Restoring the light: a guide to cataract surgery in India

In this guide

1. Waiting times at home
2. Going private at home
3. The operation
4. Choosing your lens
5. What it costs in India
6. When is the trip worth it?
7. The journey, step by step
8. Questions to ask

Cataracts rarely announce themselves. They creep in quietly. The newspaper print blurs a little. The colours in your garden fade and take on a yellowish tinge. Oncoming headlights start to glare, night driving becomes stressful, and moving around your own home can bring a new fear of falling.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, and it is a normal part of ageing. The fix is one of the most common and successful operations in modern medicine: the surgeon removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial one, often in well under half an hour.

The operation is simple. The wait, for some people, is not. This guide explains what waiting and private surgery look like in the UK, Canada and Australia, how cataract surgery in India works, how to choose a lens, and an honest view of when the trip is worth it.

Waiting times at home

Because cataracts aren't immediately dangerous, public systems often place them behind more urgent operations:

• Canada: the median wait for cataract surgery was 22.8 weeks in 2024, above the national benchmark of 16 weeks, with large differences between provinces.¹
• Australia: the median wait for cataract surgery in public hospitals was 90 days in 2024-25.²
• England: the NHS aims to treat patients within 18 weeks of referral, but many cataract patients wait longer, and waits vary from area to area.³

If both eyes need surgery, they are often done on separate dates, which can mean living with mismatched vision for a while.

Going private at home

Private cataract surgery is quicker but adds up, especially for both eyes:

• UK: private cataract surgery typically costs about £2,000 to £5,000 per eye, depending on the lens.⁴
• Australia: private cataract surgery costs about AU$4,000 to $6,000 per eye before insurance.⁵
• USA: about $3,000 to $6,000 per eye before insurance.⁶

Premium lenses, such as those that correct astigmatism or reduce the need for glasses, usually cost extra on top of these prices.

The operation

Standard surgery (phacoemulsification)

The most common technique worldwide is phacoemulsification. Through a tiny incision in the cornea, the surgeon uses an ultrasound probe to break up the cloudy lens and remove it, then places a folded artificial lens inside the eye, where it unfolds. The incision usually seals itself without stitches. The operation is typically done under local anaesthetic, often with numbing drops, and usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Experienced eye surgeons in India perform it very frequently.

Laser-assisted surgery

Some eye hospitals in India, as elsewhere, offer femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, where a laser makes some of the incisions and softens the cataract. It sounds more advanced, but two large trials published in 2020 found it was not better on average than standard surgery for vision or complications, and it costs more.^{7 8} It may still suit particular eyes, so ask your surgeon whether it would make a real difference in your case.

More advanced doesn't always mean better. Ask what difference a technique or lens would make for your eyes.

Choosing your lens

Your choice of artificial lens shapes how you'll see for the rest of your life, so it deserves careful thought. Before surgery, the hospital measures your eye precisely to choose the right lens power.

• Monofocal lens: clear vision at one distance, usually far. Most people still need reading glasses. This is the standard lens in public systems.
• Toric lens: corrects astigmatism, an irregular curve of the cornea, for sharper vision at one distance.
• Multifocal and trifocal lenses: designed to give clear vision at near, middle and far distances, so many people need glasses less often. Some people notice glare or halos around lights at night.
• Extended depth of focus (EDOF) lenses: give a continuous range from distance to middle vision, usually with fewer night-time halos than multifocal lenses, though you may still need glasses for close reading.

Hospitals in India use lenses from the same international manufacturers found in clinics in the UK, Canada and Australia. Ask for the exact lens brand and model in your written estimate, and make sure it's recorded in your discharge notes.

What it costs in India

Hospitals that regularly treat international patients usually charge towards the upper end of these ranges, and sometimes above them. Even so, a premium lens in India often costs less than a standard lens privately in the UK.

When is the trip worth it?

We'd rather be honest than sell you a trip that doesn't make sense. Cataract surgery itself is inexpensive in India, but flights and a week or so of accommodation cost the same whatever operation you have.

• One eye, standard lens: the travel costs can easily outweigh the saving, especially from Canada or Australia. The calculator on our home page shows this for some countries.
• Both eyes: the travel cost is shared across two operations, and both can be done during one trip.
• Premium lenses: the gap between private prices at home and in India is larger.
• A long wait: if your vision is affecting your independence and the wait at home is long, timing may matter more than cost.

The journey, step by step

1. Share your detailsRequest a case review and send your optometrist's or eye specialist's report. We'll arrange a secure way to receive it.
2. An opinion and a written estimateWith your consent, we share your details with suitable eye hospitals in India. They typically reply within a few days, and many can arrange a video consultation to talk through lens options.
3. Visa and travelIf you go ahead, we help with the hospital's invitation letter and your e-Medical visa, which is often processed in about 3 to 5 business days, and plan flights and accommodation near the hospital.¹⁰
4. MeasurementsSoon after you arrive, the hospital takes precise measurements of your eye to choose the right lens power.
5. SurgeryCataract surgery is a day procedure. You're awake, the eye is numbed, and the operation usually takes 15 to 30 minutes. You go back to your accommodation the same day, usually with a protective shield over the eye for the first night.
6. The second eye and check-upsIf both eyes need surgery, your surgeon will decide the timing; in India the second eye is often done a few days later. Check-ups confirm that each eye is healing well. A total stay of about 7 to 10 days is common.
7. Home, with your recordsWe collect your surgical notes and the exact details of your implanted lenses, so your optometrist at home can continue your care.

Questions to ask before you decide

• How many cataract operations does the surgeon perform each year?
• Which lens do you recommend for my eyes and lifestyle, and which brand and model is it?
• Would laser-assisted surgery make a real difference in my case, or is standard surgery just as good?
• If both eyes need surgery, how far apart will they be done, and why?
• What does the estimate include: measurements, surgery, lens, medicines, check-ups?
• When can I fly, and what follow-up will I need at home?

Clearer vision, on your terms

Your eyesight shapes how you experience the world, your family and your independence. You don't have to accept fading vision while you wait, and you don't have to empty your savings either. Sometimes surgery at home is the sensible choice; sometimes a short trip to India is. We'll help you work out which.

We'll handle the logistics, so you can focus on the moment you open your eyes and see the world clearly once again.

Find out whether it makes sense for you

Request a case review. A coordinator will reply by email, and with your consent we'll ask eye hospitals in India for an opinion and a written estimate, including your lens options.

Request a case review

Medical disclaimer. This article is general information, not medical advice. It does not replace advice from your own optometrist or an eye surgeon, who can assess your individual situation. Prices and waiting times are indicative, drawn from the sources below, and can change. Last reviewed 4 October 2026.

Sources

1. Fraser Institute, Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2024 Report (PDF).
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Elective surgery waiting times, 2024-25.
3. NHS England, Referral to treatment waiting times statistics.
4. Which?, Private surgery in the UK: costs and what you need to know.
5. Compare the Market, Cataract surgery cost in Australia.
6. CoveredUSA, Average cost of 25 common medical procedures without insurance (2026).
7. Schweitzer C, et al. Femtosecond laser-assisted versus phacoemulsification cataract surgery (FEMCAT). The Lancet, 2020.
8. Day AC, et al. Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery versus phacoemulsification cataract surgery (FACT): a randomized noninferiority trial. Ophthalmology, 2020.
9. WhatsTheCost.in, Cataract surgery cost in India 2026.
10. Government of India, e-Visa (including e-Medical visa); processing times from my1health.