Quick answer. No reliable national average for private cataract surgery exists. Per eye, CGHS pays Rs 13,600 to Rs 17,000 for phaco at NABH hospitals, plus the lens. PM-JAY pays Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,700, plus Rs 3,000 for the lens. These are scheme rates, not private prices. Get a written estimate.

Search for this cost and you will see ranges so wide they are hard to use, often with no source. This guide only gives figures we could open and trace: government rate lists, and prices or estimates a hospital published about itself. Where nobody publishes a figure, we say so.

This is general information, not medical or financial advice. Which technique and lens suit your eyes is for you and your eye surgeon to decide.

Figures we could trace

Treatment	Government rate or ceiling	Published private prices	Source
Phaco with foldable IOL or MICS (OP100), per eye, Tier I city, NABHLens paid separately. Super speciality rate is the same.	₹17,000 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier I city, non-NABHLens paid separately.	₹14,450 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier II city, NABHLens paid separately.	₹15,300 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier III city, NABHLens paid separately.	₹13,600 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
SICS with IOL (OP099), per eye, Tier I city, NABHLens paid separately. ECCE (OP098) has the same rate.	₹13,400 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier II city, NABHLens paid separately.	₹12,060 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier III city, NABHLens paid separately.	₹10,720 (CGHS)	Not published	CGHS OM 3 Oct 2025 checked 2 Nov 2026
Phaco with foldable hydrophobic acrylic IOL (SE020A), Tier 1 (X) cityProcedure rate. The list adds Rs 3,000 for the lens.	₹5,700 (PM-JAY HBP 2022)	Not published	HBP 2022, Uttarakhand SHA copy checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier 2 (Y) cityProcedure rate. The list adds Rs 3,000 for the lens.	₹5,300 (PM-JAY HBP 2022)	Not published	HBP 2022, Uttarakhand SHA copy checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, Tier 3 (Z) cityProcedure rate. The list adds Rs 3,000 for the lens.	₹4,500 (PM-JAY HBP 2022)	Not published	HBP 2022, Uttarakhand SHA copy checked 2 Nov 2026
SICS with non-foldable IOL (SE020B), Tier 1 (X) cityProcedure rate. The list adds Rs 1,000 for the lens. Tier 2 Rs 4,700, Tier 3 Rs 4,000.	₹5,000 (PM-JAY HBP 2022)	Not published	HBP 2022, Uttarakhand SHA copy checked 2 Nov 2026
Cataract, per eye, C grade hospitalRs 13,000 procedure plus implant up to Rs 17,000.	₹30,000 (Tamil Nadu NHIS 2026)	Not published	Tamil Nadu NHIS 2026 list checked 2 Nov 2026
Same, A1 grade hospitalRs 16,900 procedure plus implant up to Rs 17,000.	₹33,900 (Tamil Nadu NHIS 2026)	Not published	Tamil Nadu NHIS 2026 list checked 2 Nov 2026
Cataract surgery, CARE Hospitals, India rangeThe hospital group's estimate, undated. It says this is not a fixed quote and does not list what is included.	Not listed	₹12,000 to ₹2,25,000	CARE Hospitals checked 2 Nov 2026
Cataract surgery, CARE Hospitals, HyderabadSame page and same terms as above.	Not listed	₹15,000 to ₹2,15,000	CARE Hospitals checked 2 Nov 2026

Scheme rates are what the scheme pays an empanelled hospital for the package, not what a private patient is charged. An NPPA ceiling is the legal maximum price of an implant or device, not the cost of the operation. Private prices are as published by the hospital on the date shown and usually exclude implants, extra nights and complications. Always ask the hospital for a written estimate.

Read the columns separately. A scheme rate is what that scheme pays an empanelled hospital for its own members. It is not a price a hospital has to offer you as a private patient, and it does not tell you what a private bill will be.

What the scheme rates tell you

CGHS

The Central Government Health Scheme list dated 3 Oct 2025, effective 13 Oct 2025, gives per-eye rates. It separates the surgery from the lens. Each line says “excluding the cost of IOL”, which means the intraocular lens is paid on top at CGHS ceiling rates. The memorandum does not print those ceilings.

City. Tier II rates are 10% lower than Tier I, and Tier III rates 20% lower. Tier I is Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad.
Accreditation. Non-NABH hospitals get 15% less. Phaco is Rs 13,005 in Tier II and Rs 11,560 in Tier III. SICS is Rs 11,390, Rs 10,251 and Rs 9,112 across the three tiers.
Both eyes. If identical surgeries are done in one session, the second is paid at 50%. The memorandum uses bilateral cataract as an example.
Day care. The list allows 1 day for day care or minor surgery. It says rates for day care procedures not needing admission stay the same across ward entitlements.

Spectacles or contact lenses given after eye surgery are non-admissible under CGHS, so they are the member’s own cost. If a member opts for a costlier implant, the difference is also theirs.

PM-JAY

PM-JAY is cashless for eligible families, within a Rs 5,00,000 cover. Its HBP 2022 list names the lens with each package: a foldable hydrophobic acrylic lens with phaco, and a non-foldable lens with SICS. Hospitals must record the lens barcode when they file a claim.

NHA’s own download pages did not load for us, so we read copies on the Uttarakhand and Haryana State Health Agency sites. The cataract rows match in both. States may change rates and add incentives, so ask your State Health Agency or the hospital’s Ayushman desk which version applies.

Tamil Nadu NHIS

Tamil Nadu’s NHIS 2026 list is a useful comparison, because it allows a lens of up to Rs 17,000 per eye. That is more than the procedure rate at a C grade hospital. The procedure rate rises 10% at each grade from C to A1.

Why the lens matters so much

In the two lists that print a lens amount, it runs from Rs 1,000 to Rs 17,000, depending on the scheme and lens. Private prices may go well beyond that, but we found no public, checkable price list for lenses by brand and type. We also found no NPPA ceiling for intraocular lenses in the sources we opened, unlike knee implants and coronary stents.

Some eye hospitals publish market-wide estimates. Centre for Sight’s November 2025 guide says premium multifocal or toric lenses can add Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per eye in one place and Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000 in another. These are general estimates with no stated sample, so we left them out of the table. Treat them as a reason to ask, not as a benchmark.

What moves a private bill

We have no sourced figure for how much each of these adds to a private bill at a given hospital. The lists above show which ones count.

Technique. CGHS pays Rs 3,600 more for phaco or MICS than for SICS at the Tier I NABH rate. We found no CGHS or HBP line for femtosecond laser cataract surgery, and no reliable public figure for its extra charge.
Lens type. Monofocal, toric and multifocal lenses are priced differently, and so are brands within each type.
Complexity. CGHS has separate lines for harder cases. Cataract extraction with a capsular tension ring, for example, is Rs 35,000 at the Tier I NABH rate, excluding the lens.
City and NABH status. CGHS builds both into its rates. A private hospital is not bound by those percentages.
Scheme eligibility. Sankara Eye Hospital’s guide says free surgery is available to eligible people under Ayushman Bharat, CGHS, ESI and state schemes, so ask about this if cost is a barrier.

What is often left out

The hospital ranges in our table do not say what they include. Centre for Sight and Sankara both advise asking what a quote covers. Ask about each of these:

The lens, with its brand and type
Tests before surgery, including biometry and any specialised scans
Eye drops and medicines after surgery
Follow-up visits, and for how long they are free
Glasses after surgery, if you need them
Extra charges for a complex cataract, and treatment of complications

How to ask for a written estimate

Cataract surgery is usually planned, so you normally have time to compare. Ask the billing desk for a written, itemised estimate for each eye. A useful one states:

The technique: SICS, phaco, MICS or laser assisted
The lens brand and type, with its price shown apart from the surgery
The price with each lens option you are considering
Surgeon, theatre and day care charges, or a statement that they are inside the package
What tests, medicines and follow-up visits are included
The price if both eyes are done, and whether there is any reduction
How long the estimate stays valid

You can look for eye specialists through find a doctor and our ophthalmology page. Our order never depends on payment.

Schemes and insurance

If you have CGHS or PM-JAY cover, start with the scheme. Confirm that the hospital is empanelled for this procedure, and ask which lens the package pays for and what you would pay if you chose another. See schemes and insurance for more.

With private health insurance, terms vary by policy. Sankara’s guide notes that cover may come with limits and waiting periods. Check for a waiting period, a cap per eye, whether a premium lens is paid in full, and whether the hospital is on your insurer’s cashless network. Then send your written estimate to the insurer or TPA before the surgery date.

Common questions

Is the PM-JAY rate what cataract surgery costs privately?

No. It is what PM-JAY pays an empanelled hospital for an eligible patient. It does not set the price for a private patient.

Are prices per eye or for both eyes?

All the scheme rates on this page are per eye, and CGHS pays the second eye at 50% if both are done in one session. A private quote could be either, so ask.

What is the average cost in my city?

We have no reliable public figure for a city average. Hospitals do not report what patients paid in a form anyone can check, so a written estimate is the better guide.

Sources

CGHS office memorandum F.No.5-16/CGHS(HQ)/HEC/2024(PartI), 3 Oct 2025, copy on the Raman Research Institute site, checked 2 Nov 2026. The CGHS portal has a rate tool, but we read the memorandum.
PM-JAY HBP 2022 list, Uttarakhand State Health Agency copy, checked 2 Nov 2026. Cataract rows match the Haryana copy.
NHA Health Benefit Package 2.2 user guidelines, November 2021, copy hosted by Business Standard, checked 2 Nov 2026.
Tamil Nadu NHIS 2026 package rates, checked 2 Nov 2026.
Cataract surgery cost, CARE Hospitals, checked 2 Nov 2026.
Cataract surgery cost in India, Centre for Sight, 24 Nov 2025, checked 2 Nov 2026.
Cataract operation cost in India, Sankara Eye Hospital, 1 Jul 2025, checked 2 Nov 2026.