Eye surgery · Oxford
Cataract surgery in Oxford: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£3,092
Berkshire Independent Hospital, Reading · 24 miles away
Typical price
£3,308
The middle of 4 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
18 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Oxford 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 Oxford
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Berkshire Independent Hospital
Reading · 24 miles away
from£3,092Cataract 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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The Chiltern Hospital
Great Missenden · 25 miles away
£3,146Cataract removal & lens insertion - 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 Chiltern Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included From £2,896 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital
Oxford · 1.9 miles away
£3,470Cataract 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 Oxford Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,470 -
The Shelburne Hospital
High Wycombe · 23 miles away
£4,171Cataract removal & lens insertion - 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 Shelburne Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £3,921 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · 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 Oxford.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital, Oxford, 1.9 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report June 2022). Cataract surgery £3,470 (tests before treatment not included), £378 above the local lowest.
The Shelburne Hospital, High Wycombe, 23 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Requires improvement, report April 2019). Cataract surgery £4,171 (first consultation £250 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £1,079 above the local lowest.
Berkshire Independent Hospital, Reading, 24 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report May 2020). Cataract surgery from £3,092 (single guide figure, no breakdown), the lowest locally.
The Chiltern Hospital, Great Missenden, 25 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report November 2021). Cataract surgery £3,146 (first consultation £250 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £54 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 4 local prices span £1,079, from £3,092 to £4,171; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital, is £378 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Oxford: Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital (1.9 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Oxford: The Shelburne Hospital (23 miles), Berkshire Independent Hospital (24 miles) and The Chiltern 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 £3,092 to £4,171 at 4 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Oxford University Hospitals: half had waited over 18 weeks; 9 in 10 within 46 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 Oxford
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 17.7 wks | 50.8% | 198 | 46 wks | 5,433 |
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 11.0 wks | 77.9% | 8 | 26 wks | 5,419 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 1.7 miles from Oxford: 5,433 people on the ophthalmology list, 50.8% within 18 weeks, 198 over a year, nine in ten within 46 weeks.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, 25 miles from Oxford: 5,419 people on the ophthalmology list, 77.9% within 18 weeks, 8 over a year, nine in ten within 26 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: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 4 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 4 not yet rated. 0 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 4 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 6.4 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Oxford | 6.6 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Newmedica - Swindon Murdock Road | 24 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Reading | 24 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital, The Chiltern Hospital and The Shelburne Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask Berkshire Independent Hospital for an itemised quote, as its price is published as a single figure.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Berkshire Independent Hospital (24 miles) against Nuffield Health Oxford Hospital (1.9 miles): the £378 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
- Swindon 26 miles
- Slough 33 miles
- Basingstoke 35 miles
- Luton 37 miles
- Watford 37 miles
- Gloucester 42 miles
- Coventry 46 miles
- Southampton 58 miles
Other treatments near Oxford
This page also covers 2 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Abingdon-on-Thames, Kidlington.
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: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal Berkshire 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.