Having regular eye exams is an important part of looking after your health. Your vision is a precious thing, and coming in for an eye test every couple of years is the best way to protect it for the future. Government guidelines advise adults to have an eye exam every 2 years and children under 16 should have a check-up every year.
The importance of eye exams
When you come in for an eye test, we do much more than just check your vision. Your eyes can tell us a lot about your health and an eye exam can reveal things such as diabetes. Many sight-threatening eye diseases have no noticeable symptoms in the early stages and irreversible damage can occur if the signs aren’t spotted in time.
What to expect
When you come in for an eye test, we do much more than just check your vision. Your eyes can tell us a lot about your health and an eye exam can reveal conditions such as diabetes. Many sight-threatening eye diseases have no noticeable symptoms in the early stages and irreversible damage can occur if the signs aren’t spotted in time.
We’ll do the usual sight test to see if you are short or long-sighted, and we’ll also perform a number of easy, non-invasive tests to check the health of your eyes. This includes testing the pressure of your eye to check for glaucoma, checks on colour and light sensitivity, and how your eye muscles are doing.
We’ll also use retinal photography to take a picture of the back of your eye, which can tell us a lot about your eye health.
OCT scan
You can opt to include an OCT scan as part of your eye exam. This advanced 3D scan gives us a minutely detailed picture of the layers of the retina at the back of your eye and can be instrumental in the early detection of eye disease. We keep your scans on file and can compare them each time you visit to check for tiny changes in the eye that could be signs of a problem.
NHS eligibility
We offer NHS eye tests to those who qualify. Everyone aged under 16 (or 18 if in full-time education) or over 60 is entitled to a free eye test every one or 2 years depending on age. You are also eligible if you have diabetes or glaucoma, or are at risk of glaucoma. Certain benefits can also make you entitled to free eye tests, please contact us if you’re not sure.
Accessibility
We have 3 steps to our waiting room and testing area but can provide a wheelchair ramp if required. Please advise us of any accessibility requirements you have when booking. Our contact lens room has steep stairs, but we can use our testing room on the ground floor as an alternative if you let us know in advance.
Book your appointment
If it’s been more than 2 years since your last eye exam or you think there may be a problem with your vision, get in touch and book an appointment for an eye test
