Laser eye surgery finance
Spread the cost of laser eye surgery
Laser eye surgery is priced per eye, and for most people both eyes are treated, so the bill arrives all at once even though the benefit lasts for decades. Chrysalis Finance works with eye clinics across the UK so you can pay for your treatment in fixed monthly instalments instead.
Healthcare finance specialists with over 15 years’ experience.
What laser eye surgery costs, and how finance spreads it
Eye surgery is almost always quoted per eye, which is the first thing to check on any price you are shown. What you pay depends on the technique your assessment points you towards, and that is a clinical decision rather than a menu choice: your prescription, your corneal thickness and your age narrow the options before cost enters the conversation. The table below sets out the typical UK prices for each route.
| Procedure | Typical UK price | Usually considered for |
|---|---|---|
| LASIK | £1,500 – £3,500 per eye | Short sight, long sight and astigmatism, where corneal thickness allows |
| LASEK or PRK | £1,500 – £3,500 per eye | Thinner corneas, or eyes at higher risk of injury through work or sport |
| SMILE | £1,500 – £3,500 per eye | Short sight, with or without astigmatism |
| Lens replacement (RLE) | £3,000 – £4,500 per eye | Prescriptions outside laser range, and reading vision in your forties onwards |
| Implantable lens (ICL) | Quoted in the lens replacement bracket | Very high prescriptions where laser is ruled out and the natural lens is kept |
| Cataract surgery | £2,000 – £4,000 per eye | A clouded natural lens, replaced with a clear implant |
| Premium lens upgrade | Added to the procedure price | Multifocal or toric implants, where you want less reliance on glasses afterwards |
| Suitability assessment | Often free, sometimes charged | The scans and measurements that decide which route is open to you |
Treat every figure as a typical range rather than a quote, and check whether the price you have been shown is for one eye or both. Your clinic quotes one exact price after your suitability assessment, and that is the figure a finance plan is built around.
- The technique your assessment points you towards
- The strength and complexity of your prescription
- The type of lens implanted, where a lens procedure is involved
- The clinic, the surgeon and where in the country you are treated
- Whether the quote covers one eye or both
- The suitability assessment and pre-operative scans
- The surgeon’s fee and the procedure itself
- Your lenses or implants, where relevant
- Post-operative drops and medication
- Follow-up appointments, and for how long
- The clinic’s policy on enhancement or retreatment, and what it would cost
Finance turns that quote into fixed monthly payments over a term of 3 months to 5 years, so treating both eyes becomes a predictable monthly amount rather than one large payment.
Many patients weigh that monthly figure against what they already spend on glasses, contact lenses and solutions. It makes the comparison concrete, and the difference is that one of those spends eventually stops and the other does not.
Prices on this page are typical private UK ranges gathered to help you plan, not quotes, and nothing here is medical advice. Which procedure is suitable for you is decided by your clinic at your assessment.
LASIK, LASEK or SMILE: how the techniques differ
The three laser techniques all reshape the cornea to change how light focuses on the retina. What separates them is how the surgeon reaches the tissue underneath, and that difference is what drives recovery time and who each one suits. Prices overlap heavily, so this is rarely a decision made on cost.
£1,500 – £3,500 per eye
A thin flap is created in the surface of the cornea and folded back, the tissue beneath is reshaped, and the flap is laid back into place. Because the surface layer is largely preserved, comfort returns quickly and most people see a marked improvement within a day or two.
- Typical recoveryBack to most things in 1 to 2 days
- TreatsShort sight, long sight, astigmatism
- Main limitNeeds enough corneal thickness
£1,500 – £3,500 per eye
No flap is made. The outer layer of the cornea is moved aside or removed, the laser reshapes the surface directly, and the layer regrows over the following days. Recovery is slower and more uncomfortable than LASIK, which is the trade-off for leaving no flap behind.
- Typical recoverySeveral days, vision settles over weeks
- TreatsShort sight, long sight, astigmatism
- Often chosen forThin corneas, contact sports, physical work
£1,500 – £3,500 per eye
A small disc of tissue is shaped inside the cornea and removed through a keyhole incision of a few millimetres, so no flap is created and the surface is barely disturbed. It is used mainly for short sight, with or without astigmatism, and is not offered by every clinic.
- Typical recovery1 to 2 days for most activities
- TreatsShort sight, with or without astigmatism
- Main limitNot used for long sight
£3,000 – £4,500 per eye
Where laser is ruled out, the alternative works on the lens rather than the cornea. Lens replacement swaps your natural lens for a clear implant, which also means a cataract cannot develop later. An ICL instead places an additional lens in front of the natural one and leaves it in place.
- Typical recoveryDays, one eye at a time
- TreatsHigh prescriptions, reading vision
- Often chosen fromMid forties onwards
- Your prescription, and how stable it has been over recent years
- The thickness and shape of your cornea, measured by scan
- Your age, which affects whether reading vision is part of the problem
- Dry eye, and any other condition affecting the eye surface
- What you do, since some jobs and sports steer you away from a flap
The three laser techniques sit in much the same price bracket, so a clinic quoting far less is usually quoting for a lower prescription range or a package with fewer follow-ups included, rather than offering the same thing cheaper. Ask what is included before you compare two numbers.
Which procedure suits which condition
People arrive at eye surgery from very different starting points. Some want to stop wearing glasses, some can no longer tolerate contact lenses, and some have a condition that is changing their sight whatever they do about lenses. The route your clinic recommends follows from which of those applies to you.
Distance vision is blurred while close work stays clear. It is the most commonly treated prescription and the one all three laser techniques address, provided your prescription has been stable and your cornea is thick enough.
- Usual routesLASIK, LASEK, SMILE
- If ruled outICL or lens replacement
Close work is harder than distance, and often tiring rather than simply blurred. Laser treatment is used within a narrower range than for short sight, so lens-based options come into the conversation sooner.
- Usual routesLASIK or LASEK
- Not usuallySMILE
An unevenly curved cornea blurs vision at every distance. It is very common, usually sits alongside short or long sight rather than on its own, and is treated at the same time as the underlying prescription.
- Usual routesLASIK, LASEK, SMILE
- With a lensToric implant
From the mid forties, the natural lens stiffens and close focus goes, which is why reading glasses appear whether or not you needed glasses before. Because the lens itself is the cause, lens replacement is often the route rather than corneal laser.
- Usual routeLens replacement
- Lens choiceMultifocal implants
The natural lens gradually clouds, dulling colour and scattering light, and it is treated by replacing that lens with a clear implant rather than by laser. Cataract surgery is available on the NHS, and people who go privately are usually paying to avoid a wait or to choose a premium lens that reduces their reliance on glasses afterwards.
- Typical private price£2,000 – £4,000 per eye
- RouteLens replacement with an implant
- On the NHSAvailable, standard lens
An assessment can conclude that no procedure is suitable today, and that is a legitimate outcome rather than a wasted trip.
- A prescription that is still changing year to year
- Significant dry eye, which is usually treated first
- Corneal conditions such as keratoconus
- Being pregnant or breastfeeding, when prescriptions shift
Every one of these procedures is financed the same way. Your clinic quotes one exact figure after your assessment, and that figure becomes fixed monthly payments over a term of 3 months to 5 years, agreed in writing before you commit.
That matters more here than on most treatments, because the route you expected is not always the one you are offered. If your assessment points you from laser to a lens procedure, the price changes but the way you pay for it does not.
This page describes how procedures are commonly used and priced in the UK. It is not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. Only an eye surgeon can say which procedure is right for your eyes, after examining and scanning them.
Finance options for eye surgery
Your clinic chooses which plans it offers from the Chrysalis range. Many offer interest free options, where you repay exactly the price of your treatment, and interest bearing plans over longer terms where a lower monthly payment matters more. Terms run from 3 months to 5 years, and your clinic will show you the exact monthly figures for your quote and technique before you commit to anything.
Am I eligible for laser eye surgery finance?
There are two eligibility questions, and they are separate. Whether your eyes are suitable for laser treatment is a clinical decision made at your assessment. Whether finance is available is about affordability: you need to be over 18, a UK resident, and comfortable with the monthly payment. The application starts with a soft search that shows your likelihood of acceptance without affecting your credit score. Because the plans available depend on which clinic is treating you, contact us for eligibility once you know where you are being treated and we will confirm what is open to you.
Getting started is simple
Applying takes under 60 seconds through your clinic or practice, and a soft search shows your likelihood of acceptance before anything touches your credit score.
01
Agree your plan
Have your suitability assessment and agree your treatment, technique and total price with your clinic.
02
Apply in 60 seconds
Complete the Chrysalis application, which takes under 60 seconds, starting with the soft search.
03
Treatment goes ahead
Once accepted, your clinic books your treatment and is paid directly. You repay monthly.
04
Repay monthly
You repay in fixed monthly instalments over the term you chose, from 3 months to 5 years.
Find a clinic near you
Enter your postcode below to see the three eye clinics nearest to you that offer treatment with Chrysalis Finance.
