An improved eighth-order statistics (EOS) blind phase recovery method is proposed for high-order coherent modulation formats. The method uses a multistage feed-forward carrier phase recovery algorithm by combining an EOS blind phase estimate with a maximum-likelihood carrier phase estimate. Experimental results show that the proposed new algorithm can reduce the required computational effort by more than a factor of 3 for a 16-QAM system. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)