Eye surgery · Ely
Cataract surgery in Ely: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic, Cambridge · 15 miles away
Typical price
£2,018
The middle of 6 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
12 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Cambridge University Hospitals 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 Ely
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Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic
Cambridge · 15 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 - Cambridge Clinic Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Optical Express Wisbech Clinic
Wisbech · 18 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 Wisbech Clinic Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Optical Express - Peterborough Hospital
Peterborough · 24 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 - Peterborough Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
St Edmunds Hospital
Bury St Edmunds · 22 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, St Edmunds 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 -
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital
Cambridge · 12 miles away
from£2,981Cataract 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 £250 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Treatment Included from £2,731 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 16 miles away
£3,255Cataract 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 Cambridge Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,255
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Ely.
Hospital by hospital
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Cambridge, 12 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report August 2026). Cataract surgery from £2,981 (first consultation £250 included; aftercare included), £981 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic, Cambridge, 15 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, 16 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Outstanding, report November 2016). Cataract surgery £3,255 (tests before treatment not included), £1,255 above the local lowest.
Optical Express Wisbech Clinic, Wisbech, 18 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
St Edmunds Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, 22 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report March 2019). Cataract surgery £2,035 (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £35 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Peterborough Hospital, Peterborough, 24 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 6 local prices span £1,255, from £2,000 to £3,255; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, is £981 dearer than the cheapest.
10 to 25 miles of central Ely: Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital (12 miles), Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic (15 miles), Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital (16 miles), Optical Express Wisbech Clinic (18 miles), St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles) and Optical Express - Peterborough Hospital (24 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 £3,255 at 6 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Cambridge University Hospitals: half had waited over 12 weeks; 9 in 10 within 35 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 Ely
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 12.0 wks | 66.6% | 10 | 35 wks | 3,853 |
| North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | 14.0 wks | 59.7% | 59 | 42 wks | 5,977 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 16 miles from Ely: 3,853 people on the ophthalmology list, 66.6% within 18 weeks, 10 over a year, nine in ten within 35 weeks.
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, 26 miles from Ely: 5,977 people on the ophthalmology list, 59.7% within 18 weeks, 59 over a year, nine in ten within 42 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: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 7 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 7 not yet rated. 3 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 7 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaMedica Cambridge | 14 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic | 15 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Cambridge Laser Clinic | 15 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Optical Express Wisbech Clinic | 18 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Newmedica Bury St Edmunds | 23 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Optical Express – Peterborough Hospital | 24 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Peterborough | 25 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital and St Edmunds Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Optical Express - Cambridge Clinic (15 miles) against Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital (12 miles): the £981 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
- Peterborough 25 miles
- Ipswich 44 miles
- Colchester 44 miles
- Luton 45 miles
- Norwich 46 miles
- Watford 59 miles
- Leicester 61 miles
- Southend-on-Sea 61 miles
Other treatments near Ely
This page also covers 4 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: King's Lynn, Thetford, Soham, Littleport.
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: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, North West Anglia 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.