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NHS waiting times
Data through August 2026. NHS source.
Laser eye / refractive surgery is usually treated within the NHS Ophthalmology Service pathway. The median wait so far across 343 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS is 8 weeks, counted from referral on the whole Ophthalmology Service list, and 7 in 10 patients on that list have waited less than 18 weeks, the maximum wait set out in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution for non-urgent consultant-led treatment (the 18-week standard is at least 92%). Routing note: Refractive / laser eye surgery (LASIK, LASEK, SMILE) is almost never NHS-funded — it's considered cosmetic in most cases. Lens-based surgery (e.g. cataract surgery, which also corrects vision) IS NHS-funded where indicated.
On the Ophthalmology list, the middle of the providers' median waits so far is 8 weeks as of August 2026, across 343 NHS trusts and independent providers reporting to the NHS, and 9 in 10 current patients are within 31 weeks. But the wait varies significantly between trusts — see the full ranking to find the shortest wait near you.
The median shows time waited so far by the current list — a new routine referral will often wait longer. Why these differ →
Up to 10 acute and specialist NHS trusts with 50 or more people on the Ophthalmology Service waiting list, ranked by shortest median wait. Community and mental-health trusts, smaller lists and independent providers are on the full ranking: See all trusts on the Ophthalmology Service national page →
Hospitals ranked by shortest wait within travelling distance of each city.
The ranking above is national. To rank hospitals by distance from your postcode, search with your postcode below.