Care Home Eye Care
How Often Do Care Home Residents Need Eye Tests?
Most people are used to a "every two years" rule of thumb for eye tests. For care home residents, that's often too infrequent — many residents fall into groups the NHS recommends test more often, typically annually.
Why annual, not every two years?
Many of the reasons someone qualifies for a free NHS home eye test in the first place — being over 60, having diabetes or glaucoma, or being registered partially sighted or blind — are also reasons an optometrist may recommend more frequent monitoring. Vision and eye health can change faster in older age and with certain medical conditions, so annual testing catches changes sooner. See our full NHS Eligibility guide for who qualifies for funded tests.
What can change in a year
- Prescription changes, sometimes enough to need new glasses
- New or progressing eye conditions such as cataracts or glaucoma
- General health conditions (like diabetes) that affect eye health
- Physical changes that mean glasses no longer fit properly
An out-of-date prescription or badly fitting glasses can contribute to falls risk and difficulty with everyday tasks — reason enough on its own to keep testing regular. It's also worth having glasses checked and adjusted between full tests if a resident's frames are no longer fitting well.
How Templeman keeps this simple for care homes
Under one of our block contracts, annual re-testing for every resident is scheduled automatically — nobody has to remember to book it, and nobody falls through the gaps. We also offer 48-hour emergency repairs for anything that comes up in between visits.
Get a Testing Schedule Set Up
Call for a free consultation — we'll set up automatic annual testing for your residents.
📞 01268 777729