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YAG laser capsulotomy: cloudy vision after cataract surgery, what it costs, and the NHS

Written By
Published 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.

Vision that turns cloudy months or years after cataract surgery may be posterior capsule opacification (PCO), and a YAG laser treats it in about 5 to 10 minutes. The RNIB says about 1 in 5 eyes develop PCO within three years of cataract surgery. The NHS treats it free when it affects your sight, after your optician refers you, and in England you can go back to the hospital that did your operation. Paying privately costs £495 to £799 for one eye at the six clinics below.

  • NHS: Free, with a referral from your optician
  • Private, one eye: £495 to £799
  • Private, both eyes: £795 to £1,390 or more
  • The laser itself: About 5 to 10 minutes

Watch: Why sight can cloud over after cataract surgery, how the YAG laser clears it, and what it costs. 1 min 30 s.

Read the transcript

YAG laser capsulotomy, explained.

After cataract surgery, a thin capsule holds the new lens in place.

Months or years later, cells can grow across the back of it and cloud it, so less light reaches the retina.

This is posterior capsule opacification, or PCO. Your sight turns blurred or hazy, or bright lights cause glare.

Numbing drops go in, and a contact lens may hold the eye steady.

The laser opens a small gap in the centre of the cloudy capsule, so light reaches the retina again.

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and each pulse makes a clicking sound.

The drops affect your sight for up to 6 hours, so someone else drives you home. Most people see better once they wear off.

A short rise in eye pressure and floaters are the common risks. Usually, one treatment is enough.

Only an eye examination can tell PCO apart from other causes, so see your optician first. The clinic examines your retina before treating.

At the 6 clinics we checked, YAG laser costs £495 to £799 for one eye, plus a consultation at most clinics.

On the NHS, it’s free when PCO affects your sight, after your optician refers you.

Compare quotes from clinics near you.

Is the blur clouding behind your new lens?

Cataract surgery leaves a thin capsule in place to hold the new lens. In PCO, cells grow across the back of that capsule and cloud it, so less light reaches the retina. Your sight turns blurred or hazy, or bright lights cause glare. Many people think the cataract has come back. The cataract went when your natural lens was removed, and a laser can open the cloudy capsule without another operation.

Signs it may be PCO

  • You had cataract or lens replacement surgery months or years ago, and your sight was good afterwards
  • Your vision has become blurred, cloudy or hazy gradually, in one or both eyes
  • Bright lights, such as headlights or sunshine, cause glare or halos
  • Reading, or seeing things in low contrast, has become harder

Signs it needs something else, or needs help today

  • Sight that blurs suddenly, or new flashes, floaters or a dark curtain, can mean a detached retina. Get help from NHS 111 straight away
  • You haven't had cataract surgery. Cloudy vision may be a cataract, which our cataract surgery guide covers
  • Your glasses prescription has changed. A sight test finds this, and in England it is free on the NHS if you are 60 or over
  • Another condition, such as macular degeneration, is causing the blur. The laser won't help, and the clinic examines your retina before treating

Only an eye examination can tell PCO apart from other causes, so see your optician first. If they find PCO and it is affecting your sight, they can refer you for NHS treatment. Newmedica's NHS page says you will usually only be referred if your vision is significantly affected or interfering with your lifestyle.

NHS or private: what changes

The NHS treats PCO free when it affects your sight or daily life. Paying lets you book a clinic directly, without waiting for a referral.

NHS Private
Who decides Your optician or GP refers you when PCO significantly affects your vision or daily activities You book directly, and the clinic examines your eyes before treating
Where In England you choose the provider. It can be the hospital that did your surgery, or one that treats NHS patients such as SpaMedica, Newmedica or Optegra. In Wales your Local Health Board decides Any clinic that offers it
Wait Varies by area. SpaMedica says you should hear from the provider within two to three weeks of referral Booked with the clinic
Cost Free £495 to £799 for one eye, £795 to £1,390 or more for both, plus a consultation at most clinics
If the same clinic did your cataract surgery Your optician can refer you back to it Optegra treats free within a year of its advanced cataract procedure. Blue Fin Vision waives its consultation fees, and its FAQ says the laser is at no extra cost too. Optical Express charges on top of its cataract price
  • Who decides NHS: Your optician or GP refers you when PCO significantly affects your vision or daily activities Private: You book directly, and the clinic examines your eyes before treating
  • Where NHS: In England you choose the provider. It can be the hospital that did your surgery, or one that treats NHS patients such as SpaMedica, Newmedica or Optegra. In Wales your Local Health Board decides Private: Any clinic that offers it
  • Wait NHS: Varies by area. SpaMedica says you should hear from the provider within two to three weeks of referral Private: Booked with the clinic
  • Cost NHS: Free Private: £495 to £799 for one eye, £795 to £1,390 or more for both, plus a consultation at most clinics
  • If the same clinic did your cataract surgery NHS: Your optician can refer you back to it Private: Optegra treats free within a year of its advanced cataract procedure. Blue Fin Vision waives its consultation fees, and its FAQ says the laser is at no extra cost too. Optical Express charges on top of its cataract price

Optegra sells a cheaper route for people who already have an NHS referral, called Right To Sight. It charges £300 for one eye or £500 for both, treated on the same day, at 17 of its hospitals, and says it treats within 4 weeks of referral. Finance and insurance can't be used for it.

YAG laser prices at six UK clinics

Published self-pay prices, read from each clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. The clinic confirms your price once it has examined your eyes.

Clinic One eye Both eyes Consultation Included, or free when Paying monthly
Optical Express From £795 From £1,390 Not stated for YAG Charged on top of its cataract and lens surgery prices Not published for YAG
Optegra £695 £995, same day £300 Free within a year of Optegra's advanced cataract procedure; the page doesn't say whether the £300 consultation is waived Not stated
Newmedica £495 £795 From £195 Consultant's fee, clinic facilities and aftercare Not available; finance is only for treatments over £1,000
Precision Vision London £695 £1,200 £150 YAG assessment, not refundable once attended Not listed for YAG Finance available over 12 months, £250 deposit an eye (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
Blue Fin Vision From £750 From £1,200 £325 Consultations free if Blue Fin did your cataract or lens surgery, and its FAQ says the laser is too; prices dated 1 January 2026 Finance available; terms on request
Practice Plus Group £799 £949 £145 Prices correct as at June 2026 Finance available; ask whether it covers YAG

Self-pay prices from each clinic's website, 11 October 2026.

  • Optical Express From £795 Both eyes: From £1,390 Consultation: Not stated for YAG Included, or free when: Charged on top of its cataract and lens surgery prices Paying monthly: Not published for YAG
  • Optegra £695 Both eyes: £995, same day Consultation: £300 Included, or free when: Free within a year of Optegra's advanced cataract procedure; the page doesn't say whether the £300 consultation is waived Paying monthly: Not stated
  • Newmedica £495 Both eyes: £795 Consultation: From £195 Included, or free when: Consultant's fee, clinic facilities and aftercare Paying monthly: Not available; finance is only for treatments over £1,000
  • Precision Vision London £695 Both eyes: £1,200 Consultation: £150 YAG assessment, not refundable once attended Included, or free when: Not listed for YAG Paying monthly: Finance available over 12 months, £250 deposit an eye (through Ideal4Finance, a credit broker)
  • Blue Fin Vision From £750 Both eyes: From £1,200 Consultation: £325 Included, or free when: Consultations free if Blue Fin did your cataract or lens surgery, and its FAQ says the laser is too; prices dated 1 January 2026 Paying monthly: Finance available; terms on request
  • Practice Plus Group £799 Both eyes: £949 Consultation: £145 Included, or free when: Prices correct as at June 2026 Paying monthly: Finance available; ask whether it covers YAG

Moorfields Private, Optimax, Centre for Sight and Nuffield Health publish no YAG price. Prices change, so confirm before you book.

Optical Express and Blue Fin Vision publish "from" prices and don't say who pays more. Moorfields Private, Optimax, Centre for Sight and Nuffield Health publish no YAG price on the pages we checked. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic before you book.

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What happens, from blurred vision to clear

  1. Sight test At your optician; free on the NHS in England if you are 60 or over

    Tell the optician when you had cataract surgery and how your sight has changed. Using a bright light, they can see cells clouding the capsule. If PCO is affecting your vision, they refer you.

  2. Referral or booking NHS: your optician or GP refers you. Private: book the clinic directly

    In England you can choose where you are treated, including the hospital that did your operation. SpaMedica says you should hear from the provider within two to three weeks of referral. In Wales your Local Health Board chooses.

  3. Checks before the laser Allow up to two hours for the whole visit

    Your vision and eye pressure are measured, and drops widen your pupil, which takes 30 to 40 minutes at SpaMedica. The retina is examined to rule out other problems, and the benefits and risks are explained before you sign the consent form.

  4. The laser About 5 to 10 minutes

    You sit at a machine like the one used in clinic. Numbing drops go in, and a contact lens may be placed on the eye to hold it steady. Each laser pulse lasts a fraction of a second and makes a clicking sound. The laser opens a small gap in the centre of the cloudy capsule so light reaches the retina again. Royal Berkshire Hospital's leaflet says it involves very little discomfort.

  5. Afterwards No driving that day; vision often clearer within a day

    The drops affect your sight for up to six hours, SpaMedica says, so someone else drives you home. Most people see better once the drops wear off, and some improve over several days. Floaters for a few days are normal. Optegra says most people drive and go back to work the next day.

How common it is, and the risks

PCO rates come from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' audit database. Risk rates come from a French national study of 7,958 YAG treatments carried out from 2014 to 2017.

  • Eyes with PCO within 3 years 18.0% RCOphth audit data, 601,084 operations at 58 centres, 2010 to 2018; 31.2% within 5 years
  • Eyes recorded as needing the laser within 5 years 13.4% Same RCOphth study; 7.2% within 3 years
  • Raised eye pressure within 3 months About 5% French YAG 2 study, Ophthalmology, 2023
  • Swelling at the centre of the retina within 3 months About 5% French YAG 2 study; more likely with diabetes or a laser within a year of surgery
  • Retinal detachment within a year 0.5% or fewer French YAG 2 study, 12 months of follow-up
  • Laser treatments needed Usually one RNIB, reviewed 16 September 2025; very rarely cells grow back

The Royal College's 2021 study was funded by Alcon, a lens maker. Its PCO rates varied widely between hospitals and lens types, and it counts only what hospital records captured.

Worth knowing

  • Across all 11 studies in that review, retinal detachment was about 1.6 times as likely after the laser, and the link was stronger in eyes that had older extracapsular cataract surgery
  • People with diabetes, and people treated within a year of cataract surgery, had more pressure rises or retinal swelling in the French study
  • Moorfields says retinal detachment is more likely if you are very short-sighted
  • A pressure rise matters more if you already have glaucoma; if there is a concern, the clinic checks your pressure soon after and gives drops or a tablet if it has gone up

NHS. The RNIB calls YAG laser for PCO “a very common procedure available on the NHS”. Your optician or GP refers you when PCO significantly affects your sight or daily life, and you pay nothing for the treatment. In England you can choose the provider, including the hospital that did your cataract operation or an independent provider that treats NHS patients, such as SpaMedica, Newmedica or Optegra. Optegra says you don’t need to have had your cataract surgery there. In Wales your Local Health Board decides. We didn’t check the rules in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The NHS paid an average of £132 per treatment in England in 2018/19, according to the Royal College’s audit report.

Private medical insurance. We found no insurer’s own policy wording on YAG laser. Blue Fin Vision’s page says in one place that insurance may cover consultations and scans, and in another that most policies cover the laser. Optegra’s Right To Sight package can’t be paid for by insurance. Ask your insurer before you book, and check the excess.

Paying monthly. Few clinics publish finance for YAG. Newmedica’s finance is only for treatments over £1,000, and Optegra’s Right To Sight package doesn’t offer it. Precision Vision London lists YAG in its finance table but publishes a representative example only for laser eye surgery. Finance is a loan, so check the lender, the APR and the total before you sign. See paying monthly.

Questions people ask about YAG laser after cataract surgery

At the six clinics we checked on 11 October 2026, one eye costs £495 to £799 and both eyes £795 to £1,390 or more. Five of them publish a consultation fee, from £145 to £325. On the NHS it is free with a referral from your optician.

Yes, if PCO is affecting your sight. Book a sight test with your optician, and if they find PCO they can refer you. In England you can choose where you are treated, including the hospital that did your cataract surgery. In Wales your Local Health Board decides.

No. The cataract was removed with your natural lens. PCO clouds the capsule that holds the new lens, and the RNIB says it affects your sight in a very similar way to a cataract.

Numbing drops go in first, and Royal Berkshire Hospital’s leaflet says the treatment involves very little discomfort. If a contact lens was placed on your eye, it may feel a little sore afterwards, which the RNIB says soon settles.

Moorfields lists a short rise in eye pressure and floaters as the common ones, and says inflammation inside the eye is uncommon. In a French study of 7,958 treatments, about 5% of people had raised pressure and about 5% swelling at the centre of the retina within three months. Retinal detachment affected 0.5% or fewer within a year. A pressure rise is treated with drops or a tablet.

The RNIB says you will generally only need laser treatment for PCO once, because the laser removes the central part of the capsule where the cells grow. Very rarely cells grow around the opening, and treatment can be repeated.

Not on the day. The drops that widen your pupils affect your vision for up to six hours, SpaMedica says, so arrange a lift home. Optegra says most people drive and go back to work the next day.

The RNIB says the glasses prescribed after your cataract surgery should usually work well again after the laser. Newmedica suggests waiting at least a week before an eye test if you do want an updated prescription.

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 and prices YAG laser for your eyes there. 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. Donachie, Sparrow and Buchan, RCOphth National Ophthalmology Database, feasibility study of post-cataract posterior capsule opacification (601,084 operations; funded by Alcon) (opens in a new tab), March 2021
  2. RNIB, Posterior capsule opacification (opens in a new tab), reviewed 16 September 2025
  3. Dot et al., retinal detachment, macular oedema and ocular hypertension after Nd:YAG capsulotomy, the French YAG 2 study, Ophthalmology 130(5) (opens in a new tab), May 2023
  4. Liu et al., Nd:YAG capsulotomy and retinal detachment after cataract surgery, systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 48(2) (opens in a new tab), February 2022
  5. NHS, Cataract surgery (opens in a new tab), reviewed 6 March 2025
Show all 23 sources Show fewer sources
  1. NHS, Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers (opens in a new tab), reviewed 19 July 2023
  2. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, YAG laser capsulotomy patient leaflet (opens in a new tab), July 2026
  3. Moorfields Eye Hospital, YAG laser treatment for posterior capsule opacification (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  4. SpaMedica, YAG laser patients (NHS referral, choice of provider, Wales) (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  5. Newmedica, NHS YAG laser capsulotomy (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  6. Optegra, YAG capsulotomy NHS patient booklet (opens in a new tab), uploaded August 2024; read 11 October 2026
  7. Optegra, Right To Sight (opens in a new tab), medically reviewed 15 September 2026; read 11 October 2026
  8. Optical Express, YAG laser treatment prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  9. Optical Express, cataract surgery pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  10. Optegra, YAG laser capsulotomy (opens in a new tab), medically reviewed 24 August 2026; read 11 October 2026
  11. Newmedica, private eye treatment prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  12. Practice Plus Group, private prices (opens in a new tab), prices as at June 2026; read 11 October 2026
  13. Precision Vision London, pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  14. Blue Fin Vision, YAG laser capsulotomy costs (opens in a new tab), prices from 1 January 2026; read 11 October 2026
  15. Moorfields Private, cataract cost (no YAG price published) (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  16. Optimax, prices (no YAG price published) (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  17. Centre for Sight, pricing (no YAG price published) (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  18. Nuffield Health, YAG capsulotomy (no price published) (opens in a new tab), 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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