Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is one of the most successful operations in medicine. In Shanghai you see the specialist, have your measurements taken and are operated on within the same short trip, with a choice of lens types discussed with you in advance.
Who it is for
Anyone whose vision is clouded by cataract enough to affect daily life: reading, driving at night, recognising faces.
How it is done
The clouded natural lens is removed through a tiny incision and replaced with an artificial lens, usually under local anaesthetic. Your specialist explains which lens suits your eyes and lifestyle.
Your time in Shanghai
Includes eye measurements, surgery, and a follow-up check before you fly. Both eyes can sometimes be treated in one trip. Your specialist confirms the exact timeline in the evaluation.
What this treatment typically costs.
United States vs China
Cataract removal, one eye
For reference only. Figures come from the published sources cited and vary with the hospital, the implant or lens chosen, and your condition. China figures are public-hospital averages; fees in hospital international departments are higher. The two sides are measured differently and show direction, not an exact like-for-like price. Your actual cost is determined by the specialist after reviewing your case.
Sources: US: MDsave's estimated national average price for cataract removal, before insurance; pre-arranged self-pay packages on the same site average $5,114 (MDsave, November 2026); China: average total hospital stay cost, hospitals run by China's National Health Commission, 2023 (RMB 7,903) (China Health Statistics Yearbook 2024).
The hospital we work with for this treatment.
Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University
- Ophthalmology is a National Clinical Key Specialty — Eye & ENT Hospital
- More than 95,000 eye operations a year — Eye & ENT Hospital
- Ranked in China's top three for ophthalmology for more than ten consecutive years in the Fudan Hospital Rankings — Eye & ENT Hospital
- Has an International Medical Center — Eye & ENT Hospital
How we take you from evaluation to follow-up.
Specialist evaluation
From $350. A senior specialist reviews your medical records and tells you how long you would need to stay in China, when surgery could take place, and an estimate of the cost.
A plan built around you
We turn the specialist's advice into a written plan: which hospital, which doctor, which dates, and what to bring.
Travel planning
We help you plan the whole trip, from your arrival in Shanghai to the day you fly home.
Every appointment, accompanied
A professional medical interpreter is beside you at every important medical conversation, and we provide English translations of your medical records.
Surgery day
We are with you from admission to discharge on the day of your operation, and stay in contact with the ward throughout your recovery.
Specialist follow-up at home
After you return home, we arrange professional follow-up with your specialist, so your recovery stays in the hands of the team that treated you.
Start with a specialist evaluation, from $350.
Send your records. The specialist tells you how long you would stay in Shanghai, when surgery could take place, and what it is likely to cost. Then you decide.