Cataract Surgery in Turkey: Lens Choices, Cost Factors and Your Stay

Cataract surgery itself is short: the NHS says the operation usually takes 20 to 45 minutes under local anaesthetic, and most people go home the same day. What makes a trip to Turkey for it longer is everything around the operation. The two eyes are treated on separate days, the surgeon checks the eye afterwards, and you use eye drops for about four weeks. The price per eye depends mainly on the lens you choose and what the quote includes, and it should come from the clinic in writing. Our Istanbul airport transfer page covers the arrival, which is the first thing to plan once you have that quote.

Get Turkey Tours is a licensed Turkish travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751). We are not a clinic or a medical facilitator, and we do not recommend eye surgeons or book surgery. This page explains the general facts from health bodies, the official checks in Türkiye and how to plan the stay in Istanbul. Whether surgery is right for you, which lens to choose and when you can fly are decisions for your eye surgeon and your doctor at home.

What the operation involves

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens. In surgery, the cloudy lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one, called an intraocular lens or IOL. The NHS describes the usual process like this:

• The operation usually takes 20 to 45 minutes.
• It is usually done under local anaesthetic, as eye drops, an injection or both. You stay awake and should not feel pain.
• Most people go home the same day. You must not drive yourself and should take care on stairs.
• If both eyes need surgery, they are treated on separate days.
• Vision may be blurry for a few hours, the eye may ache for a few days, and you use eye drops for about four weeks.
• You may still need glasses for reading or distance afterwards.

For the first weeks the NHS also says to avoid rubbing the eye, heavy lifting and sport, eye make-up, getting water in the eye, and swimming, even with goggles. You should not drive until your vision is back to normal and your surgeon says so. These rules shape a trip more than the operation does.

Lens options and how they change the price

The lens is the biggest single choice, and the main reason two quotes for "cataract surgery" can look very different. The American Academy of Ophthalmology groups the options roughly like this:

There is also a light-adjustable lens that can be fine-tuned with UV light after surgery, which needs extra visits and so a longer stay. Your surgeon recommends a lens after measuring your eyes. A lens picked from a price list before anyone has examined you is a reason to slow down.

What decides the cost per eye

We do not publish cataract surgery prices, because only the clinic can quote for your eyes and the quote is only useful if you know what it covers. When you compare quotes, these are the items that move the figure:

1. The lens model. Lens types differ in price, so a quote without the lens named cannot be compared. Ask for the maker and model on the quote.
2. One eye or both. Ask for the price per eye and for both, and how many days apart the two operations would be.
3. Pre-operative tests. Measurements of the eye are needed to choose the lens power. Check whether they are included.
4. The surgical technique and anaesthetic. The quote should state which are planned.
5. Follow-up visits and medicines. The post-operative checks, the eye drops for about four weeks, and any extra visit if something needs attention.
6. What happens later. The NHS notes that posterior capsule opacification, a clouding behind the new lens, can develop months or years after surgery. Ask whether the clinic treats it and at what cost, knowing that you will probably be at home by then.

The US CDC advises confirming exactly what a quoted price includes, because some facilities charge substantial fees for follow-up, and knowing where follow-up care will take place. Ask for everything in writing before you book flights, and keep in mind that hotel nights and transfers are separate travel costs, not part of the treatment price.

Planning the stay around two eyes and a follow-up

The number of days you need in Istanbul comes from the clinic's schedule, not from a standard package. These are the questions that set the length of the trip:

• How many days between the first and second eye? The NHS confirms the eyes are treated on separate days; the gap is the surgeon's decision, and it decides whether you need one trip or two.
• When is the first check after each operation? You need to be in the city for it, so do not book a flight before it.
• When may I fly home? The NHS page does not give a general rule, so ask your surgeon directly and get the answer in writing.
• What happens if the second eye is postponed? Leave some flexibility in the hotel booking, or choose a rate you can extend.

Once you have the answers, build the trip around them. Arrive a day before the first appointment so that you are not going into surgery after an overnight flight. Keep the day of each operation completely free, and keep at least the following day quiet.

Checking the clinic in Türkiye

Türkiye regulates medical care for foreign patients through the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health, in force since its publication on 26 April 2025. Facilities and the intermediary companies that arrange treatment for foreigners must hold an International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate.

You can check this yourself. The Ministry of Health's health-tourism department publishes lists of authorised hospitals, medical centres, private practices and other providers, plus a list of authorised facilitators. The HealthTürkiye platform, run by the state company USHAŞ, lists certificated providers and has a 24/7 line on +90 850 288 38 38. Match the clinic's legal name and address on the list, and note the date you checked.

The UK government adds two points that apply to any country: discuss your plans with your own doctor first, and do your own research, because private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment.

Getting around Istanbul after eye surgery

Most of the practical problems after cataract surgery are about movement. You cannot drive, you should not lift heavy things, and you want to keep dust, water and fingers away from the eye.

• Let someone else carry the bags. A private airport transfer means the driver lifts the luggage at the airport and the hotel, which matters when heavy lifting is off the list.
• Use a car with a driver on clinic days. A private car with a driver can wait outside the clinic and take you straight back. Istanbul's taxis are fine at other times, but finding one outside a clinic at rush hour is not what you want with a covered eye.
• Choose the hotel by the clinic's address. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, and clinics are on both. A short ride to the clinic is worth more than a famous view. Our where to stay in Istanbul page explains the districts.
• Skip the Turkish bath for now. A hammam means steam and splashing water, and the NHS says to avoid getting water in the eye. Ask your surgeon when it is safe.
• Watch the stairs and pavements. Old Istanbul has uneven cobbles and steep streets. The NHS advises care on stairs after surgery, and a companion's arm helps.

Quiet things to do between appointments

On the days your surgeon allows, seated and slow outings suit the recovery and still show you the city. Ask the clinic first, particularly about wind, dust and bright sun.

• The Bosphorus by boat. A lunch cruise lets you sit for the whole trip, and the things to do on the Bosphorus page lists shorter options.
• A palace on the Asian shore. Beylerbeyi Palace is smaller and calmer than Topkapı, and the drive there crosses the Bosphorus.
• An evening ceremony. A whirling dervish sema is about an hour, seated and indoors.
• Kadıköy for lunch. Kadıköy and Moda on the Asian side has cafés and a seafront promenade with little climbing.

For a companion, the city opens up more. They can spend a day in the old city with a guide while you rest, or see Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern on a morning tour and be back for lunch.

Insurance, records and care at home

• Insurance. The UK government warns that standard travel insurance does not normally cover a trip made for elective treatment. Check the wording, or buy cover that names treatment abroad.
• Records. Ask for your operation notes and the lens details in English. The CDC recommends bringing a complete set home and sharing it with the clinician who looks after you there.
• Warning signs. The NHS lists sudden new floaters, flashes of light, a dark curtain-like shadow across your vision or sudden blurring as reasons to get urgent help, because they can signal a detached retina. Know how to reach the clinic, and at home, your local urgent eye service.
• Later changes. Clouding behind the new lens can appear months or years later. Tell your optometrist or eye doctor at home what was done, and when.

Tours that cover this

These are travel services only. They are not treatment, and their prices are not part of any surgery cost.

• Istanbul Airport VIP transfer in a private Mercedes Vito — from $60 per group. The driver meets you after customs and handles the luggage.
• Istanbul private driver for 8 hours — from $299 per group. A car that waits for you on clinic days or a slow drive along the shore.
• Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pick-up — from $75 per person. Seated, with lunch on board.
• Whirling dervish sema ceremony with reserved seating — from $60 per person. About an hour, indoors.

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