Eye surgery · Leicester
Cataract surgery in Leicester: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Nottingham Hospital, Nottingham · 21 miles away
Typical price
£3,024
The middle of 11 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
9 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at University Hospitals of Leicester 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 Leicester
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Optical Express - Nottingham Hospital
Nottingham · 21 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 - Nottingham Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
The Meriden Hospital
Coventry · 19 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 -
Optegra Leicester
Leicester · 2.5 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 Leicester Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Optegra Nottingham
Nottingham · 19 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 Nottingham Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Woodthorpe Hospital
Nottingham · 25 miles away
from£3,023Cataract 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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Glendon Wood Hospital
Kettering · 22 miles away
from£3,024Cataract Surgery with Eyesight Correction
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 Derby Hospital
Derby · 24 miles away
£3,185Cataract 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 Derby Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,185 -
Spire Nottingham Hospital
Nottingham · 19 miles away
from£3,405Cataract 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 £213 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Nottingham Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £213 Treatment Included from £3,192 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Leicester Hospital
Oadby · 2.7 miles away
from£3,470Cataract 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 £224 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Leicester Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £224 Treatment Included from £3,246 Aftercare Included Included -
Optegra Leicester
Leicester · 2.5 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 Leicester Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Optegra Nottingham
Nottingham · 19 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 Nottingham Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Leicester.
Hospital by hospital
Optegra Leicester, Leicester, 2.5 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)), £995 above the local lowest.
Spire Leicester Hospital, Oadby, 2.7 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report February 2016). Cataract surgery from £3,470 (first consultation £224 included; aftercare included), £1,470 above the local lowest.
The Meriden Hospital, Coventry, 19 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report March 2024). Cataract surgery £2,625 (first consultation £250 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £625 above the local lowest.
Optegra Nottingham, Nottingham, 19 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)), £995 above the local lowest.
Spire Nottingham Hospital, Nottingham, 19 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Outstanding, report February 2024). Cataract surgery from £3,405 (first consultation £213 included; aftercare included), £1,405 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Nottingham Hospital, Nottingham, 21 miles away (Optical Express; CQC Good, report August 2023). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
Glendon Wood Hospital, Kettering, 22 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £3,024 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £1,024 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Derby Hospital, Derby, 24 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report July 2026). Cataract surgery £3,185 (tests before treatment not included), £1,185 above the local lowest.
Woodthorpe Hospital, Nottingham, 25 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report September 2025). Cataract surgery from £3,023 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £1,023 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 11 local prices span £1,695, from £2,000 to £3,695; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Optegra Leicester, is £995 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Leicester: Optegra Leicester (2.5 miles) and Spire Leicester Hospital (2.7 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Leicester: The Meriden Hospital (19 miles), Optegra Nottingham (19 miles), Spire Nottingham Hospital (19 miles), Optical Express - Nottingham Hospital (21 miles), Glendon Wood Hospital (22 miles), Nuffield Health Derby Hospital (24 miles) and Woodthorpe 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 £3,695 at 9 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. University Hospitals of Leicester: half had waited over 9 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 Leicester
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust | 9.1 wks | 76.1% | 10 | 30 wks | 8,825 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, 0.4 miles from Leicester: 8,825 people on the ophthalmology list, 76.1% within 18 weeks, 10 over a year, nine in ten within 30 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 Leicester NHS Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 6 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 9.3 miles: 4 good, 2 not yet rated. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 6 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Leicester | 0.5 miles | Good | No |
| Leicestershire Consultant Eye Surgeons LLP @ The Stoneygate Eye Hospital | 2.1 miles | Good | No |
| Optegra Leicester | 2.5 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Lumivision Laser Eye CLinic | 3.0 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Leicester | 3.2 miles | Good | No |
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 3.2 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Derby Hospital and The Meriden Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask Glendon Wood Hospital and Woodthorpe Hospital for an itemised quote, as their prices are published as a single figure.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Optical Express - Nottingham Hospital (21 miles) against Optegra Leicester (2.5 miles): the £995 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
- Coventry 22 miles
- Peterborough 37 miles
- Wolverhampton 42 miles
- Stoke-on-Trent 49 miles
- Telford 56 miles
- Luton 59 miles
- Oxford 61 miles
- Ely 61 miles
Other treatments near Leicester
- Hip and knee replacement
- Knee arthroscopy and carpal tunnel surgery
- Hernia repair
- MRI scans
- CT scans
- Colonoscopy and gastroscopy
This page also covers 15 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Wigston, Oadby, Birstall, Blaby and Whetstone, Leicester Forest East and Kirby Muxloe, Enderby and Narborough, Earl Shilton, Lutterworth, Broughton Astley, Thurmaston, Barwell, Countesthorpe, Kibworth Beauchamp and Kibworth Harcourt, Anstey, Groby.
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 Leicester NHS 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.