Eye surgery · Bournemouth
Cataract surgery in Bournemouth: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital, Southampton · 25 miles away
Typical price
£2,249
The middle of 5 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
12 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at University Hospitals Dorset had waited longer than this (August 2026).
Time waited so far by everyone on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Bournemouth
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Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital
Southampton · 25 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 - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton
Southampton · 24 miles away
£2,099Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton
Southampton · 24 miles away
£2,249Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
New Hall Hospital
Salisbury · 21 miles away
from£3,335Cataract 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.
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Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital
Bournemouth · 0.8 miles away
£4,210Cataract 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 Bournemouth Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £4,210
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Bournemouth.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, 0.8 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report June 2022). Cataract surgery £4,210 (tests before treatment not included), £2,210 above the local lowest.
New Hall Hospital, Salisbury, 21 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report February 2025). Cataract surgery from £3,335 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £1,335 above the local lowest.
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton, Southampton, 24 miles away (Practice Plus Group; CQC Good, report June 2017). Cataract surgery £2,099 (Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens) or £2,249 (Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens), £99 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital, Southampton, 25 miles away (Optical Express; CQC Good, report March 2026). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 5 local prices span £2,210, from £2,000 to £4,210; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, is £2,210 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Bournemouth: Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital (0.8 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Bournemouth: New Hall Hospital (21 miles), Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton (24 miles) and Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital (25 miles).
Typical for cataract surgery: usually a day case.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. cataract surgery £2,000 to £4,210 at 4 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. University Hospitals Dorset: half had waited over 12 weeks; 9 in 10 within 30 weeks. England: 10 weeks.
Private hospitals usually ask for a referral letter or a consultation first. Not sure which is right for you? Your GP can refer you on the NHS and talk through your options.
The NHS wait near Bournemouth
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust | 12.5 wks | 72.1% | 0 | 30 wks | 4,827 |
| Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 10.8 wks | 71.9% | 2 | 31 wks | 2,605 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, 4.5 miles from Bournemouth: 4,827 people on the ophthalmology list, 72.1% within 18 weeks, 0 over a year, nine in ten within 30 weeks.
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 25 miles from Bournemouth: 2,605 people on the ophthalmology list, 71.9% within 18 weeks, 2 over a year, nine in ten within 31 weeks.
These figures cover everyone on the trust’s ophthalmology list, not only people waiting for cataract surgery, and describe time waited so far, not how long a new referral will take.
Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 3 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 3 good. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 3 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaMedica Poole | 5.2 miles | Good | No |
| Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Southampton | 24 miles | Good | No |
| Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital | 25 miles | Good | Yes |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: its published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask New Hall Hospital for an itemised quote, as its price is published as a single figure.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Optical Express - Southampton (The Avenue) Hospital (25 miles) against Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital (0.8 miles): the £2,210 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- Ask whether the price is per eye and which lens it includes.
Nearby
Cataract surgery in nearby places
- Southampton 25 miles
- Wells 47 miles
- Chichester 48 miles
- Basingstoke 49 miles
- Swindon 57 miles
- Exeter 72 miles
- Oxford 75 miles
- Slough 77 miles
Other treatments near Bournemouth
This page also covers 16 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester, Wimborne Minster, Verwood, Ferndown, Blandford Forum, West Moors, Corfe Mullen, Swanage, Upton, Ashley Heath, Wareham, Merley, Weston, Wool.
Where these figures come from
Prices: from each hospital’s own price page and breakdown on the date shown next to each price. We store the price, what the page says it includes, the link and the date.
Each hospital group describes its prices differently (guide prices, fixed packages or “from” prices), so read what’s included before comparing totals.
Clinic details and ratings: CQC register (HSCA Active Locations, downloaded 9 November 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. A rating describes the whole location, not one treatment.
Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 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.