{"id":2001,"date":"2026-10-20T08:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/treatment-abroad\/which-country-has-the-best-cataract-surgery\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:59:58","slug":"which-country-has-the-best-cataract-surgery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/treatment-abroad\/which-country-has-the-best-cataract-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Country Has the Best Cataract Surgery?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Home<\/a><\/li>
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  4. Which Country Has the Best Cataract Surgery?<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Which Country Has the Best Cataract Surgery?<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"Eye<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    No country has the best cataract surgery. The operation is the same worldwide, and in a UK national audit 93.0% of eyes reached driving-standard vision. Your result depends on the surgeon, how your eye is measured for the lens, infection precautions and follow-up. Countries differ mainly in waiting time, lens choice and price. In Istanbul, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sat\u0131c\u0131, Do\u00e7. Dr. (Associate Professor) Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer and Op. Dr. Aysan Bayram operate on cataracts.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    Is there one country with the best cataract surgery?<\/h2><\/div>

    No, and be wary of anyone who names one.<\/strong> There is no trustworthy league table of countries for cataract surgery, mainly because nobody measures results in the same way. A 2017 study of eight eye hospitals found they reported 22 different outcome measures between them, although an international standard set recommends only 10, and none of the eight reported the patient’s own view of how well they could see.<\/p>\n

    What the evidence does show is a gap in access<\/strong>, not in technique. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in February 2026 that cataract causes 94 million cases of distance vision impairment or blindness, that 1 in 2 people who need cataract surgery worldwide do not have access to it, and that the operation is among the most cost-effective in all of health care. A 2022 analysis of population surveys in 55 countries found that the share of people with a cataract who had surgery and<\/em> reached a good level of vision was a median 60.5% in high-income countries and 14.8% in low-income countries.<\/p>\n

    So the real question for someone in London, Dublin, Toronto, Sydney or Munich is not “which country is best?” but “where can I get safe surgery, with the lens I want, at a wait and price I can accept?”<\/strong> The rest of this guide helps you answer that.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    Is cataract surgery the same in every country?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Yes, in every way that matters for safety.<\/strong> Cataract surgery removes the clouded natural lens and replaces it with a clear artificial one. Phacoemulsification, the ultrasound technique, was introduced in 1967, and about 97% of US cataract operations have been done this way since 2000. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) calls cataract surgery one of the most common operations in the world.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    The standards are shared too. The NHS describes a 20 to 45 minute operation under local anaesthetic with a return home the same day, and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) set out good practice for the whole of Europe in its guideline for cataract surgery 2024.<\/p>

    <\/th>The same everywhere<\/th>Where it can differ<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    The operation<\/th>Phacoemulsification with an artificial lens, usually under local anaesthetic, usually as a day case<\/td>The surgeon’s skill and experience<\/td><\/tr>
    Laser-assisted (“femtosecond”) cataract surgery<\/th>Current evidence shows no fewer complications or better outcomes than standard phaco (AAO); ESCRS finds comparable safety<\/td>Whether it is offered, and what it costs. It is not a sign of a better country or clinic<\/td><\/tr>
    Lens choice<\/th>Monofocal lenses are the standard; toric, EDOF and multifocal lenses exist<\/td>What your health system pays for: NICE advises the NHS not to offer multifocal lenses<\/td><\/tr>
    Infection prevention<\/th>An antibiotic injected into the eye at the end of surgery is recommended by ESCRS (cefuroxime, 1 mg in 0.1 mL)<\/td>Whether a clinic actually does it. In a 2025 survey of ten central and eastern European countries, seven routinely used it and one, Georgia, gave no antibiotics during surgery<\/td><\/tr>
    Reporting of results<\/th>Surgeons everywhere can audit their own outcomes<\/td>What is measured and published: the 2017 study above found hospitals reporting different measures<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    The infection example shows why a clinic’s routine<\/em> matters more than its country. The landmark ESCRS study found that a single antibiotic injection at the end of surgery cut the rate of infection inside the eye by a factor of five. It is a standard question to ask any surgeon.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What results should you expect, wherever you go?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Most people see well afterwards, and serious complications are rare.<\/strong> The best published benchmark comes from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ National Ophthalmology Database, which covered 550,519 cataract operations in the UK between April 2023 and March 2024:<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    Measure (UK NHS, 2023\u201324)<\/th>Result<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Eyes reaching 6\/12 or better (the UK driving standard)<\/th>93.0%<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    …in eyes with no other eye disease<\/th>96.4%<\/td><\/tr>
    …in eyes with another condition (macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma)<\/th>86.6%<\/td><\/tr>
    Median vision after surgery<\/th>6\/6 (20\/20)<\/td><\/tr>
    Tear in the lens capsule during surgery (posterior capsule rupture)<\/th>0.69%, about 1 in 145 (1.43% in 2014)<\/td><\/tr>
    Infection inside the eye (endophthalmitis) within six weeks<\/th>about 0.02%, roughly 1 in 5,000<\/td><\/tr>
    Retinal detachment<\/th>about 0.05%, roughly 1 in 2,000<\/td><\/tr>
    Severe loss of vision<\/th>about 0.17% of eyes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    These are UK averages. Use them as a yardstick: ask any surgeon, at home or abroad, for their own figures on the same measures.<\/strong> A surgeon who audits their results can tell you; one who cannot has told you something too. Your own risk depends on your eyes and general health, and your surgeon should go through it with you in writing before you agree to anything. The NHS puts it simply: serious complications are rare.<\/p>\n

    Three later effects are worth knowing about wherever you have surgery:<\/p>\n