Cataract Surgery and Treatment in Kraków

Cataract surgery for patients from Kraków and Małopolska: full diagnostics, procedure, and all follow-up appointments take place at our clinic at ul. Kluczborska 15/U3 in Kraków (Krowodrza, near Krowodrza Górka loop). Dr. med. Victor Derhartunian personally performs the surgery. The price is 11,000 PLN per eye and includes a premium implant – spherical, toric, or Customized – at a single rate, regardless of the chosen lens model. Qualification examination: 400 PLN. We usually schedule appointments within a few days, without a waiting list.

SwissLaser in numbers: over 25,000 procedures performed by the chief surgeon · clinics in Warsaw, Kraków, Vienna, and Zurich · Google: 5,0 (171 reviews, Kraków) and 4,8 (258 reviews, Warsaw)

How long is the waiting time for cataract surgery under NFZ in Kraków?

According to NFZ data (Treatment Dates Information, as of July 2026), the waiting time for cataract surgery in Kraków facilities ranges from approximately 2 weeks to over 3 months, depending on the center – the median is about one month. Waiting lists in Małopolska are shorter today than a few years ago, so the choice of private treatment is usually not dictated by the date, but by the type of lens. Current dates for each facility can be checked in the official search engine terminyleczenia.nfz.gov.pl.

At SwissLaser, we usually schedule a qualification examination within a few days, and the procedure itself — within one to two weeks of qualification. What else, besides the date, distinguishes a private procedure from a refunded one — we describe below.

NFZ or private procedure? Three real differences

This question is asked by almost every patient – and it is fully justified. Cataract surgery is refunded by the National Health Fund, so it’s worth knowing exactly what you pay for privately.

• Type of lens. Under NFZ, the standard is a monofocal implant: it restores sharp vision at one distance, glasses are needed for the rest. Multifocal, EDOF, and toric lenses (correcting astigmatism) are not covered by reimbursement.
• Appointment. A refunded service involves a waiting list, the length of which depends on the facility and the province. With us, we usually set the procedure date within a few days.
• Continuity of care. Privately, you know in advance who performs the surgery – with us, every procedure is performed by Dr. med. Victor Derhartunian – and who conducts the follow-up appointments. It’s the same person throughout the entire treatment path.

Honestly: if you accept a monofocal lens and reading glasses, the NFZ operation is medically fully effective. A private procedure makes sense if you value independence from glasses, astigmatism correction, or a quick appointment.

Do I qualify for the procedure?

Cataracts no longer need to ‘mature’. Today’s indication is: we operate when vision impairment hinders daily functioning – driving after dark, reading, working.

• Green light: lens opacity confirmed in examination, stable condition of the retina and optic nerve, realistic expectations for vision after the procedure.
• Yellow light – requires individual assessment: glaucoma, advanced diabetes, AMD changes, post-laser correction status, very high myopia. The procedure is usually possible, but lens selection then requires particular caution.
• Red light: active eye inflammation, unstable systemic diseases – we first treat the cause.

The qualification examination (400 PLN, approx. 90 minutes) is decisive: optical biometry, second-generation MS-39 anterior segment tomography with axial eye length measurement, assessment of the fundus and cornea. Based on this, we calculate the lens power and discuss what you can realistically expect after the procedure.

How the procedure in Kraków proceeds

• 1. Qualification examination in Kraków: approx. 90 minutes, full diagnostics and selection of the lens model. You leave with a specific recommendation and price.
• 2. Procedure – approx. 15 minutes per eye: under topical anesthesia, outpatient. The cloudy lens is removed by phacoemulsification and replaced with a premium implant. You return home the same day.
• 3. Second eye: standard in the same session. Upon request, we operate on it at a separate time – which is why we state the price per eye. You pay exactly for what has been performed.
• 4. Follow-up appointments in Kraków: the first one the next day, subsequent ones according to plan. All on-site at ul. Kluczborska 15/U3 – no travel to Warsaw.

Lenses we implant

We work exclusively with the latest generation implants: Johnson & Johnson (Odyssey, PureSee), Bausch + Lomb (LuxSmart, Envy, LuxLife), Alcon (Vivity, PanOptix Pro), and Teleon. The choice of model does not change the price – it is a purely medical decision, resulting from the eye’s structure and your lifestyle.

For night drivers and people working with screens, we more often recommend EDOF lenses, which provide smooth vision from distance to intermediate distance with minimal light effects. For those expecting full independence from glasses – trifocal lenses. Which lens to choose – comparison and selection tool · EDOF lenses · Trifocal lenses

How much does it cost

• Cataract surgery with premium implant: 11,000 PLN per eye – one price for every lens model, including toric. Astigmatism correction does not require an additional payment.
• Qualification examination: 400 PLN (approx. 90 minutes).
• YAG capsulotomy for secondary cataract: 800 PLN per eye – an outpatient laser procedure if the lens capsule becomes cloudy after years.
• Installment payment available (Santander Consumer Bank).

Full cataract price list

Return to daily life

• Next day: follow-up; most patients see a clear improvement within the first 24 hours.
• First week: drops according to schedule, avoid rubbing the eye, swimming pool, and sauna.
• 2–4 weeks: full healing; we select any necessary glasses correction if still needed.
• Vision after multifocal lens: the brain needs time to learn to use all zones – this is a normal neuroadaptation process, lasting weeks to several months.

Risks – honestly

Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed and best-researched procedures in medicine, but every procedure carries risks. The most common late consequence is secondary cataract – clouding of the lens capsule, which is removed in a several-minute laser procedure with a YAG laser (800 PLN per eye). Less common are: transient corneal edema, elevated intraocular pressure, inflammation. With multifocal lenses, some patients report light effects at night during the adaptation period. We discuss all these situations before the procedure – and we manage all of them in-house, without referring elsewhere.

Cataract is the only eye disease we can completely reverse. The key decision is not whether to operate, but which lens to implant – because it stays in the eye for the rest of your life. That’s why we dedicate 90 minutes to qualification, not 15.

Dr. med. Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS

Who performs cataract surgery in Kraków

Every procedure is personally performed by Dr. med. univ. (Vienna) Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS – chief surgeon at SwissLaser in Warsaw and Kraków, and EyeLaser clinics in Vienna and Zurich. He is a native of Kraków: born in Kraków, studied at I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Bartłomieja Nowodworskiego, and studied medicine at the University of Vienna. He learned the profession of eye surgeon from Prof. Thomas Kohnen (University Eye Clinic in Frankfurt) and Prof. Theo Seiler (IROC Institute in Zurich), who performed the world’s first laser vision correction. After years of practice in Vienna and Zurich, he also operates in his hometown – according to the same protocols that apply in all SwissLaser and EyeLaser clinics.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to reach us in Kraków

SwissLaser Kraków
ul. Kluczborska 15/U3, 31-271 Kraków
Phone: +48 12 383 33 60
Monday–Friday 8:00 AM–6:00 PM
The clinic is located in Krowodrza, near the Krowodrza Górka tram loop, with free parking at the clinic.

Contact and directions · Book an appointment · Coming from outside Kraków?

Related topics

Cataract – guide · Cataract price list · Which lens to choose · EDOF lenses · Trifocal lenses · Secondary cataract (YAG) · Patients from Silesia

Our patients’ opinions

Google rating: Warsaw 4,8 (reviews: 258) · Kraków 5,0 (reviews: 171). All reviews, unselected and unedited, can be read directly on Google: Warsaw · Kraków.

Cataracts Explained by a Surgeon

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “VideoObject”, “name”: “Zaćma, co to jest, jak się objawia i jak sie ją leczy?”, “description”: “Zaćma czyli naturalne zmętnienie soczewki objawia sie w starszym wieku. Objawem zaćmy jest pogorszenie wzroku, kolory są postrzegane mniej intensywnie. Leczenie zaćmy to wymiana naturalnej mętnej soczewki na sztuczny klarowny i nowoczesny implant. Operujac zaćmę możemy się zarówno pozbyć okularów do dali jak i do czytania. Więcej informac”, “thumbnailUrl”: [ “https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FOGfhhN5AiU/maxresdefault.jpg” ], “uploadDate”: “2019-07-18T21:24:18Z”, “duration”: “PT1M44S”, “embedUrl”: “https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOGfhhN5AiU”, “contentUrl”: “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOGfhhN5AiU”, “publisher”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “SwissLaser”, “url”: “https://swisslaser.pl/” }, “inLanguage”: “pl-PL”, “transcript”: “Czym jest zaćma? Zaćma jest chorobą polegającą na mętnieniu naszej naturalnej soczewki. Tutaj widzą Państwo mętną soczewkę i to jest klarowna, czysta soczewka. Jak objawia się zaćma dla pacjenta? Pacjent widzi gorzej, mniej ostro, kolory widać mniej intensywnie. Mętnienie soczewki można porównać do efektu starzenia się. Tak samo jak z wiekiem dostajemy zmarszczek, tak samo nasza naturalna soczewka mętnieje. Praktycznie każdy z nas w pewnym wieku, niektórzy wcześniej, niektórzy później, będą mieć zaćmę i poddadzą się wymianie naturalnej soczewki. Na miejsce mętnej soczewki można wszczepić różne typy nowych, nowoczesnych implantów, soczewek. Najprostszą metodą jest wszczepienie soczewki, którą widzimy na przykład bardzo dobrze z dali i do czytania potrzebujemy okulary. Istnieje także możliwość, że wszczepimy bardziej powiedziałbym nowoczesną soczewkę, gdzie pacjent jest tak zwana soczewka multifokalna, multifokalna, tryfokalna, gdzie pacjent nie potrzebuje okularów ani do widzenia w dali, ani do czytania z bliska. Dziękuje za uwagę.” }

Are you looking for consultation and diagnostics first? See what a visit to an ophthalmologist at our Krakow clinic looks like — the eligibility assessment takes approx. 90 minutes and costs PLN 400.

Content fact-checked by Dr. med. univ. (Vienna) Victor Derhartunian, FEBO, FWCRS – refractive surgery specialist. Last verified: October 2, 2026.

Sources

1. Liu YC, Wilkins M, Kim T, Malyugin B, Mehta JS. Cataracts. Lancet 2017;390(10094):600–612. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30544-5
2. Day AC, Donachie PHJ, Sparrow JM, Johnston RL. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ National Ophthalmology Database study of cataract surgery: report 1, visual outcomes and complications. Eye (Lond) 2015;29(4):552–560. doi:10.1038/eye.2015.3
3. National Health Fund. National Information System on Waiting Times for Medical Services – first available date, cataract surgeries. terminyleczenia.nfz.gov.pl