Your eye test explained

There are over 100 ways to test your eyes, our optician will select the test best for you. Although every eye test is different, they usually take 25 minutes.

It costs from £30 or if you're eligible for an NHS funded eye test you can pay to upgrade to the Advanced Eye Test (from £6). You can book your eye test online or in store.

Your eye health screening

Before you go into the eye test room with your optician, we’ll give you an eye health screening so we can check the health of your eyes.

This helps us to identify common eye conditions like dry eye, cataracts and glaucoma, as well as some general health conditions like diabetes.

Your eye health screening may include the following checks depending on your individual needs:

Auto-refractor – Here, you’ll look at a distant image like a hot air balloon, which lets us take an estimate of your prescription.
Non-contact tonometer – You’ll feel a slight puff of air into your eyes, which lets us check your eye pressure.
Digital retinal photography – This takes a photo of your eyes using a bright flash, so we can check whether everything is healthy.
Visual field test – This lets us take a look at your field of view.

Your sight test

After your eye health screening, you’ll have your main eye test. This is where your optician will carry out a few eye tests so we can get a better understanding of your vision.

We’ll ask you a few questions about your eyes, as well as some questions about your general health and any medication you’re taking, which can affect your vision. We’ll also ask a few questions about your lifestyle and any health issues in your family, as some eye conditions are hereditary.

Some of the common eye tests we’ll give you are:

The letter chart – This is where we’ll ask you to read a few letters from a board to test your vision
Slit lamp - This uses a light and magnification to check your pupils and eye health
Cover test – Here we’ll check to see how well your eyes work together

Find out more about eye tests, like why they’re important, the different types of eye tests and how you can book one.

Book an eye test

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