Spire Healthcare and Nuffield Health are both large UK private hospital groups that offer cataract surgery, and their self-pay prices vary by lens type, hospital location and the consultant you see — so there is no single “cheaper” answer. The reliable way to compare is to get a written, itemised quote from each for the same lens and check exactly what is included. For reference, Sapphire Eye Care lists monofocal cataract surgery from £2,900 per eye, EDOF from £3,796 and multifocal from £4,300 per eye.
Comparing cataract providers in 2026
Search for private cataract surgery and you will meet a mix of names: dedicated eye-surgery chains, consultant-led clinics like ours, and general private hospital groups such as Spire and Nuffield Health that treat everything from hips to hearts alongside eyes. It is tempting to line up the headline prices and pick the lowest, but that number rarely tells the whole story. One quote might bundle the lens, scans and aftercare; another might list a tempting starting figure and add those things on later.
Published prices also move around, and they differ from one hospital site to the next even within the same group, so we do not quote specific figures for other providers here — always confirm the current, written price directly with each hospital. For a wider view, see our guide to comparing private cataract clinic prices.
Who are Spire and Nuffield?
Spire Healthcare is one of the UK’s largest independent hospital groups, running private hospitals across England, Wales and Scotland that cover a broad range of specialties, cataract surgery among them, on a self-pay or insured basis. Nuffield Health is a UK healthcare charity with private hospitals nationwide (plus its well-known fitness and wellbeing centres); its hospitals also offer cataract surgery, self-pay or through private medical insurance. Because both are general hospital groups rather than eye-only chains, the consultant who treats you — and the lens choice on offer — can vary between sites, which is exactly why an itemised quote matters.
Want a straight, itemised figure to compare? Each hospital can tell you exactly what its price covers — no add-ons.
Get an itemised quoteWhat to compare before you choose
Still weighing it up? Our guides on whether private cataract surgery is worth it and UK vs abroad costs may help.
UK cataract cost in context
The lens you choose drives most of the cost difference between providers. For reference, Sapphire Eye Care’s published cataract prices per eye are:
| Lens type | Sapphire Eye Care, from (per eye) |
|---|---|
| Monofocal IOL | from £2,900 |
| Toric IOL (astigmatism) | not separately priced |
| EDOF IOL | from £3,796 |
| Multifocal IOL | from £4,300 |
See the detail in our how much does cataract surgery cost guide and the full cataract surgery price guide.
The consultant-led alternative
Eye Surgery Clinic works with consultant-led partner clinics across South England, where a named consultant ophthalmic surgeon offers cataract surgery with a full range of premium lenses. If continuity of care and a clear total price matter to you, that is worth putting alongside any hospital-group quote. Read more on consultant-led cataract surgery cost or find your nearest consultant.