| 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.
What does the 10.2-week figure measure?
It is NHS England's referral to treatment (RTT) measure for incomplete pathways: people still waiting at the end of the month. We used the England-level row for the Ophthalmology Service (treatment function C_130) in the "Incomplete Commissioner" file for July 2026, published 10 September 2026.
- Median wait: 10.2 weeks. Half had waited less, half longer.
- Within 18 weeks: 72.9%.
- People waiting: 620,931 ophthalmology pathways.
- 92nd percentile: 33.2 weeks. Waiting 52 weeks or more: 4,820.
- For comparison, people admitted for treatment in July 2026 after an ophthalmology pathway had waited a median of 12.4 weeks (the "Admitted Commissioner" file).
Two limits. Ophthalmology covers all hospital eye care, not only cataracts. And the clock starts when the hospital receives the referral, not when you first notice a problem or see an optician.
Sources: NHS England RTT data 2026-27, Incomplete Commissioner July 2026, Admitted Commissioner July 2026. Opened 5 October 2026.
Does the wait differ by hospital?
Yes. Waits differ by trust, and NHS England publishes them in its provider files. We have not quoted any local trust figure yet. When we do, it will name the trust, the measure and the month.
Who decides whether I'm referred for NHS cataract surgery?
NICE guideline NG77 (recommendation 1.2.1, opened 5 October 2026) says the decision to refer should be based on a discussion that covers how the cataract affects your vision and quality of life, whether one or both eyes are affected, what surgery involves including risks and benefits, how life may be affected if you choose not to have surgery, and whether you want surgery. Recommendation 1.2.2 says: "Do not restrict access to cataract surgery on the basis of visual acuity."
We do not quote any local NHS area's own threshold. If we ever do, we will link that area's page and date it.
If I go private, do I lose my NHS place?
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.
Can one eye be private and one on the NHS?
People do ask about this. NICE says second-eye surgery should be offered using the same criteria as the first. See second eye.
How long is the NHS waiting list 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. Waits differ by hospital.
Is the 10.2-week figure only for cataracts?
No. NHS England reports ophthalmology as one group, which includes cataracts and other eye conditions. No national cataract-only RTT figure is published in the file we used.
Will a private operation take me off the NHS list?
Not unless you choose that. A private date does not cancel an NHS listing.
Is there a minimum eyesight level for NHS cataract surgery?
NICE guideline NG77 says: "Do not restrict access to cataract surgery on the basis of visual acuity." The referral decision is meant to be a discussion of how the cataract affects your life. We do not quote local thresholds we have not opened.
Want one clinic to call you? Request a private cataract assessment. Free for you; the clinic may pay us.