Best places to have an eye test

Having a regular eye test is vital. 

As well as making sure you get the right glasses, it can help you identify serious health problems and deal with them early, protecting your sight for the long term.

An eye examination isn't just about getting new glasses or contacts. It’s a chance to spot potentially serious eye and health problems such as glaucoma and diabetes.

What to expect from an eye test:

• Usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, although it can take longer.
• The optician will assess your history, for example, whether this is a routine check-up or if you've had any problems.
• They will also ask about your general health, your work and any hobbies you do.

Best and worst places to get your eyes tested

We surveyed thousands of people about their experiences to find out which companies are rated best and worst for eye tests, including quality of customer service and thoroughness of tests.

Logged-in members can see how customers rated each of the key brands and independents in the table below. Not yet a member? Sign up today to get access to this and all our reviews and survey results (non-members will simply see an alphabetically ordered list of brands).

What to know before getting an eye test

It's difficult to judge whether you're getting a good consultation. If you're left feeling unsure, you may well be justified.

In a previous mystery shopping exercise, we had undercover eye tests at up to four branches of each optician across England and Wales. 13 out of 30 visits were rated as poor or very poor by our expert panel of optometrists, with lack of history-taking and inaccurate prescriptions letting some consultations down.

To get the best out of your eye test, use our guide to the eye tests you should expect, and tips on what to ask, below.

Common eye tests and what they're for

Glasses check (focimetry)

Used to determine the strength of your glasses so your optometrist can see if your prescription has changed. You’ll be asked to hand over your specs and they will be placed on a machine. This often happens in the pre-testing before the appointment.

Pressure check (tonometry)

This test for glaucoma can be easy to spot, as lots of optometrists use a method that blows puffs of air in your eye.

Visual fields check

Look at your peripheral vision. This may be done with a technician before the appointment and involves you clicking a button as you see dots of light flash up in the edges of your vision.

Autorefraction

Can be used to automatically estimate your prescription. You’ll be asked to look into a machine and most likely see a picture that will move in and out of focus.

Prescription check

The part where the optometrist will show you a series of lenses and ask you questions such as ‘clearer with or without’ or ‘sharper in one or two’.

A slit lamp

This is a microscope with a bright light used to look at the front and sometimes back of your eyes. You’ll place your chin in a chin rest and be asked to look straight ahead or at the optometrist’s ear.

Ophthalmoscopy

Can be used to look at the inside of your eye, particularly the retina. Normally, the lights are turned down and the optometrist will come in close with a light and check your eyes in a variety of positions such as straight ahead, up, looking to the left and so on.

Digital retinal photography

A picture of the back of your eye is taken and stored to create a record of your eye health, so that changes over time can be monitored. Your optometrist should show you the images later in your appointment – they are likely to look like orange/red circles with blood vessels running through. Some practices may also offer Optical Coherence Tomography ‘OCT’ 3D scanning of the eyes.

Usually available at an extra charge.

How to get the best from your eye test

Be proactive in describing any issue you're having to the optician. You'll be helping them to give you the best appointment:

1. Be clear about any unusual symptoms you’ve had, such as headaches or flashes of light. While an optometrist should ask about these, it’s best to be upfront if you’ve experienced any problems or if there's a specific reason for your visit, so they can follow up with more questions.
2. Don’t assume anything you’ve mentioned to the technician has been passed on to the optometrist. As our research shows, sometimes communication between the person carrying out pre-tests and the optometrist can be poor. Mention anything of concern directly to the optometrist.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, for example about the results of each test. A good optometrist will talk you through what they’ve found, even if it’s just to say your eye health is stable.
4. If you find an optometrist you trust, stick with them, especially if you have any complicated eye problems. They can keep a record of your retinal photos or scans and track any problems as they develop.
5. If there’s a problem with your prescription, go back to the original opticians to get it sorted rather than seeking a second opinion, as it will be easier to resolve.

Eye tests: understanding your glasses prescription

Distance is the lens power prescribed to help you see distant objects clearly, this is based on your ability to read an eye chart with various lenses.

‘Sph’ (Sphere) A plus (+) sign means that your eye is long-sighted. A minus (-) that your eye is short-sighted. The number (for example +2.5) is the correction prescribed. The higher the number, the stronger the prescription lenses required.

‘Cyl’ (Cylinder) describes astigmatism (visual distortion caused by the shape of the eye) found. It tells you how far your eye is more rugby ball shaped than spherical. It can be written as either a plus or minus number.

‘Axis’ is a number between 0 and 180 which describes the angle in degrees of any rugby ball effect. This dictates how your lenses will be positioned.

Prism and Base is less common, but will show when you have a muscle imbalance in the eyes that prevents them working together well. Prism lenses help correct this and prevent double vision.

OD, OS and OU OD is the abbreviation for oculus dexter, the Latin term for your right eye. OS means oculus sinister or left eye. If you see OU, it means oculus uterque or each eye, so the same measurement applies to both of your eyes.

Add is the 'reading addition' number which indicates the amount of additional correction needed when focusing at a close distance.

Small amounts of variation in prescriptions from different opticians are perfectly normal (even the same optician testing you on a different occasion) due to the subjective answers you give. However, this variation should not normally be greater than the equivalent of two steps in the power of the lens (0.50 dioptres). 

Large variations may occur as a result of diabetes, and this would need further investigation.

Eye testing at home

If you qualify for a free NHS sight test but can't get to a high street optician store because of a mental or physical disability or mobility problems, a home (domiciliary) sight test can be carried out free in your own home by an experienced optician.

This includes having new glasses fitted and provided, as well as eye testing.

It can be a really important way of helping someone housebound to stay living well at home, preventing accidents such as trips and falls due to poor eyesight.

For more information, go to the Federation of (Ophthalmic and Dispensing) Opticians (FODO) website.