For Care Home Managers
Can opticians visit care homes? (NHS rules explained)
Short answer: Yes. Care home residents in England are entitled to a free NHS-funded sight test from a domiciliary optician who visits the home. The optometrist must be a GOC-registered clinician with an enhanced DBS check, and the home (not the resident) usually coordinates the booking. Tests are typically scheduled in batches and repeated every two years — or annually for residents with diabetes, glaucoma or significant cognitive impairment.
What the NHS covers
Residents of care homes, nursing homes, supported living and sheltered housing automatically meet the NHS criterion of being "unable to leave home unaccompanied" for the purposes of a sight test. The NHS pays the optometrist directly — residents and the home are not charged for eligible visits.
Who is qualified to visit
Only a GOC-registered optometrist (or, for some checks, a dispensing optician working under their direction) can carry out the sight test. Any optometrist visiting a care home should arrive with:
- Photo identification and their GOC registration card.
- An enhanced DBS certificate, available on request.
- Their own portable equipment and infection-control supplies.
- Indemnity insurance and a current NHS performer-list number.
If you are a care manager, you are entitled to ask for any of these before allowing a visit. Reputable providers expect the question.
How a typical care-home visit works
- The home identifies residents due for a sight test (every 2 years as standard, annually for higher-risk patients).
- The provider obtains consent from each resident, or from the appropriate family member or LPA for residents who lack capacity.
- A clinic day is scheduled — usually 8 to 12 residents can be seen in one visit.
- Each resident is examined in their own room or a quiet shared space.
- Glasses are dispensed, fitted and adjusted on a follow-up visit, with NHS optical vouchers applied for eligible residents.
Capacity and consent
For residents who lack capacity to consent under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the optometrist will work with the home and family to make a best-interests decision before testing. The test itself is non-invasive and not "restricted treatment", so the threshold is the same as for any other routine health check.
Arranging a visit
Care managers can request a visit by calling 0800 654 6934 or by using our care home page to send a brief request. We confirm the visit, send a resident list template, and handle NHS paperwork directly.
Source: NHS General Ophthalmic Services contract (England); CQC Regulation 9 — person-centred care; Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Need to speak to someone?
Our team will check your eligibility over the phone in under two minutes — no obligation.