‘There is something wrong’: Patients say they are paying out of pocket for cataract surgeries at private clinics

Nathan Bawaan
Jun 8
2 min read

In Ontario, patients getting cataract surgery at private clinics pay up to thousands of dollars for operations advocates say should be free via OHIP.

by Nathan Bawaan June 7, 2025

Toronto star illustration using Dreamstime photos

It all started at the optometrist.

Stephen Purdey was at a regular checkup to update his prescription last summer when his optometrist flagged something in his eye. The optometrist thought it was cataracts, but recommended Purdey visit an ophthalmologist to confirm.

So Purdey visited a private clinic in Toronto in March for a consultation after months on the wait-list to see a specialist, and that is where he said he started to feel “vulnerable and susceptible.”

“Because of the combination of wanting to do the best thing for yourself,” said Purdey, who is in his 70s. “Plus not necessarily understanding everything that the doctors are telling you, you really are as a patient vulnerable to suggestions.”

“And that’s what happened to me.”

The ophthalmologist he was referred to, according to Purdey, acknowledged that the patient could get his procedure done for free under OHIP.

Cataract surgery is considered a “medically necessary surgery” by the province, so even if a person opts to go to a private clinic they shouldn’t be billed for the basic OHIP-covered procedure.

Patients who spoke to the Star said they went in for cataract surgery at private clinics and felt they had to pay between a couple of hundred and thousands of dollars out of pocket, whether to bypass reportedly long wait times or receive better treatment, including upgraded lenses.

Their stories come at a time when the provincial government continues to expand the number of privately run surgical and diagnostic centres performing cataract procedures, a move first announced two years ago. They also raise questions about whether there are sufficient guardrails in place to make sure patients don’t feel pressured to pay out of pocket for upgrades they may not need.