Eye surgery · Southend-on-Sea
Cataract surgery in Southend-on-Sea: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£175
Southend Private Hospital, Westcliff-on-Sea · 0.4 miles away
Typical price
£3,019
The middle of 11 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
14 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Mid and South Essex 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 Southend-on-Sea
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Southend Private Hospital
Westcliff-on-Sea · 0.4 miles away
£175Cataract Surgery
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £175). Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Southend Private Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £175 Diagnostic Investigations N/a Yes Main treatment Included £3,165 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Optical Express - Chelmsford Clinic
Chelmsford · 16 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 - Chelmsford Clinic Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Optical Express - Dartford Hospital
Dartford · 20 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 - Dartford Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Gillingham
Gillingham · 13 miles away
£2,099Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Gillingham Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Optegra Maidstone
West Malling · 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 Maidstone Stage In the price? As published Surgery and follow-up aftercare Included -
Spire Alexandra Hospital
Chatham · 17 miles away
from£3,019Cataract 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 £188 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Alexandra Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £188 Treatment Included from £2,831 Aftercare Included Included -
Springfield Hospital
Chelmsford · 16 miles away
from£3,161Cataract 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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Spire Hartswood Hospital
Brentwood · 18 miles away
from£3,275Cataract 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 £231 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Hartswood Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £231 Treatment Included from £3,044 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Wellesley Hospital
Southend-on-Sea · 1.4 miles away
from£3,297Cataract 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 £216 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Wellesley Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £216 Treatment Included from £3,081 Aftercare Included Included -
KIMS Hospital, Maidstone
Maidstone · 20 miles away
from£3,348Cataract Surgery
What’s included: KIMS calls this a guide “from” price. Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
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Optegra Maidstone
West Malling · 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 Maidstone 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 Southend-on-Sea.
Hospital by hospital
Southend Private Hospital, Westcliff-on-Sea, 0.4 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Outstanding, report August 2022). Cataract surgery £175 (first consultation £175 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
Spire Wellesley Hospital, Southend-on-Sea, 1.4 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report October 2026). Cataract surgery from £3,297 (first consultation £216 included; aftercare included), £3,122 above the local lowest.
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Gillingham, Gillingham, 13 miles away (Practice Plus Group; CQC Good, report November 2022). Cataract surgery £2,099, £1,924 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Chelmsford Clinic, Chelmsford, 16 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, £1,825 above the local lowest.
Springfield Hospital, Chelmsford, 16 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report August 2026). Cataract surgery from £3,161 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £2,986 above the local lowest.
Spire Alexandra Hospital, Chatham, 17 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Requires improvement, report September 2017). Cataract surgery from £3,019 (first consultation £188 included; aftercare included), £2,844 above the local lowest.
Spire Hartswood Hospital, Brentwood, 18 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report March 2022). Cataract surgery from £3,275 (first consultation £231 included; aftercare included), £3,100 above the local lowest.
KIMS Hospital, Maidstone, Maidstone, 20 miles away (KIMS Hospital; CQC Good, report October 2019). Cataract surgery from £3,348 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £3,173 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Dartford Hospital, Dartford, 20 miles away (Optical Express; CQC Good, report June 2022). Cataract surgery from £2,000, £1,825 above the local lowest.
Optegra Maidstone, West Malling, 23 miles away (Optegra; CQC Good, report October 2026). Cataract surgery £2,995 (Standard Cataract Treatment (per eye)) or £3,695 (Enhanced Cataract Treatment (per eye)), £2,820 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 11 local prices span £3,520, from £175 to £3,695; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995.
Within 5 miles of central Southend-on-Sea: Southend Private Hospital (0.4 miles) and Spire Wellesley Hospital (1.4 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Southend-on-Sea: Practice Plus Group Hospital, Gillingham (13 miles), Optical Express - Chelmsford Clinic (16 miles), Springfield Hospital (16 miles), Spire Alexandra Hospital (17 miles), Spire Hartswood Hospital (18 miles), KIMS Hospital, Maidstone (20 miles), Optical Express - Dartford Hospital (20 miles) and Optegra Maidstone (23 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 £175 to £3,695 at 10 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Mid and South Essex: half had waited over 14 weeks; 9 in 10 within 44 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 Southend-on-Sea
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 14.2 wks | 59.0% | 457 | 44 wks | 13,629 |
| East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 12.4 wks | 64.1% | 34 | 36 wks | 9,222 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, 0.3 miles from Southend-on-Sea: 13,629 people on the ophthalmology list, 59.0% within 18 weeks, 457 over a year, nine in ten within 44 weeks.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, 26 miles from Southend-on-Sea: 9,222 people on the ophthalmology list, 64.1% within 18 weeks, 34 over a year, nine in ten within 36 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: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation 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 19 miles: 2 good, 4 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? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex Tongue Tie Division | 6.3 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Maldon Eye Clinic | 12 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Lasercare Clinics (Harrogate) Limited | 15 miles | Good | No |
| Optical Express - Chelmsford Clinic | 16 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| SpaMedica Chelmsford | 16 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Sittingbourne | 16 miles | Good | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask KIMS Hospital, Maidstone and Springfield Hospital for an itemised quote, as their prices are published as a single figure.
- Ask whether the price is per eye and which lens it includes.
Nearby
Cataract surgery in nearby places
- Maidstone 21 miles
- Colchester 25 miles
- Ipswich 40 miles
- Watford 48 miles
- Crawley 48 miles
- Luton 53 miles
- Slough 55 miles
- Brighton and Hove 60 miles
Other treatments near Southend-on-Sea
This page also covers 4 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Hockley and Hawkwell, Rochford, Great Wakering, Ashingdon.
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: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, East Suffolk and North Essex 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.