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Contact lens services
Useful documents:
- Information leaflets on contact lenses (PDF, 482KB)
- Paediatric contact lenses following cataract (PDF, 566KB)
- Sceral contact lenses (PDF, 58KB)
Supply of contact lenses within the Hospital Eye Service
The Optometry department provides
a contact lens assessment, fitting, prescribing and aftercare service for patients
of the Trust requiring clinically necessary contact lens. It provides a specialist
contact lens service including scleral, cosmetic, paediatric, therapeutic and
kerataconic contact lenses. This service is provided at the main eye clinic
at St. James's University Hospital
Only a hospital consultant ophthalmologist, or a hospital contact lens
practitioner, can decide whether a patient has a clinical need for contact lenses.
Only an appropriately qualified registered optician can fit contact lenses.
There is a patient charge of £50.50 per lens for clinically
necessary contact lenses.
Plano powered lenses used as therapeutic bandages, occlusive and non-sighted
prosthetic contact lenses are exempt from charges. Sighted prosthetic lenses
are chargeable subject to the exemptions detailed in the list below.
The maximum charge for a single hospital contact lens is £50.50
but help may be available under the NHS voucher scheme.
Patients falling within the categories listed below are entitled to vouchers
towards meeting the costs of their contact lenses. The Hospital is responsible
for establishing whether their patients fall into any of the eligible categories.
People falling within the categories below are entitled to help, through the
NHS voucher scheme, towards meeting the costs of their spectacles or contact
lenses (although if the glasses or contact lenses cost more than the voucher
value, the patient will have to pay the difference).
Those entitled to help:
- Children under 16
- Are 16 or over but under 19 and still in full-time education.
They or their partner get:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Family Credit
- Disability Working Allowance
They, or their partner are:
- They, or their partner are on a low income and hold an NHS Charges certificate for full help (HC2), issued by the Health Benefits Division (HBD), which entitles them to the full voucher values.
- They, or their partner are on a low income and hold an NHS Charges certificate for limited help (HC3) issued by the HBD and the amount of their contribution is less than their voucher value.
Those who would not normally qualify for help with costs on income grounds but require complex lenses i.e. patients whose prescription for spectacles is for at least one lens which has either power in any meridian of plus or minus 10 dioptre or more or is a lenticular lens or is a prism controlled bi-focal lens.
Patients who are entitled to full help with costs of an optical appliance (see above) and receive an optical voucher may use the voucher to pay the maximum charge. Therefore patients, who require contact lenses for the management of their eye condition and are eligible for a lettered voucher, receive their contact lenses free.
Replacement of contact lenses
Provisions for the repair or replacement of contact lenses under the voucher scheme vary depending on whether patients are under or over the age of 16.
Repair or replacement for patients under 16
A repair/replacement voucher is available for a patient under 16, where the contact lenses need to be repaired or replaced and there is no change in the prescription.
Repair or replacement for patients 16 to 19 in full time education
A repair/replacement voucher is available for a patient from 16 to 19 in full time education, where the contact lenses need to be repaired or replaced and there is no change in the prescription.
Repair or replacement for patients 16 and over
Patients aged 16 and over, may be entitled to help with repair or replacement costs where they are suffering from an illness which caused the loss or damage to their spectacles or contact lenses.
Patients who have been supplied with clinically necessary contact lenses must seek repair/replacement from the hospital concerned.