Understanding the Costs of Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery can have a tremendous impact on your quality of life and it is ranked as one of the greatest cost-benefit health procedures in medicine!  It is an investment in yourself, as your vision is one of the few things that you use every waking moment of your life.

However, like anything that is worth doing well, there are some costs involved. Here we explain the costs of cataract surgery, and how private insurance impacts this. You need to consider these costs against the value of having excellent eyesight, and all the benefits that this may bring to your life.

Cataract surgery fees explained by Dr Nick Andrew

Ask your doctor about each of these 10 different fees

  • 1
    Fee for your initial consult
  • 2

    Fee for your eye measurements (called biometry)

  • 3
    Surgeon’s fee
  • 4
    Anaesthetist’s fee
  • 5
    Hospital fee
  • 6

    Fee for lens implant

  • 7
    Post-operative eyedrops
  • 8
    Post-operative clinic visits (usually covered by Medicare)
  • 9
    YAG laser capsulotomy
  • 10
    Fee for surgical revisions and adjustments (hopefully not required)

What does cataract surgery cost if you are uninsured?

If you are not insured for cataract surgery then you will need to pay for each of the 10 items listed above. However, you will also receive Medicare rebates for some of these costs. Uninsured patients will usually have a total out of pocket cost that is somewhere between two thousand dollars and six thousand dollars per eye, depending on the cataract surgery that they are having.

What does cataract surgery cost if you are insured?

If you have private health insurance for cataract surgery then your insurance will reduce the cost of your care by several thousand dollars per eye. For example, insured patients typically pay an out of pocket cost that is somewhere between $500 and $2500 per eye, depending on how elaborate their cataract surgery is.

How can I compare fees between clinics?

Beware that there can be hidden fees with cataract surgery. Therefore, when comparing different clinics, always ensure that you are comparing the total out of pocket cost of your entire treatment journey, from first appointment through to final discharge

When comparing fees from different providers, it is important to compare quality. You need to compare “apples with apples”.  Cataract surgery is a short operation, and some treatments offered are very basic. However, your result will matter to you much more than any fee. Your cataract surgery will determine your eyesight for the rest of your life and it is worth doing right.

At Sight Specialists, we are committed to perfect financial transparency, excellent value, and the very highest quality of care.

Learn more about customised cataract surgery at these pages: