Service . 01 of 06

Eye examinations, properly given.

Twenty-five unhurried minutes. Comprehensive eye-health screening. Plain English from start to finish. The high street will give you ten minutes. We give you the time it actually takes.

NHS & private 25 min appointment Same week available

What it is

25min

Twenty-five minutes is the minimum. Often it is more. Never less.

More than reading a chart.

An eye examination is not just a vision check. We use it to screen for conditions you cannot feel yet. Glaucoma, where pressure damages the optic nerve. Macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss in the UK. Diabetic retinopathy, the eye complication of diabetes. Cataracts, in their earliest stages.

We measure your sight, of course. We test your prescription, both for distance and reading. But the bigger job is checking the health of the eye itself. Your eyes are the only part of your body where blood vessels and nerves can be seen directly. They tell us a lot, often before any other part of the body does.

We explain every finding in plain English. If something needs further investigation, we say so. If everything is well, we say that too, and we mean it.

01 . Visual

Visual acuity test

Distance, intermediate, and near vision measured properly. Both eyes, separately and together.

02 . Refraction

Refraction

Your prescription, found by the optometrist, not guessed by a machine.

03 . Eye-pressure

Eye-pressure check

Tonometry to screen for glaucoma. Painless. Takes seconds.

04 . Slit-lamp

Slit-lamp examination

Magnified inspection of the front of your eye. Cornea, lens, eyelids, tear film.

05 . Internal

Internal eye health

We look inside the eye to assess the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels.

06 . Plain-English

Plain-English summary

Your findings explained, with time for your questions. No jargon, no rush.

. NHS & Pricing

Free on the NHS for under-16s, over-60s, full-time students aged 16-18, anyone with diabetes or glaucoma, anyone over 40 with a family history of glaucoma, and several other groups. Private examinations available for those who do not qualify for NHS funding. Phone for current rates.

How often should I have one?

For most adults, every two years. More often if you have diabetes, glaucoma, or a family history of eye disease. The NHS recommends every year for over-70s. We will tell you when to come back.

Will it hurt?

No. Nothing in a routine examination causes pain. The eye-pressure test feels like a small puff of air. The eye-drop tests, when needed, can sting briefly. That is the most uncomfortable thing that happens.

How long does it really take?

Twenty-five minutes for the examination itself. Add five to ten minutes if you arrive early or wish to discuss frames afterwards. Most patients are in and out within an hour.

Do I need to bring anything?

Your current glasses, if you wear them. Your contact lenses, in their case, if you wear those. Any recent prescriptions or hospital letters. That is everything we need.

Can I drive home afterwards?

Yes, in almost every case. If we use dilating drops, which is rare, we will tell you in advance and you should arrange another way home for that appointment.

Is the NHS examination different from private?

No. The clinical examination is the same. We give every patient the same time, the same checks, the same care. NHS funding simply covers the cost for those eligible.