You can pay monthly for private cataract surgery in the UK, from around £242 per month per eye for a monofocal lens spread over 12 months interest-free. A premium EDOF lens works out at roughly £316 a month and a multifocal or trifocal lens at about £358 a month, per eye, over the same term. Choose a longer repayment period and the monthly figure drops further, as a low-rate interest-bearing plan. Whichever you pick, the price you spread is all-inclusive — consultant surgeon, theatre, your chosen lens and every follow-up — with nothing extra to find later.
What the monthly payment actually is
The monthly figure is simply the surgery price divided across your chosen number of months. Because our cataract prices are all-inclusive, there are no add-ons creeping onto the bill afterwards — the amount you agree is the amount you pay. Here is what each lens works out at over a 12-month interest-free plan, per eye:
These are the interest-free figures. If a 12-month plan is more than you want to commit to each month, a longer term spreads the same price more thinly — see the section on keeping the monthly low below. For the interest-free mechanics in detail, our 0% cataract finance page walks through eligibility and how the lender decision works. The underlying prices come straight from our cataract surgery cost list.
Want your exact monthly figure? A consultation confirms the right lens for your eyes and gives you a written, all-inclusive quote you can spread over the term that suits you.
Book a cataract consultationChoosing a repayment term
The term is the lever that sets your monthly payment. A short term costs less overall but more each month; a long term is gentler month to month but usually carries interest once you go past the 0% window. Roughly how it breaks down:
- 12 months, interest-free. The whole surgery price, no interest added — you repay exactly what the surgery costs. Best if the monthly amount is comfortable.
- 24 to 36 months, low-rate. A smaller monthly payment, offered as interest-bearing finance, so the total repaid is a little more than the surgery price. Useful when you'd rather keep each month light.
You'll see the exact figures — monthly amount, total repayable and any interest — in your credit agreement before you sign anything. Nothing is hidden and there's no obligation to take the longest term just because it's available. If you're weighing whether the whole thing is worth it, our honest take is on is private cataract surgery worth it.
Paying monthly for both eyes
Most people having cataract surgery need both eyes done, usually a week or two apart. On a monthly plan you can simply double the per-eye figure — two monofocal lenses come to around £484 a month over 12 months interest-free — or stretch the combined £5,800 across a longer, lower-cost-per-month term. Some patients treat the second eye slightly later and start its plan then, which keeps the two payments from landing at once. Your care team will help you time it. There's a full breakdown on our both eyes cost page, and if you've already had one eye done, the second eye cost page covers that.
Keeping the monthly payment low
A few things move the number, and you get to decide most of them:
- Stretch the term. The single biggest lever — 24 or 36 months instead of 12 brings each payment down, at the cost of some interest.
- Put down a deposit. Optional, but paying a little up front reduces the amount financed and every monthly instalment after it.
- Match the lens to the job. A monofocal lens gives excellent distance vision for the lowest monthly; premium EDOF and trifocal lenses cost more but reduce your reliance on glasses. Your surgeon will be honest about which you actually need.
- Use insurance where you can. If a policy covers a standard lens but you want a premium one, you can often just finance the premium-lens top-up rather than the whole cost. See insured patients.
Paying monthly instead of waiting
It's worth putting the monthly figure next to the alternative. NHS cataract surgery is free but comes with a wait that runs to many months in a lot of regions, and it doesn't offer premium lenses — the current picture is on our NHS waiting list and wait versus private cost pages. For a lot of people the sum is straightforward: a set monthly payment now, against another year of struggling with glare, night driving and blurred vision while the list moves. Only you can judge whether that trade is worth it, but paying monthly is often what makes going private possible in the first place. The procedure itself is explained on our cataract surgery page.