Affordable and reliable cataract surgery, by senior consultant eye surgeons at The Straits Eye Centre.
Camden (Orchard)Joo ChiatClementiBedokToa PayohJurong
Over 99% success rate and generally safe
Under 1% have major complications based on studies. Talk to our cataract surgeons to understand more.
MediSave & insurance claimable
MediSave, Corporate and Personal Insurance can be used towards eligible surgery.
Minimal waiting time for treatment or surgery
Vision loss can worsen with delay and may be irreversible. Poor vision also raises the risk of falls and fractures.
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Cataract surgery, also called cataract removal or a cataract operation, takes out the eye’s clouded natural lens and replaces it with a clear artificial one, called an intraocular lens. It is done as day surgery under local anaesthesia, takes about 20 to 30 minutes for one eye, and does not require an overnight stay.
Concerned about cataracts or vision loss? Talk to our friendly staff for a same-day appointment (subject to availability).
A cataract does not have to be removed the moment it appears. It is worth operating when the clouding has begun to interfere with what you actually do, or when it is making another eye condition harder to monitor or treat.
Everyday things that you may find harder:
Normal vision
With a cataract
There is no fixed threshold and no need to “wait until it is ripe”, which is older advice from an era of different surgical technique. The judgement is made from your vision, your examination and what you need your eyes to do.
Cataract surgery treats the lens only. It will not undo damage from glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease or an optic nerve problem, which is why the eye examination before surgery covers the whole eye.
Not sure it is a cataract yet? Read the early signs of a cataract, or have the lens checked with our cataract screening package at the community clinics.
Cataract surgery at The Straits Eye Centre is performed by our senior consultant eye surgeons, with more than 60 years in ophthalmology between them and with gold medals in their respective medical studies. Talk to us for a quick appointment.
99%+
cataract surgery success rate at The Straits Eye Centre.
Senior Consultant & Medical Director
The Straits Eye Centre
MBBS · GDFM · MMed (Ophth) · FRCOphth · FAMS
Senior Consultant & Medical Director
The Straits Eye Centre
MBBS · BMedSc · MMed (Ophth) · FRCOphth · FAMS
Senior Consultant Eye Surgeon
The Straits Eye Centre
MBBChir (Cambridge) · MMed (Singapore) · FRCOphth (London) · FAMS
Senior Consultant Eye Specialist and Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon
The Straits Eye Centre
MBBS (S’pore) · MRCS (Edin) · FRCS (Edin) · FAMS
Waiting time at The Straits Eye Centre can be as quick as a few days. Poor vision can affect mobility and even lead to falls. Talk to our friendly staff about a same-day appointment.
Our cataract surgeons are senior consultant eye surgeons, with more than 60 years in ophthalmology between them.
Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations worldwide, and our success rate at The Straits Eye Centre is over 99%.
Cataract surgery at The Straits Eye Centre is between $5,200 and $12,000 per eye, before MediSave. The Straits Eye Centre is a MediSave-approved clinic.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Cataract surgery · per eye | |
| Cataract surgery by senior eye surgeons | $5,200–12,000 |
| MediSave withdrawal limit | up to $3,280 |
| With a Senior Eye Specialist · Camden (Orchard) and Parkway East (Joo Chiat) | |
| First consultation | $174.40 |
| Follow-up consultation | $119.90 |
| With a Senior Eye Specialist · Bedok, Clementi, Toa Payoh and Jurong | |
| First consultation | $130.80 |
| Follow-up consultation | $98.10 |
| With a Primary Eye Care Doctor · Bedok, Clementi, Toa Payoh and Jurong | |
| First consultation | $76.30 |
| Follow-up consultation | $54.50 |
Surgery figures are per eye at The Straits Eye Centre, before MediSave. Withdrawal limit subject to approval by the CPF Board. All fees shown are nett.
MediSave and your own health insurance can both go towards the fee. How cataract surgery insurance claims work sets out what each covers.
The final range depends on the lens, whether laser assistance is used, and your insurance status. Every operation is performed by one of our senior consultant eye surgeons. See the full cost breakdown
Send us a message with what you are noticing and a time that suits, and we will arrange an examination.
Send us a message about where you are with it, and we will arrange the right next step.
Your surgeon will discuss which lens, whether laser is used, what it will cost, and what recovery involves during your consultation.
Monofocal, toric, extended depth of focus or multifocal — and what each means for glasses afterwards.
What femtosecond laser assistance changes, what it does not, and who it actually suits.
What it costs across Singapore, what MediSave covers per eye, and how insurance fits.
Drops, the eye shield, medical leave, and what to avoid in the first six weeks.
Our team will support you from start to recovery.
Measurements of the eye decide the lens power. You will be told which drops to start and whether to pause any medication.
Come with someone who can take you home. Dilating and anaesthetic drops are given over about an hour.
The eye is numbed with drops or a small injection around it. You stay awake; the eye itself feels pressure rather than pain.
Through an incision of about 2.5mm, the clouded lens is broken up by ultrasound and drawn out. The lens capsule is left in place.
A folded intraocular lens is placed inside that capsule and opens into position. The incision usually seals without stitches.
You rest briefly, leave with a shield over the eye, and are seen again the next day. Most people are home within half a day.
Afterwards the eye is protected with a shield and treated with drops for several weeks. Putting in eye drops after cataract surgery shows the technique step by step.
Cataract surgery is one of the world’s most common operations and serious complications are uncommon. Your surgeon will discuss these with you.
Possible complications include:
Which matter for you depends on your own eyes. Share your concerns with our cataract surgeons and we will go through the ones that apply to you before you decide.
Consultations and follow-up at seven clinics islandwide. Surgery is arranged at a licensed day surgery centre and confirmed with you when it is booked. See all seven.
Camden Medical Centre
1 Orchard Boulevard, #06-07/08 & #12-04
Singapore 248649
Camden Medical Centre
1 Orchard Boulevard, #12-04
Singapore 248649
Parkway East Medical Centre
319 Joo Chiat Place, #03-03
Singapore 427989
Blk 443 Clementi Avenue 3, #01-69
Singapore 120443
In Clementi New Town Centre
211 New Upper Changi Rd, #01-743
Singapore 460211
In Bedok New Town Centre
Blk 185 Toa Payoh Central, #01-320
Singapore 310185
21 Jurong Gateway Rd, #02-07
Singapore 608546
In CPF Jurong Office Building
It should not be. The eye is numbed with anaesthetic drops, or with a small injection around it, so most people describe pressure and moving lights rather than pain. You are awake but the eye itself is not felt. Some grittiness and mild ache afterwards is usual and settles within a few days.
The operation itself usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes for one eye. Allow half a day at the clinic, because the dilating drops take around an hour to work and there is a short rest afterwards.
Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can use MediSave towards cataract surgery at approved centres, within the Ministry of Health’s claim limits and per eye. Insurance may cover part of the remainder, depending on your own plan. Bring your insurer details when you come.
It is one of the most commonly performed operations in the world and serious complications are uncommon, but it is surgery and it carries real risks — infection, bleeding, swelling at the back of the eye, a torn capsule, retinal detachment, and a refractive result that differs from the target. Your surgeon will go through the ones that apply to your eyes before you agree to anything.
No. The natural lens is removed and an artificial lens cannot become cloudy. What can happen, months or years later, is that the capsule holding the lens clouds over, as cells left behind at surgery grow across it, and vision dulls again. This is called posterior capsule opacification and is treated with a short laser procedure in clinic, without further surgery.
It is the short laser treatment for posterior capsule opacification. That is a clouding of the capsule that holds the artificial lens, where cells left behind at surgery grow across it, and it can dull vision months or years after cataract surgery. Some people call it a laser clean. The laser makes a small opening in the middle of the clouded capsule. It is done in the clinic with drops, takes a few minutes, needs no cut and no stitch, and is not usually needed more than once.
Most people notice their vision clearing over the first few days and are back to desk work within a week. Full settling takes about four to six weeks, during which drops continue and swimming, heavy lifting and rubbing the eye are avoided.
Usually not. When both eyes need surgery they are normally done on separate days, a week or more apart, so the first eye is healing and its result is known before the second is planned.
Cannot find what you want? Ask our friendly staff instead.
