Cataract surgery 2026: public, the Cataract Surgeries Programme or private? Waiting times, fees and subsidies compared
Public hospital cataract surgery follows the Hospital Authority's ophthalmology surgery waiting list; from October 2025 to September 2026 the median wait by cluster was 7 to 26 months. The Hospital Authority's Cataract Surgeries Programme gives invited patients a fixed HK$8,000 subsidy for surgery in the private sector, with a patient co-payment of up to HK$8,000 (Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2024). Privately, at the 4 hospitals and medical centres Book a Doctor checked, single-eye packages including the doctor's fee cost about HK$20,100 to HK$23,800.
What are the routes to cataract surgery?
Compiled by this site: there are three common routes: waiting at a Hospital Authority public hospital, having the surgery in the private sector through the Hospital Authority's Cataract Surgeries Programme (a public-private partnership), or paying privately at a private hospital or medical centre; the conditions, waiting, fees and documents for each route are in the table below.
Whether cataract surgery is needed, and which intraocular lens to use, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.
| Item | Public hospital (Hospital Authority) | Cataract Surgeries Programme (Hospital Authority public-private partnership) | Private hospital or medical centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to start | Through a Hospital Authority ophthalmology specialist outpatient clinic: a new appointment needs a referral letter issued by a locally registered doctor within the last three months, and a letter from a private doctor is also accepted; cataract patients are triaged by ophthalmologists according to their condition | The Hospital Authority invites routine-case patients on the surgery waiting list who are suitable for surgery under local anaesthesia, with priority for those who have waited longer; in November 2024 the invited patients had waited 14 months or more | Book directly with the hospital or doctor; if using medical insurance, first ask the insurer whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed |
| Waiting | Median waiting time for cataract surgery by cluster 7 to 26 months (October 2025 to September 2026) | Patients have already waited on the Hospital Authority waiting list before being invited | As arranged by the hospital or doctor |
| Fees | For Eligible Persons, HK$250 per specialist outpatient attendance; HK$250 per day procedure, and HK$300 per day in an acute bed (from 1 January 2026) | Fixed Hospital Authority subsidy of HK$8,000; patient co-payment of up to HK$8,000 | 4 single-eye packages that include the doctor's fee, about HK$20,100 to HK$23,800 |
| Fee protection | Annual charge cap of HK$10,000 (by application); those in financial difficulty can apply for a medical fee waiver | The Government has said it does not plan to allow Elderly Health Care Vouchers to be used for the co-payment | Depends on medical insurance; some private hospitals have separate packages for public hospital patients |
| Documents to prepare | Hong Kong Identity Card; referral letter | As set out in the Hospital Authority's invitation | Proof of identity; insurance documents; packages for public hospital patients require a public hospital appointment letter or follow-up slip |
How long is the wait for cataract surgery in a public hospital?
For patients who had cataract surgery in the Hospital Authority from October 2025 to September 2026, the median waiting time across the seven hospital clusters (on the former boundaries) was 7 to 26 months, and the 90th percentile was 11 to 47 months; as at 30 September 2026 there were 67,061 bookings on the surgery waiting list, and the data are next due to be updated on 29 January 2027 (Hospital Authority figures published through DATA.GOV.HK).
Cataract patients are triaged by ophthalmologists into first priority (for example mature cataract with poorer vision, with a target of surgery within two months), second priority (for example occupational need, with a target within 12 months) and non-priority routine cases (Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2024).
The Hospital Authority is adding at least 5,000 more cataract operations in 2025-26, through measures including setting up high-volume cataract surgery centres and running the Cataract Surgeries Programme, and expects the projected waiting time for surgery to fall from 30 months to 24 months by the end of the year (Government paper to the Legislative Council, July 2025).
New cases at ophthalmology specialist outpatient clinics have a separate wait: from October 2025 to September 2026, the median waiting time for stable new cases in Hospital Authority Ophthalmology across the seven hospital clusters (on the former boundaries) was 25 to 65 weeks; see Ophthalmology public waiting times.
Public or private? How long each institution takes for cataract surgery and what it costs
The table below puts the Hospital Authority's seven hospital clusters (waiting for cataract surgery, October 2025 to September 2026) side by side with the private hospitals that publish cataract surgery fees or bill statistics, so you can compare the wait and the cost yourself. This site does not rank them; the order is fixed and has nothing to do with speed or price.
Public: the median waiting time ranges from 7 to 26 months, a difference of 19 months between the shortest and longest cluster; as at 30 September 2026 there were 67,061 bookings waiting. Private: the hospitals' fee schedules do not list waiting times; package prices are only quotations, while bill statistics are the median and 90th percentile of past actual charges, and the two are different.
| Institution | How long the wait is | What it costs (HK$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public: Hospital Authority Hong Kong East Cluster | Median 16 months; 90th percentile 27 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 8,907 bookings on the waiting list; 3,502 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster | Median 7 months; 90th percentile 11 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 3,133 bookings on the waiting list; 4,227 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority Kowloon Central Cluster | Median 20 months; 90th percentile 24 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 11,206 bookings on the waiting list; 6,392 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority Kowloon East Cluster | Median 26 months; 90th percentile 30 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 9,747 bookings on the waiting list; 3,399 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority Kowloon West Cluster | Median 12 months; 90th percentile 47 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 11,785 bookings on the waiting list; 2,941 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority New Territories East Cluster | Median 12 months; 90th percentile 28 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 10,314 bookings on the waiting list; 5,081 operations in the year |
| Public: Hospital Authority New Territories West Cluster | Median 19 months; 90th percentile 32 months | HK$250 per day procedure (Eligible Persons, from 1 January 2026) | 11,969 bookings on the waiting list; 3,716 operations in the year |
| Private: CUHK Medical Centre | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$23,380 (day case, local anaesthesia); actual bills (day surgery) median HK$33,770, 90th percentile HK$43,700 | Hong Kong residents only, and day case or four-bed room only; doctors are graded according to the patient's condition and the fee may be higher |
| Private: Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$11,800 (day case, local anaesthesia, normal risk); HK$15,340 (intermediate risk); actual bills (day surgery) median HK$23,800, 90th percentile HK$38,650 | Standard room only |
| Private: Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$25,730; actual bills (day surgery) median HK$30,409, 90th percentile HK$36,468 | Package service of the Ophthalmology Centre; only the fees at HKSH Healthcare in Admiralty are listed |
| Private: Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$21,220 (day case); actual bills (day surgery) median HK$14,927, 90th percentile HK$18,928 | Day admission; the ophthalmologist decides whether it applies |
| Private: HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$23,800 | Outpatient package plan of the cataract surgery centre |
| Private: Union Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$20,100 (day case); actual bills (day surgery) median HK$21,050, 90th percentile HK$26,000 | Day surgery, for non-inpatients only |
| Private: Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas) | Not listed in the fee schedule | One-eye package HK$21,800 (local anaesthesia); actual bills: Day and inpatient cases not separated: median HK$16,476, 90th percentile HK$22,079.50 | Public hospital patients only (a public hospital appointment letter or follow-up slip must be shown); 6 hours in a day bed |
| Private: St. Paul's Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | No package listed in the fee schedule; actual bills (day surgery) median HK$30,250, 90th percentile HK$36,500 | — |
| Private: Hong Kong Baptist Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | No package listed in the fee schedule; actual bills (day surgery) median HK$23,800, 90th percentile HK$23,800 | — |
| Private: St. Teresa's Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | No package listed in the fee schedule; actual bills (day surgery) median HK$25,693, 90th percentile HK$34,902 | — |
| Private: Evangel Hospital | Not listed in the fee schedule | No package listed in the fee schedule; actual bills (day surgery) median HK$23,000, 90th percentile HK$45,600 | — |
How does the Cataract Surgeries Programme subsidy work?
The Cataract Surgeries Programme is a Hospital Authority cataract surgery programme run on a public-private partnership model: the Hospital Authority provides a fixed subsidy of HK$8,000 for each participating patient to have surgery at a private healthcare institution, and the patient pays a co-payment of up to HK$8,000; in 2023-24 a total of 6,036 patients took part (Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2024).
The programme invites routine-case patients on the Hospital Authority's cataract surgery waiting list who are suitable for surgery under local anaesthesia, with priority given to those who have waited longer; the Government said it does not plan to allow Elderly Health Care Vouchers to be used for the programme's co-payment (Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2024).
Roughly how much does private cataract surgery cost?
Among the private hospitals and medical centres this site checked, 4 publish a single-eye package that includes the doctor's fee, at about HK$20,100 to HK$23,800; the median total charge for day surgery is about HK$14,927 to HK$33,770 (bill statistics published by 9 hospitals).
For each hospital's package conditions and bill statistics, see Cataract surgery fees compared.
| Item | Compiled by this site: private hospital and medical centre fees |
|---|---|
| Single-eye package including the doctor's fee | 4 institutions, from HK$20,100 (Union Hospital, day case) to HK$23,800 (HKBH East Kowloon Medical Centre, Hong Kong Baptist Hospital) |
| Package covering hospital charges only | Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong HK$11,800 (day case, general risk; doctor's fee charged separately) |
| Package for public hospital patients | Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas) HK$21,800 (local anaesthesia; a public hospital appointment letter or follow-up slip must be shown) |
| Median bill for day surgery | 9 hospitals, from HK$14,927 (Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan) to HK$33,770 (CUHK Medical Centre); Union Hospital's figures are statistics for January 2026 to June 2026, the others are for 2025 |
How do I compare private quotes?
When comparing, put the same item on the same basis: whether the package includes the doctor's fee and the anaesthetist's fee, the room class and length of stay, and which doctors or referral routes it applies to. Private hospitals must have a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).
Before a non-emergency procedure or admission, you can ask for a budget estimate of the service fees; the Department of Health has recommended 30 common non-emergency treatments and procedures for which private hospitals can provide a budget estimate before admission. For arrangements when using medical insurance, see Using medical insurance for a private specialist.
Frequently asked questions
How much does cataract surgery cost in a public hospital?
From 1 January 2026, Eligible Persons pay HK$250 per attendance for day procedures and treatment at Hospital Authority day facilities, and HK$300 per day in an acute bed; ask the hospital how cataract surgery is charged in a public hospital.
How much do I pay myself under the Cataract Surgeries Programme?
The Hospital Authority provides a fixed subsidy of HK$8,000 for each participating patient to have surgery at a private healthcare institution, and the patient pays a co-payment of up to HK$8,000 (Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2024).