery, retinal surgery, corneal transplants, and plastic eye surgery, performing approximately 10,000 surgeries and 31,000 intravitreal injections annually for patients across Stockholm County.
• Glaucoma Clinic (Glaukommottagningen) Specialized clinic for diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, featuring a team of approximately 100 staff including ophthalmologists, nurses, opticians, and orthoptists serving patients with progressive and advanced glaucoma.
• Contact Lens Clinic (Kontaktlinsmottagningen) Sweden's most specialized contact lens clinic providing individually customized medical contact lenses for patients with eye diseases, injuries, or severe visual impairment.
• Pediatric Eye Clinic (Barn- och skelningsmottagningen) Specialized clinic for children's eye conditions including squint, visual impairment, and the need for glasses, using playful methods such as 'magic cards' with 3D symbols for testing pediatric patients.
• Oculoplastics and Orbit Surgery (Ögonplastik och orbitakirurgi) Surgical services for diseases and tumors of the eyelids and tear ducts, recognized as a leading center with international experts including Elin Bohman, first Nordic surgeon elected to Orbital Society.
• Eye Pathology Laboratory Laboratory providing tissue analysis services for ocular pathology, including PAS staining for detecting fungal infections and tumors in the eye, rated highest quality by EQUALIS, serving clinical and diagnostic needs across the hospital.
• OCT Imaging Services Optical Coherence Tomography imaging services for detailed visualization of the optic nerve and retina, including mobile OCT camera services at partner hospitals for neurology patients and other specialized diagnostic needs.
• Gene and Cell Therapy (ATMP) Advanced therapy medicinal products including gene therapy for hereditary blindness and cell therapy treatments, developed in collaboration with Karolinska ATMP Center for patients with retinal diseases.
• Corneal Transplantation Corneal transplant services performing over 200 procedures annually, with record numbers of donations and transplants achieved in 2025 (106 procedures through May 2025, 42 more than same period in 2024).
• Mobile Fundus Photography Mobile team that performs fundus photography at health centers across Stockholm County for screening and early detection of diabetes-related eye conditions.
• AI Diagnostic Tools for Eye Care AI-powered diagnostic tools that analyze eye images to detect and screen for various eye conditions including eye cancer, diabetic retinopathy, dry macular degeneration, and rare eye cancers. The tools assist in diagnosis, follow-up, and screening for ophthalmology patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 of 12 patients regained sight after gene therapy for hereditary blindness
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ukrainian Eye Care SystemminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Chief Physician Gauti Jóhannesson participated in national Ukrainian ophthalmic surgery congress in Kyiv, first European visit since 2022.
• Karolinska ATMP CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Expanded collaboration on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) including production of cell and gene therapies, clinical trials, and treatments for retinal diseases. Partnership aims to accelerate transition from research to clinical application.
• Danderyds sjukhusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2025OCT imaging collaboration for neurology patients. Danderyds uses OCT camera to image retina and optic nerve, with images reviewed digitally by St Erik specialists.
• Harvard Medical School / Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2025International research collaboration on uveal melanoma with Professor Rizwan Haq from Dana-Farber. Using spatial transcriptomics to study genetic changes in cancer cell spread.
• Norrtälje sjukhusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2025Ophthalmology clinic collaboration with remote diagnostics. Patients can see St Erik doctors and receive assessments via image transmission between hospitals.
• Korean Association of Medical CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2024International medical education cooperation. Seoul National University visited to improve medical education for Korean doctors and researchers.
• Karolinska InstitutetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational and international center for eye disease research and treatment. Joint research programs, clinical trials, and education. Approximately 35 employees active in clinical research with 2 professors.
• ERN-EYE (European Reference Network for Rare Eye Diseases)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network for rare eye diseases. St Erik is the only Swedish member, representing Sweden with expertise in pediatric ophthalmology, optic nerve diseases, metabolic diseases, hereditary retinal diseases, glaucoma, and pediatric cataracts.
• World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of 68 leading eye hospitals. Focus on digital care flows, AI, workforce development, and sustainable healthcare. St Erik's CEO Sten Kjellström serves as board member.
• Moorfields Eye Hospital (London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge exchange collaboration with one of world's most prestigious eye hospitals. Structured cooperation on diagnostics, digitalization, care organization, and research.
• Regionalt donationscentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTissue donation collaboration. Joint efforts with Regionalt donationscentrum have improved donor assessment within 24-hour critical timeframe, leading to increased corneal donations.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Wills Eye Hospital: Independent specialty eye hospital in Philadelphia with a long history of subspecialty clinical care, research, and residency training. Comparable model: dedicated ophthalmology hospital combining high-volume specialty services with academic affiliation.
• Rotterdam Eye Hospital (Het Oogziekenhuis Rotterdam): Independent specialty eye hospital in the Netherlands and the only dedicated eye hospital in the country. Highly comparable to St. Erik as a European single-organ specialty hospital with research and education mandates.
• Stein Eye Institute (UCLA): UCLA-affiliated academic ophthalmology institute combining specialty clinical care, vision-science research, and education. Comparable mission set to St. Erik's research-clinical-education model.
• Wilmer Eye Institute (Johns Hopkins): Leading academic ophthalmology department and specialty clinical operation at Johns Hopkins. Comparable as a research-intensive specialty eye institution with global referral pull and ATMP/clinical trial activity.
• Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital: Public specialty hospital in Melbourne, Australia — one of the oldest eye and ear hospitals globally. Directly comparable as a publicly funded, dedicated specialty eye hospital with research and teaching functions.
• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute: U.S.-based specialty eye hospital and academic medical center consistently ranked #1 in ophthalmology. Comparable as a dedicated, single-organ specialty institution combining clinical care, translational research (ATMP/AI), and education with global referral pull.
• Singapore National Eye Centre: Public specialty eye hospital in Singapore affiliated with Singapore Eye Research Institute. Comparable as a public specialty institution combining high-volume clinical care, translational research, and subspecialty training.
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear: Specialty hospital in Boston affiliated with Harvard Medical School, focused on eye and ear care. Comparable as a Harvard-affiliated single-organ specialty institution with research-driven care, similar to St. Erik's Karolinska Institutet affiliation.
• Moorfields Eye Hospital: NHS-affiliated specialty eye hospital in London — one of the world's oldest and largest dedicated eye hospitals. Directly comparable to St. Erik as a public, single-organ specialty hospital with research and education missions; St. Erik already has a structured knowledge-exchange partnership with Moorfields.

Broad incumbents

• Karolinska University Hospital: Larger Swedish public hospital that partners with St. Erik on ATMP, international patient routing, and research. Not a direct single-organ peer (multi-specialty), but the dominant healthcare incumbent in Stockholm with overlapping ophthalmology services and a strategic partner/competitor relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/steriksogonsjukhus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steriksogonsjukhus
• Instagraminstagram.com/steriksogonsjukhus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Erik Eye Hospital