In 2012, in this country, it took a week for pre-surgery check up, set up appt. at surgery room, and the first eye was done. As soon as that eye recovered a bit, the second one was done. Couldn’t have been arranged any faster than it was.
In the future here, it would be a good thing to have your doctor as a friend.
Canada has a real problem, but the United States appears to be the best country for cataract surgery; it is not terribly expensive relative to getting your eyesight back, and you can get it in a reasonable period of time.
I had a retinal detachment, and from the time I noticed until I completed surgery was less than 2 days. Of course, that is a bit more of an emergency than cataract surgery.
It certainly helps to have a good relationship with a doctor. Which won’t be the case I fear with Obamacare.