Sapphire Eye Care lists macular hole surgery from £7,000 per eye, and from £8,000 if your cataract is removed in the same operation. We checked Sapphire Eye Care’s price list on 17 September 2026. Its prices are “from” prices, and they are per eye unless it says otherwise. Blue Fin Vision, the other clinic group we work with, also repairs macular holes but doesn’t publish a price.
Macular hole surgery prices
Sapphire Eye Care, one of the two clinic groups we work with, with clinics in Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Sussex, publishes a starting price for each vitreoretinal operation. For a macular hole:
| Operation at Sapphire Eye Care | Price from (per eye) |
|---|---|
| Macular hole surgery (vitrectomy) | £7,000 |
| Vitrectomy with cataract surgery | £8,000 |
| Vitrectomy with enhanced cataract surgery (refractive lens exchange) | £8,700 |
Sapphire lists epiretinal membrane, retinal detachment, vitreomacular traction and vitreous haemorrhage surgery from £7,000 per eye as well, so a macular hole repair starts from the same price as those operations. The two higher prices apply when a cataract is removed during the vitrectomy; the “enhanced” option is listed with refractive lens exchange (RLE).
Blue Fin Vision, the other clinic group we work with, offers consultant-led macular hole repair at its clinics in London, Hertfordshire and Essex, but doesn’t publish a price for it, so ask for a written quote. Our page on vitreoretinal surgery prices covers the other retina operations.
Source: Sapphire Eye Care price list, read 17 September 2026.
What the price includes
Sapphire Eye Care says its surgical prices cover pre-surgical assessments, the operation, hospital and facility fees, surgeon’s fees, anaesthetic costs and the follow-up care you need. Consultations and scans are listed separately, so ask which of them the surgery price covers before you book.
Whichever clinic you choose, get these answers in writing:
- whether the price is for one eye, and what a second eye would cost if you need it
- whether the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the hospital and the gas bubble are all included
- which follow-up visits and scans are included — BEAVRS says you’re usually seen within one to two weeks of surgery and again one to three months later
- what you would pay if the hole doesn’t close and a second operation is needed
- whether cataract surgery is included, now or later
Moorfields Eye Hospital says the hole doesn’t close after the first operation in about 5 to 10% of cases, more often when it is large, and that further surgery might then be considered. That is why the last two questions matter as much as the headline price.
Consultations and scans
Before surgery, a specialist examines your eye to confirm the hole and plan the operation. Blue Fin Vision says its vitreoretinal assessment includes an examination with OCT imaging, a scan that shows the layers of the retina. Sapphire Eye Care lists its consultation and scan prices separately:
| Consultations and scans at Sapphire Eye Care | Price from |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | £240 |
| Initial consultation with an OCT scan | £340 |
| Follow-up consultation | £140 |
| Follow-up consultation with an OCT scan | £240 |
| Diagnostic testing (OCT and biometry) | £140 |
Biometry is the set of eye measurements used to choose a lens implant, so it matters if your cataract is to be removed at the same time. Ask each clinic whether your first consultation includes a scan and whether its fee counts towards the operation.
Having cataract surgery at the same time
Moorfields says vitrectomy almost always speeds up the development of a cataract, especially over the age of 50, usually within 6 to 12 months, and BEAVRS puts the chance at 4 in 5 if you haven’t already had cataract surgery. Because a cataract is so likely after vitrectomy, Moorfields and BEAVRS both say your surgeon may suggest removing it in the same operation.
At Sapphire Eye Care, vitrectomy with cataract surgery is listed from £8,000 per eye, and vitrectomy with enhanced cataract surgery (refractive lens exchange) from £8,700. If you’ve already had cataract surgery in that eye, the question doesn’t arise. For cataract surgery on its own, see our cataract surgery cost guide.
Insurance and paying
- Insurance. Sapphire Eye Care says it is recognised by insurers including Aviva, AXA Health, Bupa, Cigna, Vitality and WPA. Whether your policy pays for macular hole surgery depends on its terms, so check with your insurer before you book, and ask Blue Fin Vision directly if you would like to be treated there.
- Paying. Sapphire Eye Care says full payment is typically due on the day of treatment unless otherwise arranged, and that it offers the option to pay in instalments leading up to the procedure for certain treatments — ask whether macular hole surgery is one of them. Other payment terms are set by each clinic, so ask for them in writing before you book. Eye Surgery Clinic does not lend money or arrange finance. Our page on payment options by clinic lists what to ask.
NHS or private
Macular hole surgery is carried out on the NHS in hospital eye departments — Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, for example, publishes its own patient guide to the operation. Waiting times vary by hospital; our guide to NHS vitrectomy waiting times has more.
Timing matters with this operation. Moorfields says holes that haven’t been present for long are more likely to close, and BEAVRS says treatment within months tends to give a better improvement in vision. If you’re on an NHS list, ask how long the wait is likely to be, and if you’re thinking of going private, ask your NHS eye clinic how that would affect your place.
Getting a quote
When you send an enquiry, we pass it to the clinic group that covers your area, and they contact you to arrange a consultation. Ask for the total price, what it covers and what a second operation would cost. For what the operation and recovery involve, see our macular hole surgery guide, and for the gas bubble itself, our page on macular hole vitrectomy with a gas bubble.
About macular holes
Moorfields Eye Hospital describes a macular hole as a small hole or tear in the centre of the macula, the part of the retina you use for reading and other tasks that need sharp sight. It stops the macula working normally, so the centre of your vision becomes blurred or foggy, straight lines and letters can look bent, and a dark or blind spot can appear as the hole gets bigger. Your side vision isn’t affected. Moorfields says they are more common in people over 60 and twice as likely to affect women. Our macular hole condition guide explains more, and epiretinal membrane and retinal detachment are also treated by vitreoretinal surgeons.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Sapphire Eye Care: Our prices (prices from, per eye unless stated; read 17 September 2026)
- Blue Fin Vision: Vitreoretinal surgery (no published price for vitreoretinal surgery; read 17 September 2026)
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Macular hole: diagnosis and treatment (review date September 2028)
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Macular hole (NHS patient information)
- British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons (BEAVRS): Macular hole: patient information leaflet (2022 edition)
We only publish the prices of the clinic groups we work with. General information, not personal medical advice: your eye specialist will tell you which treatment, if any, suits your eyes.