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General Eye Care

If you have an immediate concern with your vision or eye health please refer to our Minor Eye Condition Service in the services tab.

Eye Examinations

Over 400,000 eye examinations are conducted every year in Oxfordshire by approximately 100 registered optometrists.
Eye examinations are either

  • Private or
  • NHS funded (see eligibility below)

NHS eye tests are provided by optometrists to the Department of Health via the General Optical Council (GOC).

The Department of Health estimates that 17.2 million eye examinations were conducted in the UK in the 12 months to 31 March 2004 and, of these, 11.4 million were paid for by the NHS.

You are entitled to a free sight test, paid for by the NHS, if:

  • you are under 16 years of age
  • you are 16, 17, or 18, and in full-time education
  • you are 60 or over
  • you have been diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma,
  • you are 40 or over, and your mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter has been diagnosed with glaucoma,
    an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) has advised you that you’re at risk of glaucoma,
    you are registered as blind or partially sighted,
    you are prescribed complex lenses – these are lenses with a power of 10 dioptres or more, or prism controlled bifocal lenses,
    your sight tests are usually done through a hospital eye department, as part of your care for an existing eye condition, or
    you are a war pensioner and you need the sight test because of a disability for which you get a war pension.

You are entitled to full help with health costs, including sight tests, if you or your partner receive:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance; or
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit.

You can also get a free NHS sight test if you’re entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate.

If you’re eligible for help with NHS costs under the NHS Low Income Scheme, you can claim some or all of the cost of sight tests for you, your partner and your children.
Proving your entitlement to a free NHS sight test

When you go for your sight test, you should tell your optometrist or optician that you are entitled to a free NHS sight test. They will give you a form called GOS1 to fill in and sign.

You may need to provide proof of your age, for example, to prove that you are over 60. You should show your optometrist an official document that gives your name and date of birth, such as your:

  • birth certificate,
  • NHS medical card,
  • passport,
  • travel concession card,
  • pension award notice, or
  • driving licence.

You may need to provide other proof of your entitlement to a free NHS sight test, depending on your circumstances. For example, you may need to take some of the documents or information below with you to your appointment:

If you are entitled to full help with health costs, you will need to show your HC2 certificate or tax credit exemption certificate to your optometrist.
If you are registered as blind or partially sighted, the name and address of the local authority where you are registered has to be filled in on the GOS1 form.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma, or an ophthalmologist has advised that you are at risk of glaucoma, you need to put the name and address of your doctor on the GOS1 form.
If you already need a complex lens, if possible show the optometrist your last prescription or the glasses you are wearing.

If you are eligible for partial or limited help with your health costs, show your HC3 certificate to your optometrist and ask if you are entitled to help with the cost of your sight test. They will give you a form called GOS5 to fill in and sign.

Low Vision Services

A person is described as having low vision when their ability to see is reduced even when using both eyes and wearing their correct glasses. It can cause difficulties when performing every day tasks, such as reading.
There are a number of eye conditions that can result in low vision. Whilst treatment is available for some eye conditions, it is not always possible to restore perfect vision. It is important in the first instance that you are seen by an Ophthalmologist (eye doctor) to make a diagnosis (find the reason why your vision is reduced). Your community Optometrist or GP can make the referral to the Ophthalmology service for you.
There are a vast number of services available in Oxfordshire for people with low vision. The leaflets below outline some of these services.