Your experiences of using eye care services
Eye tests play a huge part in making sure your eyes stay healthy. The NHS recommends you should have your eyes tested every 2 years (more often if advised by your ophthalmic practitioner or optometrist). A detailed explanation of NHS eye tests is available on the NHS website.
359 people from across Sussex shared their views with us, including 49 from Brighton and Hove. We heard:
- 70.5% of people said they were eligible for a free eye test, as they were over 60.
- 97.5% of respondents had had an eye test in the last 2 years.
- People said that not having an eye test had some negative impact on their ability to work or to carry out daily household tasks and some significant negative impact on their ability to do the things they enjoyed, or relationships with others.
Just under 84% agreed, or strongly agreed with the statement "I trust an optician to refer me directly to NHS specialist services or tests for any eye condition I might have, without having to see a GP first.’ Just under 7% disagreed/strongly disagreed.
The same proportion of people said the following reasons had stopped them from going for an eye test in the past two years:
- Could not afford the cost of an eye test.
- Could not get an appointment at a time they could access.
- Difficulty travelling to a service.
Overall however, people were positive about:
- Appointment accessibility.
- Convenience.
- Quality of care.
- Waiting times.
Opinion was more split about costs. Out of 233 people who answered the question, 48 said these were excellent or good, 64 said they were average whilst 21 said they were poor.
