On Mon, 1 Feb 2021 10:24:15 -0000 (UTC), jon wrote:

I seem to be booked for a Home Eye Test from 'Outside Clinic' for the 12th
Feb. Had no verbal contact from Optometrists other than just filled an
online form in. They send out flyers that look like an NHS letter.

I am supicious..

They are opticians who specialise only in home visits and are licensed
to carry out NHS domiciliary sight tests (Hence their entitlement to
use the NHS logo on advertisements and correspondence)). The
requirements for registration to do ophthalmic home visits are at


https://www.loc-net.org.uk/media/601...march-2018.pdf

and
https://www.opticianonline.net/cet-archive/46

https://www.abdo.org.uk/wp-content/u...ctice-2014.pdf


You only qualify for free home visits if, in addition to a free eye
test entitlement, you are unable to leave home unaccompanied because
of physical or mental illness or disability. If you don't qualify for
a free visit and test 'Outside Clinic will charge you (about £45 I
think) for a home visit.

They were taken over by Optimism Health Group in Nov of last year. No
indication as to whether this is good or bad yet

Quite a few other opticians will also do home visits (Specsavers for
one) however it requires the Optician to invest in some quite
expensive specialised portable equipment so not all offer it.

Someone has to pay for all this and the Outside Clinic business model
relies upon selling a limited range of spectacles at quite high
markup. They don't seem to be particularly aggressive in their sales
methods but remember the person testing you has sales targets to
meet or they won't have a job.

Unless you are pretty strong willed and happy to tell the salesman to
go away I wouldn't have them (or any salesman) in the house. You
should certainly have someone with you if you decide to have them
visit.

They have been going for about 25 years or so and seem to have mostly
fairly positive reviews. They also seem to invest in up to date
equipment not just the absolute minimum to satisfy the regulators.
However, there is little doubt that if you can get to a normal
optician you will have probably have access to a greater range of
diagnostic equipment (all the home visit services must have an
adequate range of portable equipment defined by the NHS which they
must be able to carry into the patients home but in recent times many
opticians have installed as standard a wider range of examination kit
which you couldn't carry around).

Your will also have a much wider range of glasses to chose from in a
fixed site optician and probably at significantly lower prices.

As you are entitled to have your prescription given to you after your
eye test if you cant get out you could always get an in home test from
Outside Clinic, take the prescription and send them on their way. Then
go to a decent on-line suppler and get the specs you want much
cheaper.