The short answer
You can book cataract surgery for a parent in Nigeria from abroad: you book and pay online, a care coordinator arranges the assessment and the day, and a verified eye surgeon at a partner hospital does the operation. The parts that need planning are the full eye check first, someone at home for the first days, and making sure the eye drops go in on time for several weeks.
Book cataract surgery, from ₦420,000Medically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Start with an honest picture of their sight
On a video call it is easy to miss how much a parent is struggling. Ask them, or a sibling at home, practical questions. Can they read their Bible or Quran? Thread a needle? Recognise you on the video call? Have they stopped going out at night, or had a fall? Do they hold the phone very close? These answers matter more than whether they say they are fine.
Elderly parents often say an eye doctor once told them to wait for the cataract to ripen. That advice is out of date. Surgery is offered when the cataract affects daily life.
How booking from abroad works on Mezo
You book the assessment in your parent's name and pay online with your card. A care coordinator contacts your parent, or the relative you name, to arrange a time and explain where to go. At the assessment the surgeon checks both eyes, including the pressure and the back of the eye, measures for the new lens, and reviews their general health and medicines.
After the assessment you receive a written all-in quote for the operation. You pay online before the day. Nothing is paid at the counter, so your parent is not handed a bill or asked to find cash. You can ask for updates to come to you as well as to them.
Health problems to sort out first
Many older parents have diabetes or high blood pressure. Both should be reasonably controlled before surgery, and the surgeon may ask for recent readings. If your parent sees a doctor for these, ask them to bring their latest results and all their medicines to the assessment.
The assessment may also find glaucoma or diabetic eye disease. That is not bad news to hide: it means it can be treated, and it affects what result to expect from the cataract operation.
Who stays with them
Your parent goes home the same day with a shield over the eye. They should not travel alone, and for the first few days someone should be with them, at least part of the day. Plan this before you book: a sibling, a cousin, a trusted neighbour or a paid carer. Think about stairs, bathroom floors and dark corridors, because seeing with one eye covered makes falls more likely.
- Someone to take them to the hospital and bring them home
- Someone to put the drops in, or check they have been put in, for the first weeks
- Someone to take them back for the follow-up check
- A clean, well-lit home with clear walkways for the first nights
The drops are the hard part
After surgery there are usually two or more kinds of drops, several times a day, for a few weeks. Older people often miss the eye, run out, or stop early because the eye feels fine. Write the schedule on paper and stick it on the wall. Phone alarms help. If you are abroad, a short video call at drop times in the first week is a simple way to check.
Tell whoever is with them the warning signs: worsening pain, worsening sight, or an eye getting redder. Any of these means calling the surgeon the same day.
Should you fly them abroad instead?
Cataract surgery is a routine operation that a well-trained surgeon can do in Nigeria. Having it at home means the follow-up visits are close by, the family is around, and nobody has to manage a long flight with a healing eye or a visa. If both eyes need surgery, the second is usually done a few weeks after the first.
What it costs on Mezo
Standard monofocal lens, biometry and both post-operative reviews included.
Common questions
Can I pay for my mum's cataract surgery from the UK?
Yes. You pay online by card. Cataract surgery on Mezo starts from ₦420,000 per eye, and the written all-in quote follows the assessment.
Do I need to travel home for the operation?
No, though many families like someone to be there for the first days. What matters is that a trusted adult is with your parent on the day and for the first nights, and that the drops are done properly.
My dad is 85. Is he too old for cataract surgery?
Age alone is not usually a reason to refuse. Many people in their eighties and nineties have it. The surgeon looks at his general health, the rest of the eye and whether he can lie still for a short time.
Can both eyes be done on the same day?
Usually the eyes are done separately, a few weeks apart, so the first has healed before the second. Your surgeon will advise on what suits your parent.
Will I get a report after the operation?
Ask for updates to be shared with you when you book. Your parent can also consent for the surgeon's team to discuss their care with you.
The procedures
Related health guides
More patient guides
Sources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Cataract surgery. NHS. Patient information.
- Cataracts in adults. NHS. Patient information.
Links last checked 22 October 2026.
Medical disclaimer: This guide is general information and does not replace advice from your own doctor. Where your centre's instructions differ from this guide, follow theirs.