| Clinic type | Package price | What it includes | Lens extra | Source | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eye-surgery clinic group (Practice Plus Group) | £2,099 per eye (standard monofocal lens) | Consultant fees, pre-op nurse review, anaesthetic, prescriptions, post-op appointments. Initial consultation £145 extra; diagnostic tests charged if needed. | Enhanced monofocal £2,249; toric £2,649; multifocal £2,949; extended depth of focus £3,099 (whole price per eye) | practiceplusgroup.com | 5 October 2026 |
| Eye-surgery clinic group (Newmedica) | £2,295 per eye (standard monofocal lens) | Consultant's fee, clinic facilities, lens, aftercare. Consultation free with cataract surgery. | Premium monofocal £2,795; toric £3,195; multifocal or extended depth of focus £3,595 (whole price per eye) | newmedica.co.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Hospital group (Nuffield Health) | £3,613 average guide price, one eye | Pre-assessment, operation, post-discharge care. Initial consultation from £200 extra. Nuffield says the final price may vary with consultant fees, prosthesis or drugs. | Not priced on the page we checked | nuffieldhealth.com | 5 October 2026 |
| Hospital group (Spire Healthcare, as read by TreatCompare) | £3,275 median across 31 hospitals (range £2,757–£5,631), one eye | TreatCompare says Spire's wording includes the consultant fee and initial consultation. | Not separated in the figure | treatcompare.com | 5 October 2026 |
Each row is the provider's own published figure, except Spire, which we could not find on Spire's national page and show as TreatCompare reports it. Spire and Nuffield count different things in their prices, so we do not average them. Listing a clinic does not mean it is a partner of ours. We delete any row we cannot re-check. Full list on Sources.
What we can and cannot do
We are not a clinic, not the NHS, not an optician and not a surgeon. We do not operate, diagnose, refer or hold a date. Nothing here is medical advice, and we cannot tell you whether you need surgery or how bad a cataract is. Only an optician or eye surgeon who examines you can do that.
Sudden loss of vision, a curtain across your sight, flashes with a shower of floaters, or a painful red eye need help now, not a form. Go to A&E or call 999.
For driving, check the DVLA eyesight guidance; we do not give driving rules. A private date does not cancel an NHS listing unless you choose to come off the NHS list.
What we can do: explain prices, what packages include and clinic types, and, if you ask, pass your request to one independent eye clinic or hospital that covers your area so it can contact you. Free for you. The clinic may pay us.
Four steps to a private cataract assessment
- One eye or both. Prices are usually per eye. Ask how the second eye is priced; see second eye.
- What the package includes. Check the first consultation, tests, lens type, aftercare and later laser. See what is included.
- Clinic type. Eye-surgery clinic group or private hospital. Compare the price on the same lens and the same inclusions. See cost.
- Ask one clinic to contact you. Use the form. One partner clinic may call or email you. Nothing is booked, and no date is held, until you agree it with the clinic.
How much is private cataract surgery in my city?
PHIN, the independent body that publishes private hospital data, gives an average self-pay package price per eye for these English cities. Each figure covers hospitals within 25 miles of the city centre.
| City (centre + 25 miles) | Average package, per eye | Source | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | £3,074 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Birmingham | £3,045 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Bristol | £3,034 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Leeds | £3,006 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Cambridge | £2,955 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Liverpool | £2,914 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Manchester | £2,870 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Norwich | £2,642 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £2,621 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
| Sheffield | £2,522 | phin.org.uk | 5 October 2026 |
PHIN page last updated 22 April 2026; PHIN says prices may have changed since and are a guide only. PHIN publishes no figure for Nottingham, Leicester, Southampton, Brighton, Oxford or Reading, so we show none.
City pages are not live yet. We will publish one only when we have checked local prices and a partner clinic covers that area. Until then, use the form: tell us your town or postcode and we will say honestly whether anyone covers it.
Do I need a referral to go private for cataract surgery?
It depends on the clinic and on your insurer. Newmedica, for example, says on its price page that private patients do not need a referral unless their insurer requires one. Other clinics may ask for an optician's or GP's letter. We cannot refer you; an optician tests for cataracts, and the form is not that test.
Which pages should I read next?
- Cataract surgery cost per eye: clinic prices and PHIN city averages.
- What a package includes: consultation, tests, lenses, later laser.
- The NHS wait: what NHS England's figures measure.
- Second eye: what NICE says, and same-day surgery for both eyes.
- Both eyes: how clinics price the second eye.
- Lens options: standard, toric, multifocal and extended-depth prices.
- Consultation fee: what the first appointment costs.
- How we make money and sources.
How much does private cataract surgery cost per eye in England?
PHIN's average self-pay package prices for English cities run from £2,522 in Sheffield to £3,074 in London per eye, using prices collected in March 2026. The lowest standard-lens price we verified on a clinic's own page on 5 October 2026 was £2,099 per eye at Practice Plus Group, with a £145 consultation on top.
Is the first consultation included in the package price?
Often not. PHIN says a package does not always include your first consultation, and that a consultation typically costs £180 to £250. Newmedica says its cataract price includes a free consultation. Ask the clinic in writing.
How long is the NHS wait for cataract surgery?
NHS England's figures for July 2026, published 10 September 2026, show a median wait of 10.2 weeks for people still waiting on an ophthalmology pathway in England, and 72.9% within 18 weeks. That covers all eye care, not only cataracts, and it differs by hospital.
Will going private take me off the NHS waiting list?
No, not unless you choose that. A private date does not cancel an NHS listing. If you have the operation privately, it is up to you to tell the NHS hospital whether you still need your place.
Do you book the operation?
No. We are not a clinic and we do not hold a date. If you ask, we pass your request to one partner clinic that covers your area so it can contact you. Nothing is booked until you agree it with the clinic.
Want one clinic to call you? Request a private cataract assessment. Free for you; the clinic may pay us.