Eye surgery · Liverpool
Cataract surgery in Liverpool: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool · 2.9 miles away
Typical price
£2,970
The middle of 10 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
10 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Liverpool 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 Liverpool
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Optical Express - Liverpool Hospital
Liverpool · 2.9 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 - Liverpool Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Circle Cheshire Clinic
Northwich · 21 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, Circle Cheshire Clinic 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 Beaumont Hospital
Lostock Bolton · 21 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 Beaumont 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 -
Fairfield Independent Hospital
St. Helens · 8.7 miles away
£2,420Cataract 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 £220). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Fairfield Independent Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £220 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £2,200 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Spire Liverpool Hospital
Liverpool · 1.7 miles away
from£2,944Cataract 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 £193 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Liverpool Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £193 Treatment Included from £2,751 Aftercare Included Included -
Optegra Preston
Preston · 25 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 -
Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral
Wirral · 7.8 miles away
from£3,171Cataract 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 £200 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Treatment Included from £2,971 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Chester Hospital
Chester · 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 Chester Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,255 -
Spire Cheshire Hospital
Warrington · 15 miles away
from£3,658Cataract 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 £208 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cheshire Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £208 Treatment Included from £3,450 Aftercare Included Included -
Optegra Preston
Preston · 25 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
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Liverpool.
Hospital by hospital
Spire Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, 1.7 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report October 2022). Cataract surgery from £2,944 (first consultation £193 included; aftercare included), £944 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, 2.9 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral, Wirral, 7.8 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report July 2022). Cataract surgery from £3,171 (first consultation £200 included; aftercare included), £1,171 above the local lowest.
Fairfield Independent Hospital, St. Helens, 8.7 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report January 2017). Cataract surgery £2,420 (first consultation £220 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £420 above the local lowest.
Spire Cheshire Hospital, Warrington, 15 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Outstanding, report May 2017). Cataract surgery from £3,658 (first consultation £208 included; aftercare included), £1,658 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Chester Hospital, Chester, 16 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report December 2016). Cataract surgery £3,255 (tests before treatment not included), £1,255 above the local lowest.
Circle Cheshire Clinic, Northwich, 21 miles away (Circle Health Group; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery £2,035 (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £35 above the local lowest.
The Beaumont Hospital, Lostock Bolton, 21 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report June 2025). Cataract surgery £2,035 (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £35 above the local lowest.
Optegra Preston, Preston, 25 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.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 10 local prices span £1,695, from £2,000 to £3,695; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Spire Liverpool Hospital, is £944 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Liverpool: Spire Liverpool Hospital (1.7 miles) and Optical Express - Liverpool Hospital (2.9 miles).
5 to 10 miles of central Liverpool: Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral (7.8 miles) and Fairfield Independent Hospital (8.7 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Liverpool: Spire Cheshire Hospital (15 miles), Nuffield Health Chester Hospital (16 miles), Circle Cheshire Clinic (21 miles), The Beaumont Hospital (21 miles) and Optegra Preston (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. Liverpool University Hospitals: half had waited over 10 weeks; 9 in 10 within 31 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 Liverpool
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 9.7 wks | 76.5% | 0 | 31 wks | 8,348 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 11.7 wks | 69.0% | 8 | 32 wks | 3,871 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 1.8 miles from Liverpool: 8,348 people on the ophthalmology list, 76.5% within 18 weeks, 0 over a year, nine in ten within 31 weeks.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, 5.7 miles from Liverpool: 3,871 people on the ophthalmology list, 69.0% within 18 weeks, 8 over a year, nine in ten within 32 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: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS 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 12 miles: 2 outstanding, 1 good, 4 not yet rated. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 7 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaMedica Liverpool | 0.4 miles | Outstanding | No |
| Optical Express – Liverpool Hospital | 2.9 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| Ultralase Eye Clinics Limited - Liverpool | 3.0 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Wirral | 4.8 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Widnes | 9.1 miles | Outstanding | No |
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 10 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Skelmersdale | 11 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Circle Cheshire Clinic, Fairfield Independent Hospital and Nuffield Health Chester Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask whether the price is per eye and which lens it includes.
Nearby
Cataract surgery in nearby places
- Chester 15 miles
- Bolton 24 miles
- Preston 27 miles
- Stoke-on-Trent 43 miles
- Lancaster 45 miles
- Telford 53 miles
- Bradford 54 miles
- Wolverhampton 66 miles
Other treatments near Liverpool
This page also covers 10 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Birkenhead, Wallasey, Huyton with Roby, Bebington, Bootle, Crosby, Litherland, Greasby, Aintree, Meols.
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: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals 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.