Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of costs for opticians on trends in the level of people seeking eye care.

High street optical practices are independent businesses that deliver a mix of private and National Health Service eye care services. Free NHS sight tests are available for children, people aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income related benefits, and those at risk of particular eye diseases. The funding for NHS sight tests is demand led, with no limit set on the numbers of NHS sight tests that can be provided. The numbers of NHS sight tests continue to increase, with 13.7 million sight tests provided to eligible groups in 2023/24, and access for NHS patients remains good.

Help is also available for eligible patients to assist with the cost of glasses or contact lenses, through NHS optical vouchers. Integrated care boards can also commission primary eye care services over and above the NHS sight testing service from optical practices, where they consider these necessary to meet local need.