Eye surgery · Lancaster
Cataract surgery in Lancaster: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£2,035
Lancaster Private Hospital, Lancaster · 0.6 miles away
Typical price
£2,995
The middle of 5 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
8 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay 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 Lancaster
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Lancaster Private Hospital
Lancaster · 0.6 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, Lancaster Private 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 Beardwood Hospital
Blackburn · 24 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 Beardwood 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 -
Optegra Preston
Preston · 23 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 Preston Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Optegra Preston
Preston · 23 miles away
£3,695Enhanced 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 Preston Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Fulwood Hall Hospital
Preston · 19 miles away
from£3,854Cataract 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.
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Lancaster.
Hospital by hospital
Lancaster Private Hospital, Lancaster, 0.6 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Requires improvement, report October 2019). Cataract surgery £2,035 (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
Fulwood Hall Hospital, Preston, 19 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report August 2026). Cataract surgery from £3,854 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £1,819 above the local lowest.
Optegra Preston, Preston, 23 miles away (Optegra; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery £2,995 (Standard Cataract Treatment (per eye)) or £3,695 (Enhanced Cataract Treatment (per eye)), £960 above the local lowest.
The Beardwood Hospital, Blackburn, 24 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report February 2026). Cataract surgery £2,035 (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 5 local prices span £1,819, from £2,035 to £3,854; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995.
Within 5 miles of central Lancaster: Lancaster Private Hospital (0.6 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Lancaster: Fulwood Hall Hospital (19 miles), Optegra Preston (23 miles) and The Beardwood 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 £2,035 to £3,854 at 4 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay: half had waited over 8 weeks; 9 in 10 within 33 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 Lancaster
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust | 7.5 wks | 78.5% | 25 | 33 wks | 2,671 |
| Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 11.2 wks | 67.9% | 36 | 37 wks | 3,391 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, 18 miles from Lancaster: 2,671 people on the ophthalmology list, 78.5% within 18 weeks, 25 over a year, nine in ten within 33 weeks.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 18 miles from Lancaster: 3,391 people on the ophthalmology list, 67.9% within 18 weeks, 36 over a year, nine in ten within 37 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 of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 8 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 1 outstanding, 4 good, 3 not yet rated. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 8 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Health and Eyecare Limited and Head Office (CHEC - Preston) | 18 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Kendal | 18 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Blackpool | 20 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Preston | 20 miles | Outstanding | No |
| Community Health and Eyecare Limited (CHEC - Blackpool) | 21 miles | Good | No |
| Optegra Preston | 23 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Lancashire Eye Clinic | 23 miles | Good | No |
| Ribble Valley Eye Clinic | 23 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Lancaster Private Hospital and The Beardwood Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask Fulwood Hall Hospital for an itemised quote, as its price is published as a single figure.
- Ask whether the price is per eye and which lens it includes.
Nearby
Cataract surgery in nearby places
- Preston 20 miles
- Bolton 35 miles
- Liverpool 45 miles
- Bradford 46 miles
- Ripon 52 miles
- Chester 60 miles
- Stoke-on-Trent 78 miles
- Newcastle upon Tyne 80 miles
Other treatments near Lancaster
This page also covers 11 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Blackpool, Morecambe, Kendal, Fleetwood, Thornton, Heysham, Poulton-le-Fylde, Cleveleys, Bolton-le-Sands, Carnforth, Garstang.
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 of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals 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.