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What does ICL surgery cost, and is it right for you?

Written By
Updated on October 11, 2026

We’ll connect you with partner clinics, free of charge: we’re paid for referrals by providers, not by you. Laser eye surgery is a medical procedure and, as with any surgical procedure, carries potential risks and side effects. Results vary and not everyone will be suitable for treatment. You should seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before deciding whether treatment is suitable for you.

ICL surgery costs £3,395 to £4,600 or more per eye at the eight UK clinics we checked on 11 October 2026. An ICL is a soft lens implant that sits in front of your natural lens, which stays in place. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says it is often offered to people under 60 who can't have laser, because it corrects a wider range of prescriptions and may suit you better if you have cornea or eye surface problems. After about 50, the College says lens replacement is often the better choice. A lens with astigmatism correction built in costs £250 to £495 more at the two clinics that price it separately.

  • Consultation: free to £465 or more
  • Operation: about 20 minutes an eye
  • NHS: only in rare cases
  • After aftercare ends: a yearly eye check, usually charged

Watch: Where the implant sits and how it goes in. 1 min 27 s.

Read the transcript

Implantable contact lenses, explained.

An implantable contact lens (ICL) is a thin artificial lens that sits inside your eye. Your natural lens stays where it is.

It is mainly used for moderate to severe short sight, where light focuses too soon, in front of the retina.

Anaesthetic drops numb the eye, and the surgeon makes a small opening at the edge of the cornea.

The lens is implanted through the opening, just in front of the natural lens.

No tissue is removed, and the lens can be taken out if needed.

One eye is treated at a time, usually about a week apart.

There are two main types. Visian is flexible and sits behind the iris. Verisyse is rigid and sits in front of it.

It can suit moderate to severe short sight, corneas too thin for laser, and dry eye conditions. It is not suited to mild short sight. An eye specialist will decide.

At the 8 clinics we checked, an ICL costs from £3,395 per eye, and £4,600 or more at some clinics.

That’s more than laser eye surgery.

The NHS offers it only in rare cases, because glasses or contact lenses can correct short sight.

Compare quotes from clinics near you.

Is an ICL right for me?

ICL stands for implantable collamer lens. STAAR Surgical makes it and says it has sold more than 4 million worldwide. The lens sits behind the iris and in front of your natural lens. EVO is the current model.

Usually suitable

  • Short sight from 0.5 to 20 dioptres, with up to 6 dioptres of astigmatism, on STAAR's UK information. It also lists long sight from 0.5 to 16 dioptres, for ages 21 to 45
  • Aged 21 to 60 for short sight on the lens's labelling. The College says you need to be over 18, and that ICLs are often offered to people under 60 who can't have laser
  • A prescription that has been stable for at least a year (STAAR), or has changed by no more than 0.5 dioptres in two years (the College)
  • At least 2.8 mm of depth at the front of the eye, which the clinic measures at the consultation (STAAR's directions for use for the short-sight lens)

Usually not, or needs a different treatment

  • A lower prescription within the laser range. The College generally prefers laser here because it has very few longer-term risks
  • Over about 50, when the College says lens replacement is often the better option if laser isn't possible
  • Glaucoma, raised eye pressure, any cataract, recurring inflammation inside the eye (uveitis), or a low cell count on the inner surface of the cornea
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding, which STAAR lists as a reason not to implant the lens

These ranges come from STAAR's labelling and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' patient information. The surgeon measures your eye at the consultation and tells you which treatment, if any, fits. The College's standards say surgery should not happen on the day it is recommended, and advise a week to decide.

Prices at eight UK clinics

Published prices, read from each clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. Your price depends on the lens you need and is confirmed at the consultation.

Clinic ICL price, per eye Consultation Aftercare included Paying monthly
Optical Express From £3,595 Free 3 months, then £100 an optometrist visit and £200 a surgeon visit Finance available (through a panel of lenders)
Optimax £3,395, whatever your prescription Free A year of aftercare, with discharge at 3 to 6 months; then a £25 cell count each year Finance available over 10 to 48 months, £500 deposit an eye (V12 Retail Finance); 0% APR over 10 to 24 months, 9.9% APR representative over 36 or 48 months; representative example below
Optegra £3,595 Free, by video or phone Up to a year, including realigning a toric lens that turns early on; then a yearly scan, with a fee Finance available, minimum 10% deposit and £1,000 spend (Novuna Consumer Finance)
OCL Vision (London) £3,555 to £4,150 on its price list
Up to £4,575 on its ICL page		 Free, with a £50 refundable deposit Follow-up appointments; number not stated Finance available for up to 60 months, minimum 10% deposit (Novuna Consumer Finance)
Precision Vision London £3,650
Toric £4,145
Long sight £4,300
Long sight toric £4,550		 £300, taken off the surgery price if you go ahead 12 months of follow-ups and any enhancement in the first year Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £1,250 deposit an eye (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
Centre for Sight £3,826
Toric £4,196		 From £465 Not listed for ICL Finance available for up to 24 months, with a deposit (V12 Retail Finance)
Moorfields Private £4,554 one eye
£8,331 both eyes		 £195 Consultant fees, diagnostic tests, a care plan and two follow-up appointments Finance available (Omni Capital Retail Finance)
London Vision Clinic From £4,600, for high prescriptions Free Not listed for ICL Finance available over 12 to 36 months (V12 Retail Finance)

Per eye, read from each clinic's website on 11 October 2026.

  • Optical Express From £3,595 Consultation: Free Aftercare included: 3 months, then £100 an optometrist visit and £200 a surgeon visit Paying monthly: Finance available (through a panel of lenders)
  • Optimax £3,395, whatever your prescription Consultation: Free Aftercare included: A year of aftercare, with discharge at 3 to 6 months; then a £25 cell count each year Paying monthly: Finance available over 10 to 48 months, £500 deposit an eye (V12 Retail Finance); 0% APR over 10 to 24 months, 9.9% APR representative over 36 or 48 months; representative example below
  • Optegra £3,595 Consultation: Free, by video or phone Aftercare included: Up to a year, including realigning a toric lens that turns early on; then a yearly scan, with a fee Paying monthly: Finance available, minimum 10% deposit and £1,000 spend (Novuna Consumer Finance)
  • OCL Vision (London) £3,555 to £4,150 on its price list
    Up to £4,575 on its ICL page     Consultation: Free, with a £50 refundable deposit Aftercare included: Follow-up appointments; number not stated Paying monthly: Finance available for up to 60 months, minimum 10% deposit (Novuna Consumer Finance)
  • Precision Vision London £3,650
    Toric £4,145
    Long sight £4,300
    Long sight toric £4,550     Consultation: £300, taken off the surgery price if you go ahead Aftercare included: 12 months of follow-ups and any enhancement in the first year Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 to 60 months, £1,250 deposit an eye (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
  • Centre for Sight £3,826
    Toric £4,196     Consultation: From £465 Aftercare included: Not listed for ICL Paying monthly: Finance available for up to 24 months, with a deposit (V12 Retail Finance)
  • Moorfields Private £4,554 one eye
    £8,331 both eyes     Consultation: £195 Aftercare included: Consultant fees, diagnostic tests, a care plan and two follow-up appointments Paying monthly: Finance available (Omni Capital Retail Finance)
  • London Vision Clinic From £4,600, for high prescriptions Consultation: Free Aftercare included: Not listed for ICL Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 to 36 months (V12 Retail Finance)

Toric lenses correct astigmatism and cost £250 to £495 more where clinics price them separately. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic.

Toric means astigmatism correction is built into the lens. Centre for Sight and Precision Vision London charge £250 to £495 more for it; Optimax charges one price whatever your prescription. Optical Express and London Vision Clinic don't say who qualifies for their from prices. The College says there is usually a charge for the yearly check once aftercare ends. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic before you book.

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What happens, from consultation to the yearly check

  1. Consultation Free at five of the eight clinics above

    Scans measure the depth of the front of your eye and the cell count on the inner surface of the cornea. The surgeon says whether an ICL, laser or lens replacement fits, and works out the lens power and size from your measurements.

  2. A week to decide At least a week after the recommendation

    The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' standards say surgery should not happen on the day it is recommended, and recommend at least a week to decide. Any deposit should be fully refundable if you change your mind.

  3. Treatment day About 20 minutes an eye

    Numbing drops, with an injection to relax you if you need it. The folded lens goes in through an opening of 3.5 mm or less and unfolds behind the pupil, in front of your natural lens. The EVO lens has a small central hole, so short-sighted patients no longer need a laser hole made in the iris. Some centres treat both eyes the same day; more often the second eye waits a day or longer so the surgeon can check the first lens is the right size.

  4. The first days Vision recovers substantially in 2 to 3 days

    Wear a shield at night, normally for a week, and use the drops as prescribed. You can wash and shower from day one, and go to the gym or jog. Most surgeons say no swimming for a week and no contact sport for a month. Optimax, for example, sees you within a day or two and twice more over the next 4 to 6 weeks.

  5. Settling and the yearly check Driving usually within a few days, once your surgeon agrees

    Glare and halos are common at first and usually improve within a few months. Follow-up visits are usually included for up to 12 months. After that the College recommends a yearly eye health check, which usually costs extra. Optimax charges £25 for its yearly cell count.

Results and risks, with the study behind each figure

The figures come from the US FDA trial of the EVO lens, two meta-analyses and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' patient information.

  • See 20/20 or better without glasses 87.6% US FDA trial of the EVO lens, 619 eyes at 6 months (Packer, 2022)
  • Within half a dioptre of the target 90.5% Same trial. A 2025 meta-analysis of 2,204 eyes found 87.5%, with 80.2% seeing 20/20
  • Satisfied with the outcome Over 95% Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2024
  • Lens swapped for a different size About 1 in 40 Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2024
  • Infection inside the eye About 1 in 6,000 Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 2024
  • Cells lost from the inner cornea 1.3% at 3 months; 3.8% at about 21 months Meta-analysis of 18 studies of the central-hole lens (Kisiel and Gurumurthy, 2024)

20/20 is the US name for what UK clinics call 6/6 vision.

Worth knowing

  • It is surgery inside the eye, through an opening of up to 3.5 mm, whatever the name implantable contact lens suggests
  • STAAR's directions say the long-term effect of the lens "has not been determined" and ask surgeons to keep monitoring patients. The College says cataract is the main long-term risk and recommends a yearly check
  • In a 2024 study of 646 eyes, 2.5% to 6.5% of toric lenses turned by 10 degrees or more, depending on how they were placed, and 5% to 7.4% needed repositioning (PLOS ONE). The College says not every problem is undone by removing the lens

ICL, laser or lens replacement?

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists names three main types of vision correction surgery. Glasses and contact lenses are the other choice.

Option Who it suits What stays in your eye Price per eye
ICL Prescriptions beyond the laser range, or cornea or eye surface problems; usually under about 50 Your natural lens, with the implant in front of it £3,395 to £4,600 or more
LASIK, LASEK or SMILE Guide Lower prescriptions within the laser range, from 18 Your natural lens; the cornea is reshaped £549 to £3,750
Lens replacement Guide Over about 50, or a cataract starting An artificial lens in place of your own £2,000 to £5,500
Glasses or contact lenses Anyone; no surgery Your eye as it is Ongoing cost

The three types of surgery, and staying in glasses or contact lenses.

  • ICL Who it suits: Prescriptions beyond the laser range, or cornea or eye surface problems; usually under about 50 What stays in your eye: Your natural lens, with the implant in front of it Price per eye: £3,395 to £4,600 or more
  • LASIK, LASEK or SMILE Guide Who it suits: Lower prescriptions within the laser range, from 18 What stays in your eye: Your natural lens; the cornea is reshaped Price per eye: £549 to £3,750
  • Lens replacement Guide Who it suits: Over about 50, or a cataract starting What stays in your eye: An artificial lens in place of your own Price per eye: £2,000 to £5,500
  • Glasses or contact lenses Who it suits: Anyone; no surgery What stays in your eye: Your eye as it is Price per eye: Ongoing cost

Per eye, read from clinic websites on 11 October 2026.

Laser prices run from Optical Express's LASEK (from £549; 22.8% of eyes it assessed between 1 September and 28 December 2024 qualified) to London Vision Clinic's £3,750. Lens replacement runs from Optical Express's single-focus lens (from £2,000; 18.6% of patients it assessed in 2017 qualified, the latest figure it publishes) to Moorfields Private's top estimate of about £5,500. All read on 11 October 2026.

NHS. The NHS says laser eye surgery and lens surgery are “not usually offered on the NHS”. Local policies set narrow exceptions. Humber and North Yorkshire’s, for example, funds lens implants only where poor vision follows a corneal transplant or cataract surgery, or comes from keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration, and other options have failed. See when the NHS pays.

Private medical insurance. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says surgery to correct the need for glasses or contact lenses “is not covered by private health insurance schemes”. Check your own policy if you have one.

Paying monthly. Optimax publishes its ICL terms. On £3,395 an eye with a £500 deposit, you pay £121 a month over 24 months at 0% APR (total £3,395), or £73 a month over 48 months at 9.9% APR representative (total £3,990). Optimax’s representative example, for its £2,995 monofocal lens replacement, is a £500 deposit and £2,495 of credit over 48 months at 9.9% APR representative, £63 a month and £3,508 in total. Credit comes from Secure Trust Bank, trading as V12 Retail Finance; Optimax is a credit broker. Optical Express arranges credit through a panel of lenders and publishes no rate for ICL, so ask for the APR and the total before you sign. See paying monthly.

Questions people ask about ICL surgery

Most clinics quote a price per eye, so two eyes cost £6,790 at Optimax and £7,190 at Optegra. Moorfields Private charges £8,331 for both eyes. Focus Clinics lists £7,500 for both eyes, and Blue Fin Vision from £7,500, not counting an anaesthetist’s fee if you need one.

The lens isn’t replaced on a schedule. STAAR says its long-term effect “has not been determined” and asks surgeons to keep monitoring patients, and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists recommends a yearly eye check. The College says removal is uncommon unless you need cataract surgery or a different size of lens, and the ICL can come out during cataract surgery. Your prescription can still change with age, and laser is sometimes used later to fine-tune distance vision.

A surgeon can remove the lens, and the College says your vision and eye health are then usually as they were before. It adds that not all problems caused by the lens are corrected by removing it.

EVO has a small hole in the centre that lets fluid flow through. Short-sighted patients no longer need the laser hole in the iris the older lens needed, and the College says sudden pressure rises are much less common. At one Spanish centre, none of 1,957 EVO eyes developed the cataract linked to the older lens, against 1.4% of eyes with it.

The College generally prefers laser for lower prescriptions, because it has very few longer-term risks. An ICL can treat a wider range of prescriptions and may suit you better if you have problems with your cornea or eye surface. With an ICL, cataract can come years later. Your surgeon recommends one after your scans.

It is surgery inside the eye, with about a 1 in 6,000 risk of infection. About 1 in 40 lenses is swapped for a different size, toric lenses can turn and need repositioning, and cataract can come earlier than it would have. You need a yearly eye check, which usually costs extra. The College lists all of these in its patient information.

The eye is numbed with drops, and most surgeons work with an anaesthetist who can give you sedation if you need it. The College says discomfort afterwards is usually mild, and vision normally recovers substantially within two to three days.

Rarely. Local NHS policies, such as Humber and North Yorkshire’s, fund lens implants only for problems such as poor vision after a corneal transplant or cataract surgery, or keratoconus, once other options have failed. See when the NHS pays.

We pass your answers and contact details to a partner clinic, which the form names before you send it. The clinic calls to book a consultation (free at most partner clinics). Clinics pay us for referrals and you pay us nothing.

Related guides

Sources and how we checked the prices

Every price on this page was read from the clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. Clinical figures come from the sources below. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic before you book.

  1. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation patient information, PROF/2024/500 (opens in a new tab), reviewed 3 December 2024
  2. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Laser Vision Correction patient information, PROF/2024/499 (opens in a new tab), reviewed 3 December 2024
  3. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Professional Standards for Refractive Surgery, 5.11 and 5.12 (opens in a new tab), December 2024
  4. STAAR Surgical, EVO Visian ICL directions for use, eDFU-0034/1 (opens in a new tab), December 2023
  5. STAAR Surgical UK, EVO ICL safety information (opens in a new tab), fetched 11 October 2026
Show all 29 sources Show fewer sources
  1. STAAR Surgical, STAAR surpasses 4 million ICLs sold globally (opens in a new tab), 25 February 2026
  2. Packer, EVO/EVO+ Visian ICL six-month results from the US FDA trial, Clinical Ophthalmology 16 (opens in a new tab), May 2022
  3. Larivoir et al., efficacy and predictability of ICL V4c and V5, meta-analysis, Journal of Refractive Surgery 41(12) (opens in a new tab), December 2025
  4. Kisiel and Gurumurthy, endothelial cell loss after ICL V4c, meta-analysis, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 50(4) (opens in a new tab), April 2024
  5. Instituto Fernández-Vega, EVO Visian ICL medium and long-term results, CRST Europe (opens in a new tab), 2017
  6. Arrevola-Velasco et al., ten-year retinal detachment after ICL, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 49(3) (opens in a new tab), March 2023
  7. Lee, Han, Auffarth et al., rotational stability of toric ICLs, PLOS ONE 19(8) (opens in a new tab), August 2024
  8. NHS, Laser eye surgery and lens surgery (opens in a new tab), reviewed 15 February 2024
  9. NHS Humber and North Yorkshire, corrective surgery, lens implants and laser treatment policy (opens in a new tab), effective 1 October 2024
  10. Optical Express, lens replacement and ICL pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  11. Optical Express, laser eye surgery pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  12. Optimax, prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  13. Optimax, implantable contact lenses (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  14. Optegra, ICL EVO costs (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  15. Optegra, ICL EVO (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  16. Centre for Sight, pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  17. OCL Vision, prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  18. OCL Vision, implantable collamer lens (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  19. Precision Vision London, ICL cost (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  20. Moorfields Private, implantable contact lenses (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  21. Moorfields Private, refractive lens exchange (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  22. London Vision Clinic, prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  23. Focus Clinics, pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  24. Blue Fin Vision, ICL costs (opens in a new tab), prices correct at 1 January 2026; fetched 11 October 2026

Written By

William Amps is the lead writer at Lasik Eyes, where he covers laser eye surgery, lens replacement, cataract treatment and the UK clinics that provide them. He has spent years researching the private eye surgery market, comparing clinic prices, interpreting published outcome data and translating the jargon of refractive surgery into plain English for people weighing up whether it’s right for them.

His work on Lasik Eyes focuses on the questions patients actually ask: what the procedure really costs, how clinics differ, what the risks are and what the research says about long-term results. Every price, procedure and clinic review he writes is checked against the provider’s own published information and updated as the market changes.

His articles are intended to help you ask better questions at your consultation, not to replace the advice of a registered optometrist or ophthalmic surgeon.

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