Cataract surgery for an older parent in Nigeria: what it involves, where and what it costs

How common is cataract in older Nigerians?

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in Nigeria, responsible for 43% of blindness in adults aged 40 and over in the national blindness survey.

The Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey examined 13,599 adults aged 40 and over across all states between 2005 and 2007. It found 4.2% were blind, that 84% of that blindness was avoidable, and that blinding conditions became more common with age. Women, people who could not read and people in the North East were more likely to be blind from cataract.

A more recent survey in Kogi State (2019 to 2020, adults aged 50 and over) found cataract caused 55.3% of blindness in both eyes. More than 40% of people with untreated cataract in both eyes said cost was the main reason they had not had surgery.

Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that cataract causes distance vision impairment or blindness in 94 million people, and that 1 in 2 people who need cataract surgery cannot get it.

• Signs the NHS lists: blurred or cloudy vision, difficulty seeing at night, trouble reading or watching television, glare and sensitivity to light, faded colours and haloes around lights.
• Higher risk: age 60 or over, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, long-term steroid medicines, smoking, a past eye injury and a close relative with cataracts.

What does cataract surgery involve?

The surgeon removes the cloudy lens through a small cut and puts a clear plastic lens in its place; the NHS says the operation takes about 20 to 45 minutes.

It is usually done under local anaesthetic, given as eye drops, an injection or both, so the person is awake but should feel no pain. Most people go home the same day, and when both eyes have cataracts the NHS operates on them on separate days.

Before the operation a specialist examines the eye and measures it to choose the power of the new lens. This measurement matters: in the national survey, eyes given an artificial lens were far more likely to see well afterwards than eyes without one.

Results in Nigeria vary widely between hospitals and studies. A 2026 review of 16 Nigerian studies found that 75% of operated eyes had a good result with glasses at six weeks or more, below the World Health Organization benchmark of more than 90%. It also found that 4% of operations had a capsule tear with vitreous loss and 1% led to a serious eye infection (endophthalmitis).

Where can an older parent have cataract surgery, and what does it cost?

Cataract surgery in Nigeria is done at public teaching hospitals, federal eye centres, private eye hospitals and free outreach programmes.

Public options include the Guinness Eye Centre at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), which performed an average of 650 eye operations a year according to the board chair of Guinness Nigeria in December 2023, the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, a federal eye hospital commissioned in 1992, and the eye services of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.

A paper published in 2024 put the average at ₦45,000 per eye against a ₦30,000 minimum wage; by April 2025 the chief medical director of Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa quoted ₦100,000 to ₦150,000 at public hospitals. Ask for a written, itemised quote before booking.

Are there free cataract surgery programmes in Nigeria?

Free cataract surgery is offered from time to time by Nigerian governments, charities and foundations, usually after a community screening day.

Places are limited and dates are announced locally, so it helps to ask the eye clinic of the nearest teaching hospital, the state Ministry of Health or the local primary health centre about upcoming screenings.

• Federal Government: in July 2026 the Minister of State for Health announced a target of 25,000 free cataract surgeries by the end of 2027 under the Renewed Hope Health Connect programme, which also expands the Jigi-Bola 2.0 spectacles initiative, with implementation expected from late October or early November 2026.
• Lagos State: the Ministry of Health's blindness prevention programme ran free screening and cataract surgery for 200 residents at Orile Agege General Hospital in October 2025.
• NNPC Foundation: a free cataract programme targeting 6,000 patients across the six geopolitical zones, with surgeries in 2025 at hospitals including Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta and Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa.
• Couching is a traditional cataract treatment carried out by unqualified practitioners. A 2026 review of Nigerian studies found high costs push some people towards it, and at an outreach in Abia State a medical official described a woman blinded in both eyes after couching.

What should you check before the operation?

A short list of questions to ask the hospital, ideally in writing, makes it easier to compare options and to plan the days after surgery.

• Get an itemised quote that includes the lens, theatre fee, drops and follow-up visits
• Ask who will operate and whether they are a consultant ophthalmologist
• Confirm the eye will be measured before surgery to choose the lens
• Ask which type of lens will be used and whether it is included in the price
• Check whether their HMO plan, if they have one, includes cataract surgery and up to what limit
• Tell the eye team about diabetes, blood pressure and all current medicines
• Arrange someone to bring them home and stay with them on the day
• Write down the follow-up appointment dates before leaving
• Get a phone number to call the hospital if there is a problem after surgery

What does recovery and aftercare look like?

Most people recover quickly, the NHS says: vision may blur for a few hours, the eye may ache for a few days and drops are needed for about four weeks.

Vision can take several days to improve, and they may still need glasses for reading or distance afterwards. Most complications happen soon after surgery, the NHS says.

If your parent is in Lagos, Kinship Visits are care visits at home by qualified nurses, and doctor calls and check-ins are available anywhere in Nigeria.

• Use the eye drops exactly as prescribed, for as long as prescribed
• Wear the plastic shield at night while the eye heals
• Do not rub the eye
• Keep water out of the eye and do not go swimming
• Avoid eye make-up
• Avoid heavy lifting and sport until the doctor says it is safe
• Do not drive until vision is back to normal
• Wear sunglasses if light seems brighter than usual
• Attend every follow-up appointment
• Seek urgent help for sudden floaters, flashes, a dark curtain across vision or sudden blurring
• Contact the eye clinic about a red or painful eye or vision that gets cloudier

Questions people ask

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