Many people can get a free NHS sight test at an optician, including children, people aged 60 or over and people with diabetes or glaucoma. Some people can also get an NHS voucher to help pay for glasses or contact lenses. If you are not eligible, you pay the optician’s own price.
This guide is about NHS services in England. Services and rules are different in Scotland and Wales.
Who can get a free NHS sight test
You can get a free NHS sight test if you:
- are under 16
- are 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education, including at school, college, university or home
- are 60 or over
- are registered as partially sighted or blind
- have been diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
- are 40 or over and your mother, father, brother, sister or child has glaucoma
- have been told by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) that you are at risk of glaucoma
- have a valid HC2 certificate (full help with health costs)
- qualify for a complex lens voucher (your optician can tell you)
- are a prisoner on leave from prison
You also qualify if you or your partner get income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, or Universal Credit and meet its criteria. This also applies if you are under 20 and depend on someone who gets one of these.
If you have an HC3 certificate (partial help), you may get help with the cost of a private sight test.
Vouchers for glasses and contact lenses
| If you | Free sight test | Voucher |
|---|---|---|
| are under 16 | Yes | Yes |
| are 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education | Yes | Yes |
| are 60 or over | Yes | Not on its own |
| have diabetes or glaucoma | Yes | Not on its own |
| have a valid HC2 certificate | Yes | Yes |
An NHS optical voucher helps towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses. Fewer people qualify for a voucher than for a free sight test. For example, being 60 or over, or having diabetes or glaucoma, does not on its own give you a voucher.
You can get a voucher if you:
- are under 16
- are 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education
- have a valid HC2 certificate
- get, or your partner gets, one of the benefits listed above, or you are under 20 and depend on someone who does
- qualify for a complex lens voucher
- are a prisoner on leave from prison
Complex lens vouchers are for very strong prescriptions (plus or minus 10 dioptres or more) or prism-controlled bifocal lenses, for people who do not qualify for a main voucher. If you have an HC3 certificate, you may get some help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses.
How often you can have a free test
- How often2 yearsIf you are eligible, you can usually have a free NHS sight test every 2 years.
If you are eligible, you can usually have a free NHS sight test every 2 years. You can have one sooner if your optometrist says it is clinically needed. If you pay for a private test, you will not be able to have a free NHS test until your next one is due.
Sight tests at home
If you are eligible for a free sight test, an optometrist may be able to visit you:
- at home, if you cannot leave home on your own because of illness or disability
- at your care home, if you live there and cannot leave on your own because of illness or disability
- at a day centre, if illness or disability means you cannot go to an optician, or you find it hard to explain your health needs without help
If you paid but think you were eligible
- Get a receiptShowing what you paid and when
- Fill in HC5(O)The refund form
- Send itWith your original receipt
Ask the optician for a receipt showing what you paid and when. Then fill in an HC5(O) refund form and send it with your original receipt. For glasses or contact lenses, also send your prescription. The most you can get back is the value of the voucher you would have been given.
Check you are entitled before you sign a form saying you are. If you claim wrongly, you may have to pay the costs plus a penalty of up to £100.
UK Hospitals lists opticians in London. Outside London, use the NHS website to find an NHS sight test. Read more about free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers on the NHS website.
Sources
We checked this guide against these official pages on 22 October 2026.
- Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers (NHS website)
- How often can I have a free NHS sight test? (NHS website)
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