Can I Get Lens Replacement Surgery on the NHS?

If you have a vision problem that can be corrected by wearing contact lenses or glasses, you won’t be entitled to lens replacement surgery on the NHS and will have to seek private treatment from a clinic of your choice. This also means you’ll have to pay for the entire procedure. However, if your vision is severely impacted by cataracts, you will be entitled to cataract surgery on the NHS. For example, you may be eligible if your vision is hampering your ability to drive, read or look after someone you’re caring for. Previously, patients had to wait until they could barely see before they were deemed suitable for cataract operations but, thankfully, these guidelines have been relaxed to accommodate people whose sight has been affected during the earlier stages of cataracts, too. Now, there are no specific guidelines in place for how your sight should be before you can have cataract surgery, but you may need to check with your local hospital as to what their criteria are. Sometimes, you may also be recommended for cataract surgery on the NHS if you’re suffering from another eye-related condition, e.g. diabetic retinopathy, as this can’t be treated or monitored effectively if cataracts develop.

Am I Eligible for Lens Replacement Surgery?

As well as having one of the aforementioned conditions, there are a number of criteria you must meet in order to be deemed suitable for lens replacement surgery. Below, you’ll see a list of things that demonstrate whether you are or are not eligible: You’re Suitable for Lens Replacement Surgery If: You’re 21 to 80 years old. You’re not suitable for laser eye surgery due to your corneas being too thin. You’re healthy. You don’t have any existing infections in your eye(s). Your glasses prescription hasn’t altered for at least six months. You’re not allergic to anaesthetics. You’re Not Suitable for Lens Replacement Surgery If: You’re HIV positive. You’re taking immunosuppressant drugs. You have an autoimmune disease. You have a pacemaker. You’ve got retinal detachment or have experienced a severe eye trauma in the past. You’re pregnant or breastfeeding. You have other eye-related problems, e.g. glaucoma or uveitis (for PIOL patients). You have a certain medical condition, including the herpes virus, hepatitis C or diabetes.

Is There Anything I Should Avoid After Surgery?

To help make sure your recovery period is a successful one, there are a number of things you’ll need to avoid post-surgery to ensure this, including: Avoid swimming for a week after your surgery Refrain from contact sports for a month – non-contact sports (e.g. jogging or going to the gym) can be resumed the day after your surgery, but you should try not to overexert yourself as high blood pressure can hamper your recovery Avoid touching your eyes or letting any smoke, dust or sweat get into them for at least a month to help prevent any infections To reduce your risk of eye fatigue try not to watch television for too long and refrain from extended periods of computer work Avoid driving for a few days after your surgery (your surgeon will be able to advise when it’s safe for you to resume this) Finally, to promote a healthy healing environment within your eyes, always use the anti-inflammatory drops that have been prescribed to you by your surgeon.

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Lens Replacement Surgery Costs

Written by Joy Watford

Updated 2nd Oct 2023

Mobile – OE V2

Tablet – OE V2

Updates

8th Nov 2021: Monofocal & Multifocal lens surgery prices added.
2nd Feb 2022: Optegra Monofocal Lens price increased by £296 to £3,295 and multifocal increased by £100 to £3,595.
Jan 27th 2023: For Optimax and Ultralase, increased prices of monofocal and multifocal RLE from £2,745 to £2,945 and £3,245 respectively. For Optegra, increased multifocal RLE from £3,595 to £3,795
6th June 2023: Centre for Sight’s lens Surgery prices increased from £3,150 – £3,995 and £4,100 – £4,500 monofocal and multifocal lenses respectively.
2nd Oct 2023: For Optimax and Ultralase, £500 increase to monofocal and multifocal RLE from £2,945 and £3, 445 to £3,495 and £3,995 respectively.

Lens replacement surgery costs largely depend on the clinic and specific lens replacement technique used. You can expect to pay between £1,995 and £3,995 per eye for lens surgery using monofocal lenses and between £3,195 and £4,500 per eye for multifocal or trifocal lenses.

If you have a higher prescription or more complex problem you may be required to pay more in some clinics that have tiered pricing that takes into account the patient as well as the lens and treatment selected. Some clinics offer a free initial consultation but some charge up to £475 which is taken off the cost of surgery should you proceed.

The table below are the range of lens surgery prices charged in UK clinics. As you can see mutlifocal lens replacement surgery is general more expensive than monofocal which is typically the cheapest lens surgery available.

The more expensive prices in the range of each type are due to better lenses being used within that category (i.e. Trifocal Toric Lens), more complex cases or clinics based in London or the South East.

Lens Replacement Surgery Costs By Type

Lens Surgery Type (Prices are per eye)	Consultation	From	To
Refractive Lens Exchange (Monofocal Lens)	Free up to £350	£1,995	£3,995
Refractive Lens Exchange (Multifocal Lens)	Free up to £350	£3,195	£4,500
Implantable Contact Lens	Free up to £350	£2,495	£3,795
Cataract Surgery	Free up to £295	£2,495	£4,300

Refractive Lens Exchange Costs By Clinic

Clinic	Consultation	Monofocal (Per Eye)	Multifocal (Per Eye)
Optical Express	£0	£1,995*	£3,195
Optimax	£0	£3,495	£3,995
Optegra	£0	£3,295	£3,795
Center For Sight	£475	£3,310- £3,775 **	£4,350 – £4,725 **

Prices per eye accurate as of 2nd Oct 2023

*18.6% of patients assessed at consultation had one or both eyes with a prescription which qualified for surgery at this price point.

** Higher price is for Toric lenses which are required for higher prescriptions.

Finance Available

All clinics will offer a variety of financing options to help spread the cost of lens replacement surgery over several months.

Many will offer 0% finance over 10-12 months and if you would like to pay off the balance over a longer period in order to reduce the monthly payments you should expect to pay about 9.5%-11.5% APR.

Always check the total amount you are repaying if you are getting finance – the low monthly repayments are attractive but you can end up paying more than a third more than the original price due to the interest rate. Below are an example of the monthly payments you can expect to pay for for the different treatment types over 2 durations. The exact terms offered by clinics near you are available if you fill in our short form on the right.

Lens Surgery Type (Prices are per eye)	Deposit*	10 Months	36 Months
Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE / CLE)	£0 up to £1,250	£250 (0% APR)	£64 (11.5% APR)
Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL / IOL)	£0 up to £1,250	£200 (0% APR)	£51 (11.5% APR)
Cataract Surgery	£0 up to £1,250	£250 (0% APR)	£64 (11.5% APR)