Opticians
While many people pay privately for their spectacles and contact lenses the NHS pays for certain groups of people to have free eye tests and in some cases provides vouchers towards the cost of spectacles/ contact lenses. The PCT holds contracts with all approved providers of these NHS services and this includes 30 “high street opticians” Of these 30, six will also provide domiciliary services (i.e. to patients in their own home when the patient cannot access the usual high street services). There are a further seven contractors (who do not necessarily have premises/ a physical base in the city) who will provide domiciliary services.
Where a patient is receiving optician services privately this is not covered by the contract.
Opticians
All opticians have to be registered with the General Optical Council. They also have to be registered on a Primary Care Trust’s Performer’s list. Most opticians chose to be registered with a PCT, where they do most of their work, although they can be registered with any Primary Care Trust, if they do some work in that area.
To check if you are entitled to help with free eye tests or vouchers towards the cost of spectacles / contact lenses, please click here
Mandatory Services - NHS Eye Sight Test
Opticians who have premises in the area and offer NHS Sight Tests have a Mandatory Services Contract with NHS Warwickshire. These Opticians can offer NHS (and Private) sight testing services at their practice/shop. They all specify times throughout the week, when they offer NHS sight tests. These opticians should display information about who is eligible for NHS eye examinations, please ask for this if it is not clearly displayed.
Additional Services - Domiciliary Services
Additional Services are basically the provision of mobile NHS funded sight tests at; day centres, residential care homes and individuals’ own homes, carried out by an optician. The optician will have an Additional Services Contract with NHS Warwickshire. It is not a requirement for these opticians/providers to also have a mandatory contract with the PCT.
A list of practices that offer the services can be found below:
Additional Services
Enhanced Services – (Raised Eye Pressure)
Enhanced Services are any other primary ophthalmic (eye) services which are commissioned at the discretion of the PCT, developed to meet a specific patient need in for people in Warwickshire.
The PCT has an Enhanced Service for Intra Ocular Pressure. This means that some opticians have chosen to undertake additional training and now offer an specialist service to test eye pressures for people who have raised eye pressure. If recommended by your opticians, if you need to have your eye pressures monitored regularly you can choose to go to a local optician, who offers this service, rather than attend hospital appointments. There is no charge for patients and their optician will have recommended that an appointment is necessary following initial eye tests.
A list of practices that offer the Enchanced Services can be found by clicking on below link:
Enhanced Services
Patient Information
Below are some links to reputable sources of patient information:
Cataracts
Eyelid Problems
Flashes and Floaters
Macular Degeneration
General Optical Council
College of Optometrists
Department of health
- PCT
Primary Care Trust. A PCT is responsible for commissioning the most appropriate services for the local community.