Ophthalmic Services

Opticians make arrangements with their NHS Board to provide only NHS eye examinations. When you visit an optician and pay for spectacles or contact lenses, you are entering into a private transaction.

Patients do not register with opticians. Patients can attend any optician and do not have to return to the same one. An optician can, however, refuse to treat you, if they wish.

Everyone is entitled to a free eye examination under the NHS. Some people may be eligible for a NHS Optical Voucher, to assist with costs.

Monitoring & Payment Verification

We monitor and verify payments made to ophthalmic practices. This is part of the routine audit process of NHS Boards, to make sure public money is being spent appropriately. This includes contacting a sample of patients to confirm that a service has been provided. By carrying out these checks, we are able to establish the accuracy of claims made by practices.

It must be stressed that these checks are routine and do not imply that anyone has done anything wrong.

You may receive a letter from us asking you to confirm certain details of the treatment you received. Simply fill in the questionnaire and return it to us in the Freepost envelope provided.

If you have any queries, contact us at the phone number at the top of your letter.

Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated and helps to protect public expenditure.