Whatever age you are it is important to have regular eye checks to ensure your sight remains the same and to detect any health problems, but at certain ages your eyes are more prone to change, making regular eye examinations more essential than ever. This is why the NHS offers free sight tests to those over 60 and under 16.
We are now able to enhance any sight test with an OCT scan, This scan is a hospital grade asessment and allows us to take an MRI like image of behind the eye to detect pathology before it would present in a standard eye examination ideal for anyone who has a higher risk of developing eye conditions through family history or general health risk. This test can be added to either NHS or private eye tests for an additional fee or is included as standard in our VeyeP eye care plan.
An eye examination takes at least 25 minutes and is NHS funded for children, over-60s and people who are eligible to help towards funding under NHS. Our private sight test fee is £32.95.
Do i qualify for an NHS test?
You qualify for a free NHS-funded sight test if:
• you're aged under 16
• you're aged 16, 17 or 18 and are in full-time education
• you're aged 60 or over
• you're registered as partially sighted (sight impaired) or blind (severely sight impaired)
• you've been diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
• you're 40 or over, and your mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter has been diagnosed with glaucoma
• you've been advised by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) that you're at risk of glaucoma
• you're a prisoner on leave from prison
• you're eligible for an NHS complex lens voucher – your optometrist (optician) can advise you about your entitlement
You're also entitled to a free NHS sight test if you:
• receive Income Support
• receive Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (not Contribution-based)
• receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• receive Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• are awarded Universal Credit
• are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
• you are named on a valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2)
People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help.
What happens during the examination?
The health of your eyes is checked to ensure there is no disease present, and sometimes, these checks can mean a follow-up visit to assess changes. If you need spectacles, your current prescription and standard of vision are checked. Routine examinations are also vital as the health of your eyes can also help to indicate other health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
We offer fundus photography, which records the condition of the back of the eye, and is an essential part of the examination of a person with diabetes. Any visual needs relating to your occupation are discussed, and any recommendations are passed to our dispensing optician, who can then advise you on the most suitable lenses and frames.
Many people over 40 will find they need reading glasses and almost everyone will need spectacles of some form by the age of 65, this is a normal process and sadly cant be avoided but, as we get older we are prone to more eye health problems such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration which can be avoided with the correct detection, we should therefore make sure we attend regular 1-2 year eye checks.