Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with opticians’ associations on opticians spotting illness when carrying out eyesight checks.

David Mowat

There have been no specific discussions on this with opticians’ associations. Regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss and provide a health check for eyes that can pick up early signs of eye conditions.

Under the Sight Testing (Examination and Prescription) (No.2) Regulations 1989, when a doctor or optometrist carries out a sight test, they have a legal duty to perform such examinations that are necessary to detect signs of injury, disease or abnormality and to refer the patient for further investigation if necessary. They will also carry out tests to determine if the patient requires an optical appliance to correct a defect in sight.

These requirements apply to all sight tests, whether provided on the National Health Service or privately.

The General Optical Council (GOC) is the regulatory body for optometrists who carry out sight tests and any concern about the quality of sight tests can be raised directly with the GOC.