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Price report · Cataract surgery

Cataract surgery abroad or at home: waits and published prices compared

We read what clinics in 8 countries publish for cataract surgery and set it against the official wait and the self-pay price in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US. Price unit: one eye, standard (monofocal) lens, unless the row says otherwise.

Updated 26 October 2026 · Every figure links to its source

Countries with a price
5 of 8Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Thailand
Lowest abroad
£667Poland, before travel
UK private
£2,000lowest published self-pay price
Price lines read
1414 providers

Short answer

Providers in 5 countries publish a price for cataract surgery that we could check. Converted to pounds, they run from £667 to £1,870, before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £2,000 to £3,610.

Countries with a price
5 of 8: Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Thailand
Range abroad
about £667 to £1,870 before travel
UK private
about £2,000 to £3,610
NHS England
72.2% within 18 weeks (all eye care) (August 2026)
Price is for
one eye, standard (monofocal) lens, unless the row says otherwise

Key findings

  1. 5 of 8 countries publish a comparable price. The lowest is Poland at £667; the highest published figure is £1,870, before travel.
  2. From the UK, 5 of 5 countries are cheaper than a private cataract surgery at home before travel, and 3 after an example flight and 4 hotel nights. The lowest UK self-pay price we found is £2,000.
  3. Official waits: England, 72.2% within 18 weeks (all eye care) (August 2026), Canada (national), median 66 days; 1 in 10 waited over 222 days (2025) and Ireland (public hospitals), about 42% waiting over 6 months (all eye surgery) (24 September 2026).
  4. No verified comparable price in South Korea, Japan and China. A gap means we could not find a price the provider publishes itself, not that the treatment is unavailable.

Figure 1Lowest to highest comparable price, by country (GBP, before travel)

Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest published price that matches the unit; the dashed line is the lowest UK self-pay price we found. Converted at the ECB rate. Click a country for every price line.

Figure 2Cheapest total trip from each home country

Cheapest total trip for cataract surgery from the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US
FromMexicoTurkeyPolandHungaryThailandPay at home
UK£2,880£2,200£1,110£1,140£1,980from £2,000
CanadaC$4,450C$4,910C$3,010C$3,120C$3,860not verified
Ireland€3,460€2,610€1,310€1,340€2,300from €3,200
US$3,090$3,620$2,230$2,290$2,950from $3,680
Lowest published price plus an example return flight and 4 hotel nights, in each reader's currency. Green means the trip costs less than the lowest self-pay price at home. Flights and hotels are round examples, not quotes: put in your own.

What cataract surgery is

Cataract surgery replaces the cloudy natural lens of the eye with a plastic lens implant. It is usually done under local anaesthetic in 15 to 30 minutes, one eye at a time. Prices depend heavily on the lens: a standard monofocal lens costs far less than a multifocal or toric (astigmatism) lens.

Cataract surgery prices by country

The range in each country covers only the prices that match the unit above. Click a country for every price line, what it includes, and how to book as a visitor.

Cataract surgery published prices by country
CountryProvidersIn GBPIn CADIn EURIn USD
Mexico2£1,760–£1,870C$3,290–C$3,500€2,100–€2,230$2,350–$2,500
Turkey1£1,630C$3,050€1,950$2,180
Poland3£667–£762C$1,250–C$1,430€796–€910$891–$1,020
Hungary1£674C$1,260€804$900
Thailand2£909–£1,850C$1,700–C$3,470€1,090–€2,210$1,210–$2,480

No page yet for South Korea, Japan and China: we did not find a published price there that we could verify.

Waiting and paying at home

The latest official waiting figure in each country, and what providers there publish as a self-pay price.

Waiting times and self-pay prices at home for cataract surgery
Where you liveOfficial waitPay at home
UK72.2% within 18 weeks (all eye care)England, August 2026£2,000 to £3,610
CanadaMedian 66 days; 1 in 10 waited over 222 daysCanada (national), 2025Not verified
IrelandAbout 42% waiting over 6 months (all eye surgery)Ireland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026€3,200
USNo national figure$3,6802021 hospital data or a dental school

Add your flight and hotel

Choose where you live and the calculator lines up your wait, your price at home and each country's price plus travel for cataract surgery.

Open the calculator

How to compare cataract surgery prices

  • Check the lens type in the price. Premium lenses can double the cost.
  • Ask whether the pre-operative measurements, the eye drops and the next-day check are included.
  • Ask who you contact if something goes wrong after you have flown home.
  • Both eyes are usually done on different days. Check whether the price is per eye.

Do not travel for cataract surgery if

  • Other eye disease that needs regular follow-up (glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, macular degeneration) unless your home specialist agrees.
  • Anyone who cannot stay a few days after surgery or cannot use eye drops reliably on their own.

Before you book

  • Ask your optician or eye doctor for your latest prescription and any eye reports.
  • Plan for the clinic's rules on flying after surgery, and bring someone with you if you can.

After you come home

  • You will use eye drops for several weeks. Tell your optician you had surgery abroad and bring the operation note with the lens details.
  • Sudden pain, worsening vision or flashing lights after surgery need urgent care at home.

Bringing results home so your own doctor can use them is covered in how to bring your results home.

Cataract surgery abroad: questions

Where is cataract surgery cheapest abroad?

Before flights, the lowest published prices we found are in Poland (about £667 to £762), Hungary (about £674) and Thailand (about £909 to £1,850). The cheapest country is not always the cheapest trip: a short flight can matter more than the price difference.

How long is the wait for cataract surgery on the NHS?

In England, 72.2% within 18 weeks (all eye care) in August 2026: Ophthalmology as a whole, not cataract alone: share of people waiting who were within 18 weeks of referral (622,784 waiting). Waits vary by hospital, and an urgent referral is faster.

How much does a private cataract surgery cost in the UK?

about £2,000 to £3,610 at the UK providers we checked, before any consultant fees they list separately.

What does the price of cataract surgery usually include?

On this site the price should cover one eye, standard (monofocal) lens, unless the row says otherwise. Check the lens type in the price. Premium lenses can double the cost.

How long do I need to stay abroad for cataract surgery?

3 to 5 days: assessment, the operation, and a check-up the next day before you fly. Ask the clinic for the schedule in writing before you book flights.

Sources

  1. Prices. Vision Mendez Institute (Tijuana). Read 26 October 2026.
  2. Tijuana eye care prices 2026. Retina Center Tijuana. Read 26 October 2026.
  3. Cataract surgery Turkey. Euro Istanbul Clinic. Read 26 October 2026.
  4. Operacja zaćmy (cataract surgery). Instytut Oka, Warsaw. Read 26 October 2026.
  5. Cennik (price list). Centrum Operacji Zaćmy, Warsaw. Read 26 October 2026.
  6. Cennik: zabiegi zaćmy (price list: cataract). Visum Clinic, Rzeszów. Read 26 October 2026.
  7. Árlista (price list). Budai Szemészeti Központ (Buda Eye Centre), Budapest. Read 26 October 2026.
  8. Bumrungrad International Hospital: top surgical packages 2025 (sheet hosted by FWD Insurance Thailand). Bumrungrad International Hospital, via FWD Insurance, 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
  9. Cataract extraction package. Ratchaphruek Hospital, Khon Kaen. Read 26 October 2026.
  10. Cataract surgery. Optical Express (UK). Read 26 October 2026.
  11. Cataract surgery. St John & St Elizabeth Hospital, London. Read 26 October 2026.
  12. Cataract surgery. Nuffield Health. Read 26 October 2026.
  13. Cataract surgery. Optical Express (Ireland). Read 26 October 2026.
  14. Price transparency in hospitals: cash prices for common services (Jiang, Makary, Bai), JAMA Network Open. JAMA Network Open, via PubMed Central, 21 December 2021. Read 26 October 2026.
  15. Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times statistical press notice, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  16. Wait times for priority procedures in Canada, 2008 to 2025: data tables. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 25 June 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  17. Open data: inpatient/day case waiting list by specialty, 2026. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  18. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.