A private TransForm corneal inlay for presbyopia costs from £3,950 to £4,250 per eye at Eye Surgery Clinic partner clinics, all-inclusive of the consultant refractive and corneal assessment, the topography, tomography and epithelial mapping, the femtosecond-laser inlay placement, the sterile donor allograft itself, post-op drops and a structured 12-month aftercare pathway. Most patients have a single inlay placed in the non-dominant eye for a monovision-style reading boost; a bilateral programme is £6,950 in total.
What is a TransForm corneal inlay?
The TransForm Corneal Allograft (TCA) is a sterile, small disc of processed human donor cornea, around 3 mm across and roughly 30 microns thick, supplied by Allotex from accredited tissue establishments. Using the same femtosecond laser platform used for cataract and SMILE laser eye surgery, the surgeon creates a small intra-stromal pocket in the patient's cornea and inserts the allograft into the centre of the non-dominant eye. The disc gently steepens the central cornea and increases its depth of focus, restoring near and intermediate vision without affecting the dominant distance eye.
Because the inlay is human corneal tissue rather than a synthetic material, it integrates without the long-term inflammation, thinning and removal-rate problems that limited earlier synthetic inlays (KAMRA, Raindrop and Flexivue Microlens). It is also reversible — the allograft can be removed and the cornea returns to its pre-operative refractive state.
A corneal inlay is one of several private presbyopia options. The others sit on our PRESBYOND laser blended vision, refractive lens exchange (RLE), light adjustable lens, trifocal IOL, EDOF IOL, EVO Viva presbyopic ICL, Brimochol PF and Vuity pages. The inlay sits between drops and lens-based surgery: more effective and longer-lasting than drops, less invasive and fully reversible compared to RLE.
TransForm corneal inlay prices
The corneal inlay is priced per eye. The standard monovision protocol places one allograft in the non-dominant eye; a bilateral protocol places one in each eye for patients who need a stronger near boost. Each tier covers the consultant assessment, the imaging suite, the femtosecond-laser placement, the allograft and a structured 12-month aftercare pathway.
Where the inlay is not the best fit — typically high hyperopia, significant astigmatism or early cataract — your consultant will recommend an alternative on the refractive lens exchange, RLE pricing, trifocal IOL pricing, EDOF IOL pricing or implant-lens hub page.
Not sure whether an inlay is the right next step? A consultant refractive and corneal assessment will tell you, with full corneal imaging and a clear quote.
Book a presbyopia assessmentWhat's included in the price
Each TransForm corneal inlay package is all-inclusive and covers:
- Consultant refractive and corneal assessment — dominance test, near-vision needs analysis, slit-lamp examination and a discussion of all presbyopia options
- Corneal imaging — topography, tomography, anterior-segment OCT, epithelial mapping and pupillometry
- The TransForm Corneal Allograft — a sterile small disc of processed human donor cornea from an accredited tissue establishment with serology screening and full traceability
- The femtosecond-laser inlay placement — a 15–20 minute day-case procedure under topical anaesthetic eye drops in a fully-equipped laser refractive theatre
- Post-op drops — preservative-free anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drops over the first 4–6 weeks
- Structured 12-month follow-up — reviews at day 1, week 1, month 1, month 3, month 6 and month 12 with topography and visual-acuity testing
Insurance cover varies: presbyopia surgery is sometimes self-funded but where there is co-existing refractive disease some insurers contribute — see our guidance for insured patients. Self-pay 0% finance over 12 months is available via our finance options at approximately £329 per month for a single-eye inlay.
Are you a candidate?
The corneal inlay is a precise refractive option, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Good candidates have:
- Reliance on reading glasses, computer glasses or magnifiers for near and intermediate work
- Age 45–60 with a stable distance prescription — plano, mild hyperopia or low myopia in the non-dominant eye
- Clear natural lenses with no early cataract — patients with cataract changes are usually better served by a presbyopia-correcting IOL
- Healthy cornea with adequate central thickness and a regular topography on imaging
- No active dry eye, anterior basement membrane dystrophy or keratoconus
- Tolerated monovision trial with contact lenses
High hyperopia or significant astigmatism is better corrected by adding PRESBYOND laser blended vision to the inlay, or by refractive lens exchange if the natural lens is already showing early ageing changes.