The NHS Benefits Most UK Adults Are Not Claiming
NHS Benefits: Right now, in the NHS, there are thousands of pounds in optical support just waiting to be claimed by the people who are entitled to it but don’t know it exists. Many believe the ability to receive free eye care finished when they reached nineteen and finished full-time education. However, for many adults, that simply isn’t the case as the criteria for discounted sight tests and vouchers are more extensive than you might believe.
Who is Eligible for Free Eye Test
The NHS covers the cost of compulsory sight tests for certain categories of people and that list is far longer than children and pensioners. Eye tests are free to anyone over the age of sixty, under the age of sixteen or between the ages of sixteen and eighteen if they are in full-time education.
What may surprise you is that the eligibility is income-based. If you claim Universal Credit, Income Support, income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, your sight test is completely free. There’s no need to claim additionally, or even complete a form – all you need to do is state your condition when scheduling the appointment at any NHS-registered optician.
It’s important to remember medical conditions. If you have diabetes or glaucoma, you will have free eye tests no matter how old you are or what your income level is. These two diseases are high-risk for permanent sight loss and need to be checked on regularly. You’re eligible for free NHS eye tests if you’re over forty and have someone in your family with glaucoma.
Others who qualify include being legally blind or partly sighted, people on leave from prison, and people who have been flagged by their ophthalmologist to be at risk for glaucoma. So when you pay for your routine check-up, you’re leaving cash on the table.
The Optical Voucher System Most People Ignore
The free sight test is only the first half. For those who are eligible for an NHS-funded eye exam and require new lenses, you will be eligible for an NHS optical voucher in addition to your eye test. This voucher reduces the price of your frames and lenses by a set amount. The more complex your prescription, the more your voucher reduces the cost.
The voucher is worth less for a standard single vision prescription, and more for a complex varifocal or high index lenses. The specific amounts change from time to time and are published by the NHS Business Services Authority – ask your optician.
It doesn’t quite cover the entire price of expensive frames and sophisticated lens coatings, but it’s a hefty chunk. For those with simple prescriptions, the voucher amount is sufficient to buy a cheap prescription glasses at no expense to you, and it takes a significant bite out of more costly ones.
However, the key is that you have to request it. While opticians have a duty to tell you about the voucher if you are eligible and should do so in their consultations, this may not always occur when a branch is under pressure in a high-street setting. If you think you qualify, bring it up early in your appointment.
Using Your Prescription Outside the High Street
The optician must give you a copy of your prescription after your sight test. They are obliged by law to do this. It is your prescription so you are not required to buy your spectacles from the practice that carried out the test.
That is where the savings really start to add up. By bringing your prescription and NHS voucher details to an outlet that offers online glasses ordering, the number of frames, coatings and lens options available to you is far greater than the selection of a local high-street shop. Online shops have lower business costs and are able to make your NHS voucher go further, with more frames and coatings included.
It’s easy. Just provide us with your prescription information, enter your pupillary distance, choose your frames and any lens treatments, then use the voucher value when you check out. The spectacles are mailed to your door in a week or two, usually for a far lower cost than you would have paid at a traditional store.
The Bigger Perspective of Unclaimed NHS Support
Optical benefits are the most frequently forgotten benefits but are part of a larger trend of benefits which are used far less than they should be. Prescription charge exemptions for those on low incomes, free dental check-ups for pregnant women and new mothers, and Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme refunds for travel to hospital are also poorly used.
Full or partial help with health costs is available under the NHS Low Income Scheme (with an HC1 form) for those with an income above the limit that would otherwise make them eligible for the above benefits. This broad-ranging benefit extends to optical, dental, and prescription charges, but awareness is extremely low.
How You Can Safeguard Your Vision Without Stretching Your Finances
Taking care of your eye health should not be costly. We have created a safe network of support for those with a lower income, older adults and others with certain medical risk factors. It works, but you have to be in it.
Check your eligibility before your next appointment. Ask for your optical voucher. Take your prescription home and consider your options. The facilities are in place and funded by your taxes. There is no reason to pay for what the NHS have already said they will fund.
