Full eye screening for children recommended by health committee

All young children should be fully screened for visual impairment and the Government should consider abolishing charges for sight tests.

These are two of several recommendations made today by a House of Commons health select committee report on NHS charges, which looked at health charges in England, and branded the system ‘a mess’.

The report included in its remit charges for drug prescriptions, dentistry, hospital car parking and sight tests.

Key recommendations for the optical sector included:

Perhaps most significantly, the committee recommended the Government establish a review to examine the costs and benefits of abolishing charges for initial diagnosis, such as eye tests and dental check-ups.