Eye surgery · Wells
Cataract surgery in Wells: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£2,000
Optical Express - Bristol Hospital, Bristol · 17 miles away
Typical price
£2,249
The middle of 8 published cataract surgery prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
9 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Somerset 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 Wells
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Optical Express - Bristol Hospital
Bristol · 17 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 - Bristol Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included Free -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet · 4.2 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, Shepton Mallet Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green
Bristol · 22 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, Emersons Green Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet · 4.2 miles away
£2,249Cataract surgery – enhanced 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, Shepton Mallet Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green
Bristol · 22 miles away
£2,249Cataract surgery – enhanced 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, Emersons Green Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital
Taunton · 24 miles away
£3,835Cataract 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 Taunton Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,835 -
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield
Bristol · 17 miles away
£3,870Cataract 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 Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,870 -
Spire Bristol Hospital
Bristol · 18 miles away
from£5,631Cataract 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 £250 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Bristol Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Treatment Included from £5,381 Aftercare 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 Wells.
Hospital by hospital
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet, Shepton Mallet, 4.2 miles away (Practice Plus Group; CQC Good, report June 2023). Cataract surgery £2,099 (Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens) or £2,249 (Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens), £99 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield, Bristol, 17 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report September 2026). Cataract surgery £3,870 (tests before treatment not included), £1,870 above the local lowest.
Optical Express - Bristol Hospital, Bristol, 17 miles away (Optical Express; not yet rated by CQC). Cataract surgery from £2,000, the lowest locally.
Spire Bristol Hospital, Bristol, 18 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report June 2022). Cataract surgery from £5,631 (first consultation £250 included; aftercare included), £3,631 above the local lowest.
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green, Bristol, 22 miles away (Practice Plus Group; CQC Good, report October 2026). Cataract surgery £2,099 (Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens) or £2,249 (Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens), £99 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital, Taunton, 24 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report November 2016). Cataract surgery £3,835 (tests before treatment not included), £1,835 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 8 local prices span £3,631, from £2,000 to £5,631; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet, is £99 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Wells: Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet (4.2 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Wells: Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield (17 miles), Optical Express - Bristol Hospital (17 miles), Spire Bristol Hospital (18 miles), Practice Plus Group Hospital, Emersons Green (22 miles) and Nuffield Health Taunton 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 £2,000 to £5,631 at 6 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Somerset: half had waited over 9 weeks; 9 in 10 within 29 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 Wells
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | 8.6 wks | 77.3% | 18 | 29 wks | 3,271 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, 24 miles from Wells: 3,271 people on the ophthalmology list, 77.3% within 18 weeks, 18 over a year, nine in ten within 29 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: Somerset NHS Foundation 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 25 miles: 4 good, 3 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? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vision Care Collective Ltd | 17 miles | Good | No |
| Optimax Laser Eye Clinics - Bristol | 17 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 17 miles | Good | No |
| Optical Express - Bristol Hospital | 17 miles | Not yet rated | Yes |
| SpaMedica Bristol | 19 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Taunton | 22 miles | Good | No |
| Newmedica Aztec West | 23 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital - The Chesterfield and Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Optical Express - Bristol Hospital (17 miles) against Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet (4.2 miles): the £99 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 44 miles
- Bournemouth 47 miles
- Gloucester 48 miles
- Exeter 51 miles
- Southampton 58 miles
- Basingstoke 67 miles
- Oxford 71 miles
- Chichester 85 miles
Other treatments near Wells
This page also covers 8 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Street, Sherborne, Glastonbury, Highbridge, Somerton.
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: Somerset 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.