Forty minutes, an OCT scan, and time to ask questions
Eye examinations
A full eye examination takes forty minutes: history and symptoms, vision and prescription, eye pressures, a look at the front and back of the eye, an OCT scan of the retina, and a proper explanation of what we found. £35 privately, free on the NHS if you qualify.
Most eye examinations on the high street are twenty minutes, and most of that is measuring the prescription. Ours is forty, because the prescription is the easy part. The part that matters is the health of the eye: the pressure, the optic nerve, the retina, and the things that have no symptoms until it is late.
The examination starts with a conversation: what has changed, what you do all day, headaches, screens, driving at night, family history. Then the vision and the prescription, with the chart and the lenses, done carefully and without rushing you into an answer. Then the health: eye pressures with the gentle instrument if you prefer, the front of the eye at the slit lamp, the back of the eye through a lens, and an OCT scan that images the layers of the retina and the optic nerve in cross-section, so we can measure change from one visit to the next.
At the end you get the findings in plain words, a printed prescription that is yours to take anywhere, and a recommendation about glasses only if something would actually help. If we see something that needs a hospital opinion we refer the same day and tell you what we saw and why. Examinations are with Elin or Rhodri, the two optometrists, and you can ask for either.
What is included
- Forty minutes with the optometrist
- History, vision, prescription and eye pressures
- Front and back of the eye examined
- An OCT scan of the retina and optic nerve
- A printed prescription that is yours to take anywhere
- Same-day referral if anything needs a hospital opinion
What it costs
£35 for a private examination with the OCT scan included. Free on the NHS if you qualify, with the OCT scan £20. Recommended every two years, yearly over sixty or if we say so. Prices include VAT where it applies. The prices page has every price, the NHS voucher table, and a contact lens plan builder.
Questions about eye examinations
How often should I have my eyes tested?
Every two years for most adults, every year over sixty, every year if you have diabetes, glaucoma in the family or a condition we are watching, and whenever something changes. Children every year while they are growing.
Do I need to bring anything?
Your current glasses, including reading and distance pairs, your contact lenses if you wear them, a list of any medication, and sunglasses if we might dilate your pupils, which we will tell you about when you book.
Book an eye examination.
Forty minutes with the optometrist, the OCT scan included, £35 or free on the NHS if you qualify. Tell us the days that suit and Val confirms a time within the working day. Sudden eye problem? Ring, and you are seen today.