Regular eye examinations are important, which is why we recommend you have an eye examination at least every two years, unless advised otherwise by your optometrist.
More than 30 million people in the UK are entitled to a free eye examination paid for by the NHS. The list below details who is automatically entitled to regular NHS sight tests.
NHS sight test intervals are usually two years though your optometrist might recommend you have an NHS funded sight test more frequently than every two years if you:
- are a child wearing glasses
- have diabetes
- are aged 40 or over and have a family history of glaucoma
- are aged 70 or over
However, if you feel your vision has changed and we find a change in your prescription then the NHS will fund a sooner sight test.
- Over 60's
- Children under 16 (or under 19 and in full time education)
- Benefit claimants: income support, Universal Credit (and meet the criteria), income based Jobseekers Allowance or in receipt of Working Families Tax Credit or Disabled Persons Tax Credit)
- Diabetics
- A glaucoma sufferer as advised by a hospital ophthalmologist (Ocular Hypertensive)
- Aged 40 years or over and a close relative of someone with glaucoma
- Registered blind or partially sighted
- Holders of an HC2 or HC3 certificate (HC3 may be a partial exemption from the fee)
- Those who require a complex lens (as outlined by the NHS)
- A prisoner on leave from prison
As well as a free eye examination, you may also be entitled to some help with the purchase of glasses or contact lenses, if you are:
- Under 16 or under 19 and still in full time education
- Named on a valid HC2 or HC3 certificate
- In need of complex lenses
- You or your partner claim Income Support, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, Working Family's Tax Credit/Disabled Person's Tax Credit (and are named on a NHS Tax Credit Exemption Certificate).