Across 31 UK private hospitals that publish a price for cataract removal surgery, the indicative self-pay cost runs from £2,731 to £7,734, a median of £3,052. That is a spread of £5,003 — 183% — for the same procedure depending on where it is done.
| Hospital | Group | Listed as | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Lea | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,731 |
| Liverpool | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,751 |
| Gatwick Park | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,781 |
| Regency Hospital Macclesfield | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,784 |
| Yale | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,801 |
| Alexandra | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,831 |
| Leeds | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,881 |
| Norwich | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,891 |
| Murrayfield Hospital Wirral | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,971 |
| St Anthonys | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £2,985 |
| Harpenden | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,003 |
| Thames Valley | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,016 |
| Hartswood | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,044 |
| Dunedin | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,051 |
| Hull and East Riding | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,051 |
| Little Aston | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,052 |
| London East | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,066 |
| Wellesley | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,081 |
| Cardiff | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,135 |
| South Bank | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,160 |
| Elland | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,181 |
| Nottingham | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,192 |
| Bushey | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,220 |
| Parkway | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,241 |
| Leicester | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,246 |
| Cheshire | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,450 |
| Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,606 |
| Portsmouth | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £3,678 |
| Bristol | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction) | from £5,381 |
| Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction - bilateral) | from £5,691 |
| Bristol | Spire Healthcare | Cataract removal surgery (Cataract surgery with eyesight correction - bilateral) | from £7,734 |
Why cataract removal surgery prices vary this much
The 183% spread on cataract removal surgery is not a quality signal. Published prices differ because of what the package includes — length of stay, follow-up, implants or consumables — and because consultant fees and theatre costs vary by location. Some listings above are a specific variant of cataract removal surgery rather than the standard one, which is why the exact wording each hospital uses is shown.
Compare like with like before reading anything into the cataract removal surgery gap: ask each hospital what the quoted figure covers, whether the initial consultation is included, and what happens to the price if you need a longer stay than the package assumes.
Would private health insurance pay for cataract removal surgery?
Not if you already have the problem. Cover is written for conditions that arise after it starts, so anything you already have symptoms of is a pre-existing condition and excluded — permanently under full medical underwriting, or until a symptom-free period has passed under a moratorium. Freedom Health Insurance names a five-year look-back; WPA adds a 14-day deferment on anything arising in the first fortnight.
Bought before symptoms, a policy is what turns £3,052 into a claim. Bought after, it will not. Get a free quote to see what cover would cost you, or read how UK cover compares and the FCA-authorised brokers.
Full price lists
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Cambridge Lea
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Liverpool
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Gatwick Park
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Regency Hospital Macclesfield
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Yale
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Alexandra
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Leeds
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Norwich
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare Murrayfield Hospital Wirral
- Every treatment priced at Spire Healthcare St Anthonys
Sources
- Source: Spire Healthcare Cambridge Lea, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-cambridge-lea-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Liverpool, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-liverpool-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Gatwick Park, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-gatwick-park-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Regency Hospital Macclesfield, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-regency-hospital-macclesfield/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Yale, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-yale-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Alexandra, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-alexandra-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Leeds, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-leeds-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Norwich, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-norwich-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Murrayfield Hospital Wirral, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-murrayfield-hospital-wirral/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare St Anthonys, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-st-anthonys-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Harpenden, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-harpenden-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Thames Valley, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-thames-valley-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Hartswood, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-hartswood-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Dunedin, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-dunedin-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Hull and East Riding, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-hull-and-east-riding-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Little Aston, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-little-aston-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare London East, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-london-east-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Wellesley, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-wellesley-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Cardiff, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-cardiff-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare South Bank, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-south-bank-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Elland, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-elland-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Nottingham, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-nottingham-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Bushey, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-bushey-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Parkway, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-parkway-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Leicester, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-leicester-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Cheshire, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-cheshire-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-edinburgh-hospitals-murrayfield-and-shawfair-park/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Portsmouth, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-portsmouth-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Bristol, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-bristol-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-edinburgh-hospitals-murrayfield-and-shawfair-park/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.
- Source: Spire Healthcare Bristol, https://www.spirehealthcare.com/spire-bristol-hospital/treatments/prices/, read 4 September 2026.