NHS eye tests · who qualifies · what’s included
Am I entitled to a free NHS eye test?
About half the people who walk through our door qualify and a good few don’t know it. Here’s the list, what the test includes, and what it costs if you’re not on it.
You get a free NHS eye test if you are
- Under 16, or under 19 and in full-time education
- 60 or over
- Diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
- 40 or over and your parent, brother, sister or child has glaucoma
- Registered sight-impaired
- Told by an ophthalmologist you’re at risk of glaucoma
- Receiving Income Support, income-based JSA or ESA, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Universal Credit (within the earnings limit), or named on a valid HC2 certificate (HC3 gives partial help)
- A prisoner on leave, or a war pensioner for the relevant condition
Not sure? Ring any practice and we’ll tell you in a minute.
What the NHS test includes here
The same optometrist and the same care as a private test: the prescription, the eye health check inside and out, the pressure test if you’re over forty, and a retinal photograph. The 3D OCT scan — the layers behind the retina — is £25 on top, and most people add it.
If you don’t qualify
£55 for the forty-five-minute private test, £95 with the OCT scan. Every price →
Glasses
If you qualify for a free test you may also get an NHS voucher towards glasses — the value depends on your prescription. We’ll tell you what it’s worth and it can go against any frame we sell.
Guides on this
- How much is an eye test? Every price, honestlyAnywhere between nothing and £195, depending on what you’d like looked at. Here’s what each level includes, so you can choose the right one.
- NHS eye test vs private: what the £55 actually buysThe NHS test isn’t a cut-down version. At an independent it’s the same optometrist, the same room and most of the same checks. The differenc
- What is an OCT scan, and do I need one?A photograph of the back of your eye shows the surface. An OCT scan shows what’s underneath, layer by layer. That’s where glaucoma and macul
- How often should I have an eye test?Every two years is the standard answer and it’s right for most people. The exceptions matter more than the rule.
- What happens at an eye test — forty-five minutes, step by stepIf it’s been years, or you’ve only ever had a short one, here’s the whole forty-five minutes — so nothing’s a surprise.
- Free eye tests: who qualifies in 2026About half of adults qualify and a good few don’t know it. The list, in one place, for this year.
- Glaucoma: the test that finds it years earlyGlaucoma is the one that has no symptoms. By the time you notice anything, the sight that’s gone doesn’t come back. It’s found at eye tests,
- Macular degeneration: what you can actually do this yearThere are two kinds and they need opposite responses. The dry kind is slow, and there are things that slow it further. The wet kind is fast
- Cataracts: when to have surgery, and what to expect afterNearly everyone who lives long enough gets a cataract. The operation is one of the safest and commonest in medicine. The only real question
- Diabetes and your eyes: what the yearly check looks forDiabetes damages the small vessels at the back of the eye without any symptoms until late. You’re entitled to two checks a year — the screen
Five clinics across Greater Manchester, Cheshire & West Yorkshire
Every Book button on this page comes here. Choose your practice — the number appears on the one you pick.
Book a Dry Eye Assessment — Cheadle 0161 428 3717
Book a Dry Eye Assessment — Middleton 0161 653 0771
Book a Dry Eye Assessment — Heald Green 0161 437 3400
Book a Dry Eye Assessment — Winsford 01606 599030
Book a Dry Eye Assessment — Heckmondwike 01924 403617
Gland Scan: £15 with any eye examination (included in our Gold eye examination).