Millions being prescribed the wrong glasses

"Millions of people could be wearing the wrong glasses or contact lenses because eye tests are not being performed properly, new research suggests.

An investigation by Which?, the consumer watchdog, has found that eye specialists are regularly handing out the wrong prescriptions, causing many patients to suffer blurred vision and headaches.

Almost 17 million eye tests are carried out every year by optometrists - nearly 11 million on the NHS and the rest privately.


Tests are crucial not only for improving a person's sight, but for spotting early signs of conditions such as glaucoma, which can lead to blindness, and detecting problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

As part of the survey, undercover researchers checked eye tests in England and Scotland and found that 17 of the 39 visited were classified as 'poor' or 'very poor'.

A further seven of the 36 prescriptions given out were 'incorrect'.

Some were said to be so inaccurate that they would have resulted in headaches and blurred vision.

Two optometrists forgot to carry out essential tests, including a retino-scopy, which measures the strength of the glasses needed.

Which? is calling on the General Optical Council, the body in charge of opticians, to carry out spot checks on eye tests."