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Publication, Part of

General Ophthalmic Services, Ophthalmic statistics - England, 1994-95 to 2004-05

Publication Date:
Date Range:
01 Apr 1994 to 31 Mar 2005

Summary

The objective of the General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) is to provide, through community opticians practices, preventative and corrective eye care for children, people aged 60 and over, people on low incomes and those suffering from or pre-disposed to eye disease. This bulletin presents summary information about GOS in England. The statistics are derived both from data provided by Primary Care Trusts, which contract with ophthalmic practitioners to provide NHS sight tests and optical vouchers, and from the practitioners themselves.

Highlights

In England in 2004-05:

  • Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) paid for 10.1 million NHS sight tests, an increase of 3.1% on 2003-04. 42% of these sight tests were performed on patients aged 60 or over, and 22% on children.
  • Optical vouchers for 3.6 million spectacles were reimbursed by PCTs, an increase of 3.0% on 2003-04. 71% of the total were for the simplest single vision lens prescriptions.
  • Provisional data indicates that 340 million was spent in total on General Ophthalmic Services; this represents an increase in real terms of 4.0% on expenditure on 2003-04.
  • 8,472 ophthalmic practitioners (ophthalmic opticians and ophthalmic medical practitioners) were under contract to perform NHS sight tests at December 2004, an increase of 1.7% on December 2003. OMPs accounted for 7% (565) of all ophthalmic practitioners.
  • There were 6,207 establishments, from which ophthalmic practitioners in contract with PCTs operated at 31 December 2004.

Resources

Last edited: 21 March 2022 9:45 am