Cataract surgery · Birmingham
cataract surgery in Birmingham: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Birmingham Hospital, Birmingham · 2 miles away
Typical price
£2,932
The middle of the 12 published prices within 25 miles.
Range £2,000 to £4,200.
NHS wait in Birmingham
12 weeks
Half the people on the NHS eye care list at University Hospitals Birmingham had waited longer than this so far (August 2026).
Covers all eye care, not only cataracts.
In short
The lowest published self-pay price we found for cataract surgery in the Birmingham area was £3,128 at West Midlands Hospital (Halesowen). Checked 9 November 2026.
In August 2026, half of the 9,466 people on University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust’s waiting list for NHS eye care (ophthalmology) had waited 12.0 weeks or less, and 65.4% had waited under 18 weeks, against 72.2% across England.
The health regulator (CQC) lists 142 independent healthcare places in Birmingham, including 3 with overnight beds and 27 diagnostic or screening services.
Where to get cataract surgery near Birmingham
Sort by
-
Optical Express - Birmingham Hospital
Birmingham · 2 miles away
from£2,000cataract surgery (per eye)
What’s included: A “from” price per eye. Optical Express says the first consultation is free. Check with the clinic what’s included for your lens choice.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Optical Express - Birmingham Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
The Priory Hospital
Birmingham · 3 miles away
£2,035cataract removal & lens implant - one eye
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £200). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Priory Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £1,835 · Not included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Sutton Medical Centre
Sutton Coldfield · 7 miles away
£2,035cataract removal & lens implant - one eye
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £200). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Sutton Medical Centre Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £1,835 · Not included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
The Droitwich Spa Hospital
Droitwich · 19 miles away
£2,035cataract removal & lens implant - one eye
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £200). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Droitwich Spa Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £1,835 · Not included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
The Meriden Hospital
Coventry · 18 miles away
£2,625cataract removal & lens implant - one eye
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £250). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Meriden Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £2,375 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital
Wolverhampton · 15 miles away
£2,870cataract surgery - one eye - standard lens
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for the treatment. Nuffield says tests before treatment are charged separately, and you get a fixed, all-inclusive price after your first consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £2,870 -
Optegra Birmingham Eye Hospital
Birmingham · 1 miles away
£2,995standard cataract treatment (per eye)
What’s included: A fixed price per eye. Optegra says the package includes a free consultation and eye tests, the surgery, and aftercare with follow-up appointments and any medicines needed; laser treatment for clouding (YAG) within one or two years if needed, depending on the package.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Optegra Birmingham Eye Hospital Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
West Midlands Hospital
Halesowen · 9 miles away
from£3,128Cataract surgery, guide price
What’s included: Ramsay describes this as a guide 'from' price, single payment. The final package depends on assessment and lens choice.
-
Stourside Hospital
Stourbridge · 12 miles away
from£3,128cataract surgery
What’s included: Ramsay calls this a guide price (a “from” price). Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
-
Spire Little Aston Hospital
Sutton Coldfield · 8 miles away
from£3,324cataract surgery with eyesight correction
What’s included: Spire’s fixed self-pay package. Spire says it covers tests before your operation, the surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees, nursing, medicines and food during your stay, and any standard implant, plus aftercare: follow-up appointments, stitches, dressings and up to 14 days of medicines. The first consultation is £272 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Little Aston Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £272 Treatment Included from £3,052 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Parkway Hospital
Solihull · 6 miles away
from£3,485cataract surgery with eyesight correction
What’s included: Spire’s fixed self-pay package. Spire says it covers tests before your operation, the surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees, nursing, medicines and food during your stay, and any standard implant, plus aftercare: follow-up appointments, stitches, dressings and up to 14 days of medicines. The first consultation is £244 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Parkway Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £244 Treatment Included from £3,241 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Warwickshire Hospital
Leamington Spa · 18 miles away
£4,200cataract surgery - one eye - standard lens
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for the treatment. Nuffield says tests before treatment are charged separately, and you get a fixed, all-inclusive price after your first consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Nuffield Health Warwickshire Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £4,200
Prices the hospitals and clinics publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from Birmingham city centre.
Hospital list prices nearby
8 hospitals within 25 miles of Birmingham publish a self-pay list price for cataract surgery, ranging from £2,000 to £3,485. They belong to Circle Health Group, Nuffield Health, Optegra, Optical Express, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare. These are the hospitals’ own published figures, read from each source page on 9 November 2026; what a list price covers differs between groups.
Optegra Birmingham Eye Hospital (Birmingham), in the city itself, lists standard cataract treatment (per eye) at £2,995; CQC rates the hospital good (report published January 2018).
Optical Express - Birmingham Hospital (Birmingham), in the city itself, lists cataract surgery (per eye) from £2,000; CQC rates the hospital outstanding (report published October 2022).
The Priory Hospital (Birmingham), about 3 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract removal & lens implant - one eye at £2,035; CQC rates the hospital good (report published January 2026).
Spire Parkway Hospital (Solihull), about 6 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract surgery with eyesight correction from £3,485; CQC rates the hospital good (report published October 2026).
Sutton Medical Centre (Birmingham), about 7 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract removal & lens implant - one eye at £2,035; CQC rates the hospital good (report published February 2022).
Spire Little Aston Hospital (Lichfield), about 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract surgery with eyesight correction from £3,324; CQC rates the hospital good (report published October 2026).
Stourside Hospital (Dudley), about 12 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract surgery from £3,128; CQC rates the hospital good (report published August 2022).
Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital (Wolverhampton), about 15 miles from the centre of Birmingham, lists cataract surgery - one eye - standard lens at £2,870; CQC rates the hospital good (report published October 2022).
Private or NHS?
- Cost. Free on the NHS. Privately £2,000 to £4,200 across 12 published prices within 25 miles.
- Wait. Half the people on the NHS eye care waiting list at University Hospitals Birmingham had waited longer than 12 weeks so far (August 2026).
Not sure which is right for you? Your GP can refer you on the NHS and talk through your options.
The NHS wait for eye care
| 12.0 wks | median wait so far for NHS eye care at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (August 2026) |
|---|---|
| 10.4 wks | the median across England |
At University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, 53 of the 9,466 people waiting had waited more than a year, and nine in ten had waited 33 weeks or less.
Ophthalmology covers all eye conditions, not only cataracts. NHS England does not publish cataract waits separately. Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. See the full local picture on Waiting Times UK.
Where else to look in Birmingham
These 4 providers in the Birmingham area are on the CQC register. We list providers alphabetically and say why each is listed. Nobody pays to appear.
HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital
HCA Healthcare UK The Harborne Hospital, Mindelsohn Way, Birmingham B15 2TQ
Hospital registered for surgical procedures. Cataract surgery not confirmed: ask.
The Priory Hospital
Priory Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 7UG
Hospital registered for surgical procedures. Cataract surgery not confirmed: ask.
Spire Parkway Hospital
1 Damson Parkway, Solihull, West Midlands B91 2PP
Hospital registered for surgical procedures. Cataract surgery not confirmed: ask.
West Midlands Hospital
Colman Hill, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 2AH
Publishes a self-pay price, shown above.
6 other registered clinics in Birmingham that may be relevant
Their names and registrations suggest they may be relevant. We haven’t checked their services or prices.
- Edgbaston Eye Consultants B15 1PJ · rated Good
- Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service B6 5RQ · not yet rated
- Optegra Birmingham Eye Hospital B4 7ET · rated Good
- Optical Express – Birmingham Hospital B2 4RN · rated Outstanding
- Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Birmingham B5 7XJ · rated Good
- SpaMedica Birmingham B15 1TR · rated Good
Before you book
We found only one published local price in the Birmingham area, so there is little to compare it with locally. Prices published elsewhere in the country are on the national cataract surgery page.
Ask whether a quote is per eye, which lens it includes and whether the assessment and follow-up checks are in the price.
More in Birmingham and elsewhere
Where these figures come from
Prices: read from each provider’s own website on the date shown next to each price. We store the price, what the page says it includes, the link and the date.
Provider details are from the CQC register (downloaded 9 November 2026), under the Open Government Licence. A CQC rating describes the whole location, not a particular treatment.
Ophthalmology covers all eye conditions, not only cataracts. NHS England does not publish cataract waits separately. Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. See the full local picture on Waiting Times UK.
Typical price is the middle (median) of the published prices within 25 miles, shown only when there are at least four.
Independent. We’re not part of the NHS or any hospital, we’re not clinicians, and nothing here is medical advice. Hospitals can’t pay to appear or to change their position.
