ArticleOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2025
Deprivation and NHS General Ophthalmic Service sight testing activity in England in 2022-2023.
Article in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evaluation of the Community Urgent Eyecare Service in Greater Manchester, Including the Impact of Independent Prescribing.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Oculomics and the NHS: A UK opportunity to translate eye-derived biomarkers into population health.Eye (London, England) · 2026Article
- Loneliness and Mental Wellbeing in People With Inherited Macular Disease.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Analysing Patterns in Electronic Optometry Referrals: Feasibility and Methodology.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Association between self-reported vision and mental well-being: a cross-sectional secondary analysis of Health Survey for England data.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Shifting left for getting it right: Lessons from primary care optometry developments in Scotland.Eye (London, England) · 2025Article
- Deprivation and NHS General Ophthalmic Service sight testing activity in England in 2022-2023.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeSocioeconomic deprivation is associated with an increased incidence of sight-loss. To inform potential developments in eyecare, General Ophthalmic Service (GOS) sight-testing activity was explored in relation to deprivation for GOS contractors submitting National Health Service (NHS) claims in England.
methodsData on NHS sight-test claims for the financial year 2022-2023 were sought from NHS England (NHSE), including number of sight-tests by GOS contractors, their unique Organisation Data Service codes and postcodes and age-bands of patients accessing sight-testing. Deprivation scores were assigned to contractor practices using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and the average number of sight-tests for all contractors within each IMD decile calculated, allowing rate of sight-testing per 1000 population per decile of deprivation to be estimated using Office of National Statistics (ONS) Lower Layer Super Output Area mid-year population estimates. Inequality was examined using the Odds Ratio (OR) and slope and relative index of inequality measures (SSI and RII).
resultsOverall, 12.94 million NHS sight-tests were provided by 5622 GOS contractors in England in 2022-2023. Most affluent decile GOS contractors undertook an average ~2200 NHS sight-tests, while in the most deprived decile, average NHS sight-tests per contractor was ~1100. Rate of sight-testing per 1000 population in the most deprived decile was one quarter of that in the most affluent, with an OR of 5.29 (95% CI 5.27-5.30), indicating those in the most affluent areas were ~five times more likely to access NHS sight-tests. Overall, SII and RII were 333.5 (95% CI 333.52-333.53) and 6.4 (95% CI 6.39-6.40), respectively, findings reflective of substantial inequality in uptake.
conclusionThere remains substantial unwarranted variation in uptake of NHS sight-testing, with those in more affluent areas accessing sight-testing substantially more than those in more deprived areas. Strategies are required to facilitate primary care optometry to provide more equitable access to eyecare.
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