Eye tests · NHS and private · five practices
The eye test, explained
An eye test from a family business that treats you like one of its own: we take our time, explain everything, and only recommend what we would recommend to our own parents and family.
Before you book, the things people ask us
Honest answers to the six questions we hear most about the eye test itself.
“I can see fine. Do I really need one?” Most of what an eye test finds has no symptoms. Glaucoma, macular change and the early signs of diabetes give no pain and no warning until sight is already lost. Seeing fine is the best time to be checked, because it is the time something can still be done.
“Very thorough and very pleasant.”
“I haven’t had one in years.” Then you are exactly who the forty-five minutes is for. Nobody will tut. We start with a conversation about your eyes and your life, and we go at your pace. If you have an old prescription or old glasses, bring them; if you have nothing, that is fine too.
“Made me feel comfortable. Took their time and made sure I was satisfied before I left.”
“Will it hurt? What about the puff of air?” Nothing in the test hurts. The pressure check is a brief puff or a gentle touch you barely feel, and we explain it before it happens. We rarely need drops that blur your vision, and if we do, we tell you when you book so you can plan the drive.
“Very explanatory and patient.”
“My eyes are tired from screens. Is that normal?” It is common, and it is not something you have to live with. Tired eyes by four o’clock, headaches after a day of meetings, dry or gritty eyes: each points to something we can measure and usually help. Tell us what your day looks like and we will look for the cause, not just the prescription.
“This is the first time anybody has mentioned the problems with dry eyes, which I have had for a number of years.”
“Is the OCT scan worth the money?” For most adults over forty, and anyone with diabetes or glaucoma in the family, yes. It sees the layers behind the retina where disease begins, years before a photograph or a symptom. It is optional, £35, and your optometrist will tell you plainly whether it matters for you before you decide.
“I was shown the scans and everything was clearly explained to me.”
“Will you tell me if it is serious?” Yes, plainly and kindly, on the screen, with what it means and what happens next. If you need a specialist we arrange the referral, send them everything we found, and stay with you through it. Most findings are things to watch rather than things to fear.
“The optician undertook a thorough examination and covered more areas than I expected.”
NHS free if you qualify, £55 privately. 3D OCT scan £35.
Eye tests here, and what they cost
One list, the same at every practice, the same as the booking system. Every test is with an optometrist, not a machine, and the 45 minutes are yours.
Sight test and eye health check. Add the 3D OCT scan for £35.
45 minutes with the optometrist, the twelve checks, retinal photograph, and time to talk.
Everything in the private test plus the 3D OCT scan — the layers behind the retina, where glaucoma and macular disease start.
The Gold examination plus a full visual fields test and additional OCT scans, in an hour.
Fitting, trial lenses, and teaching. Free trial lenses for first-timers.
Available today. Free if you are registered with a local GP, through the NHS urgent eye care scheme. £60 if you are not.
Home eye tests (£75, free on the NHS where you qualify) are booked by phone. Every price on one page →
The forty-five minutes
What happens in an eye test here, step by step
This is the test our optometrists are trained to give, written down so you know what you are walking into. Nothing on this list is optional for us.
Before the test
We already know you
- 01
Before you walk in
We have read your record and the team has told your optometrist what matters to you today: the glasses you never got on with, the question about varifocals, the driving at night. You are greeted by name, and you do not start from scratch.
- 02
The conversation
The most important ten minutes of the test. Your optometrist asks about your days: work, screens, driving, reading, sport, travel. You do two thirds of the talking. We look at your current glasses in our hands, because they tell us what has and has not worked, and we ask about headaches, flashes and floaters, your family’s eye history, your health and your medicines. Every answer is a piece of the picture.
- 03
The sight test
Explained before it happens, every step. How sharply you see in the distance and up close, each eye alone and both together. The prescription, refined until the letters are as clear as they will go. How your eyes work as a pair. Your pupils. The muscles that move your eyes. The pressure inside the eye. Nothing is rushed and nothing is skipped.
The examination
Nothing rushed, nothing skipped
- 04
The back of your eye
Not just a photograph. Your optometrist examines the retina under the microscope in eight directions of gaze, so the edges are seen as well as the centre, and photographs it so this year can be compared with next. Then the front of the eye: lids, lashes, tear film, cornea and lens.
- 05
The 3D OCT scan, if you choose it
A scan of the layers behind the retina, to a hundredth of a millimetre, where glaucoma, macular change and diabetic damage begin years before you would notice anything. It is optional, £35, and we will tell you plainly whether it matters for you before you decide. Most people, once they have seen their own scan on the screen, never want an eye test without it.
- 06
Try contact lenses, free, today
If you are even a little curious, we will put a pair of trial lenses in before you leave, at no charge. Seeing the frames on your face without your glasses in the way is reason enough. A full fitting, if you want to go on, is £95.
What it means for you
Explained, decided together, looked after
- 07
Your results, on the screen
Your scans and your results in front of you, explained until they make sense: what is healthy, what to keep an eye on, what to do next. If we find something, we say so plainly and kindly, and we tell you what happens next.
- 08
A recommendation that fits your life
If your prescription has changed, your optometrist connects it to what you told us: because you said the motorway at night is hard, this lens; because you read in bed, this one. Two options, honestly compared, and the decision is yours. If nothing has changed, we say so.
- 09
The handover, and after
Your optometrist walks you to the person who will help you choose, and tells them what was found and what was said, so you never repeat yourself. Your next appointment is booked before you leave. Two weeks after you collect new glasses we ring to check they are right. Adjustments and a Specs MOT are free for as long as you wear them, and you have sixty days to change your mind.
Why forty-five minutes
What the time is for
Understanding you
Before we measure your eyes we understand your days: your work, your screens, your driving, your reading, your health. The prescription is only right when it fits the life it has to work in.
Examining everything
The whole retina, not just the middle. The front of the eye under the microscope. The pressure, the muscles, the pupils, how your eyes work as a pair. Time is what makes thorough possible.
Explaining it
Every result on the screen, in plain words, until you understand your own eyes. You leave with a clear picture of your eye health, a plan you agreed to, and the same optometrist next time.
NHS or private
Do you qualify for a free NHS eye test?
Free on the NHS if you are
- under 16, or under 19 in full-time education
- 60 or over
- diabetic, or diagnosed with glaucoma
- 40 or over with a parent, brother, sister or child with glaucoma
- registered sight-impaired
- receiving certain benefits, or on a low income with an HC2 or HC3 certificate
The NHS test here is the same forty-five minutes with the same optometrist. The only thing it does not include is the OCT scan, which you can add for £35.
If you do not qualify
- Private eye test, £55: the full forty-five minutes
- Gold, £95: the private test with the 3D OCT scan
- Platinum, £195: an hour, with a full visual fields test and additional OCT scans
Not sure which? Ring any practice and we will tell you in a minute. Pay in full, or half today and half at your next visit.
Five practices
Book at your nearest practice
The same forty-five minutes, the same prices and the same family at all five. Choose the one closest to you.
CheadleAbra & Co · 19 Wilmslow Road★ 4.9 · 106 Google reviewsOpticians in Cheadle → Also near: Cheadle Hulme · Gatley · Bramhall · Stockport
MiddletonAbra & Co · 36 Long Street★ 4.9 · 164 Google reviewsOpticians in Middleton → Also near: Heywood · Chadderton · Blackley · Rochdale
Heald GreenAshworth Opticians · 214 Finney Lane★ 4.9 · 131 Google reviewsOpticians in Heald Green → Also near: Gatley · Wythenshawe · Sale · Altrincham
WinsfordWinsford Eye & Footcare · 27 Delamere Street★ 4.9 · 75 Google reviewsOpticians in Winsford → Also near: Northwich · Middlewich · Knutsford · Crewe and Nantwich
HeckmondwikeArmitage Opticians · 14 Market Street★ 4.9 · 133 Google reviewsOpticians in Heckmondwike → Also near: Dewsbury · Batley · Mirfield · Cleckheaton
Free on the NHS if you qualify, £55 privately, at every practice. All five, with the towns each one serves →
Reviews
What our patients say
4.9★★★★★
G 600+ Google reviews across five practices
“Brilliant service very friendly staff and a no rush service Really informative and helpful when reviewing and selecting a new pair of glasses would highly recommend”Google review · Middleton · July 2026
“Many thanks to Abra & Co. I greatly appreciate the time that they spent helping me select the perfect glasses. The staff are friendly, informative and knowledgeable. I’ll be returning for years to come.”Google review · Middleton · April 2026
“Absolutely fabulous, professional and friendly always looking after me would recommend them”Google review · Middleton · March 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I qualify for a free NHS eye test?
Yes if you are under 16 (or under 19 in full-time education), 60 or over, have diabetes or glaucoma, are 40 or over with a parent, brother, sister or child with glaucoma, are registered sight-impaired, or receive certain benefits. Ring any practice and we will tell you in a minute.
How long does an eye test take?
Forty-five minutes with the optometrist for the NHS, private and Gold tests, and an hour for Platinum. If you would like to try contact lenses or have a styling consultation afterwards, allow about half an hour more. Nobody will hurry you.
What is the 3D OCT scan, and do I need it?
Optical coherence tomography: a scan of the layers behind the retina, in cross-section, to a hundredth of a millimetre. It shows glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic changes years before they affect your sight or show on a photograph. It is optional, £35 on any test and included in Gold and Platinum, and your optometrist will tell you honestly whether it matters for you. What the OCT scan shows →
Why do you ask so many questions before the test?
Because half of what we find is pointed at by the answers. Your work, your screens, your driving, your reading, your family history and your general health tell us where to look and what to recommend. It is the part of the test most places skip, and it is why our recommendations fit the way you actually live.
Will you look at my current glasses?
Yes, in our hands, frames and lenses. They tell us what has and has not worked for you, whether the lenses are scratched or the fit is wrong, and whether you have any protection from UV. Bring your sunglasses and any spare pairs too.
Can I try contact lenses on the day?
Yes, free, if you are curious. We put trial lenses in before you leave so you can see how they feel, and see the frames on your face without your glasses in the way. A full fitting with teaching, if you go on, is £95.
Will you tell me if nothing has changed?
Yes. If your prescription and your eye health are stable, we say so, and we will not suggest new glasses you do not need. We may mention options that suit something you told us, such as sunglasses for driving or a pair for reading in bed, and it is entirely your choice.
What if you find something?
We explain it on the screen, plainly, and tell you what it means and what happens next. If you need to see a specialist, we arrange the referral, send them everything we found, and stay with you through it. Most findings are things to watch rather than things to fear.
Show all 12 questions
How often should I have an eye test?
Every two years for most adults; every year if you are over 70, diabetic, have glaucoma in the family, or wear contact lenses; every year for children. If something changes between tests, come in: it is what the urgent appointments are for.
Do I need to bring anything?
Your current glasses and sunglasses, your contact lenses if you wear them, a list of any medicines, and proof of NHS entitlement if you have it. If you drive, we will tell you whether you meet the standard.
Can I drive afterwards?
Nearly always, yes. We rarely need drops that blur your vision, and if we do we tell you before the appointment so you can plan.
Will I see the same optometrist next time?
Wherever possible, yes. Continuity is how small changes get noticed, and your next appointment is booked before you leave. You can ask for a particular optometrist when you book.
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
