NHS Eye Examination
NHS Eye Examinations are provided free of charge in Scotland. The exam will thoroughly assess the health of the eye and can provide useful insight into your general health. Regular testing is important to detect and issues with the eyes at an early stage, even if you are lucky enough to benefit from good sight. The eye test typically lasts 40 minutes but can vary depending on your individual needs.
The examination will consist of:
- A discussion of your medical and ocular history, and any symptoms that you may be experiencing. We will ask about the medication that you take, as these can often affect the eye. It would be useful if you could bring an up-to-date list of these to your appointment
- Assessment of your vision and eye muscles
- Examination of the health of the eye and surrounding area
- Measurement of the internal pressure of the eye
- Testing of your visual field if required
- Retinal photography as standard for all patients, and further optical coherence tomography at an additional fee
For patients over the age of 60, NHS Scotland recommend that you have a dilated retinal examination. This involves instilling drops into the eyes which gradually enlarge the size of the pupils. These eyedrops will allow for a brighter view of the inside of the eye, as well as a better assessment of the peripheral retina. These eye drops can blur the vision and increase sensitivity to strong lights for a few hours after the eye examination. As such, driving is not normally recommended until your vision settles. On bright days it is beneficial to wear sunglasses when dilated.
Contact Lens Fitting & Aftercare
Contact lenses are an excellent option for most patients. Examinations for contact lenses are not provided via the NHS and are available privately. See our Contact Lenses page for further information on what is available.
For new wearers, we can arrange an initial consultation, trial lens fit, lessons on how to insert and remove contact lenses, and then a follow-up review. A charge of £60 is applicable to new contact lens wearers, which will cover all of the above and include any further follow-ups and trial contact lenses associated with this initial fitting.
It is recommended that contact lens wearers attend annually for review appointments to ensure that their eyes remain healthy. Contact lens checks for existing wearers are provided for a fee of £30 or are free if you purchase your contact lenses with us via direct debit.
Eyecare for Children
It is particularly important to monitor a child’s eyes during their developmental years. Children should have had their first examination by the time they start school, or sooner if any problems are observed. We have child friendly picture charts as well as number and letter charts. Children don’t have to be able to read the letters or pictures in order to have their eyes examined. We can tell how the eyes are performing using various techniques. The health of the eye will be thoroughly assessed.
There are lots of exciting new developments in the management of children who develop short-sightedness (myopia), which aims to slow down the progression of this condition. New options include contact lenses and special spectacle lenses.
We provide NHS eye examinations and spectacles for all children under 16 and those under 19 in full time education. We have a large range of frames which are available at no cost to children.
Useful Links: Eyes on our Future Infographic | Don’t Just Correct Myopia, Control It
OCT - Optical Coherence Tomography
We now offer an OCT 3D scan using state of the art technology from Topcon. These scans are particularly helpful in detecting, treating, and monitoring eye conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration. An OCT 3D scan provides much more detail than the traditional retinal photograph. It also takes measurements which are analysed and compared with normative data, as well as your previous results. This procedure is non-invasive and painless – nothing touches your eye.
What are the benefits of an OCT scan?
- A detailed 3D image of the hidden layers of the eye which aids early diagnosis of common eye conditions that may not be detected during a regular eye examination
- Provides assurance that the eye is in good health, with results that are stored and can be compared every time you have a scan
- They allow visual changes to be detected long before symptoms are visible
- Scan results can be forwarded to a hospital specialist for prompt assessment if required. Early detection of treatable conditions usually means a better outcome. On average OCT has been shown to detect glaucoma four years earlier than standard eye examination techniques
What can an OCT scan detect?
An OCT scan can detect the early onset of common eye conditions that normally wouldn’t be diagnosed, without hospital referral, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetes.
Who should have an OCT scan?
An OCT scan can be beneficial in ensuring the eye health of everyone. In particular, it can be beneficial for people over 40 in checking for treatable eye conditions. We recommend an OCT scan as part of your regular eye examination.
OCT is not part of our standard NHS eye examination and is available for an additional £20 fee.