Eyecare Plan has been awarded a UK-wide contract by the Department of Work and Pensions to provide assessment reports on applicants for certain disability benefits. It is now looking to recruit practices to provide the reports for an £18 fee.
The report will require optometrists to provide a diagnosis of visual impairment, Snellen visual acuity and Esterman visual fields. Participating practices must be able to carry out Snellen VAs giving results that may be less than 3/60 and peripheral and central VFs.
Eyecare Plan said it anticipated the tests would take between 20 and 30 minutes and valued the practice's equivalent hourly rate at between £36-£54.
The Association of Optometrists said it made no recommendation to members over participation in the scheme, but its director of operations David Craig said: 'It is interesting to note that the DVLA pays more than twice as much for a similar service.' He added that services remunerated at a rate less than break-even put practitioners under undue pressure.