Patients delay appointments until New Year

Around 400,000 scheduled eye tests will be deferred in December due to the financial burden of Christmas in England according to Vision Express (VE).

A survey of 2,000 people commissioned by the chain revealed that that one in five people scheduled to have their eyes checked in December admitted they'll defer until the New Year because of concerns about the cost of Christmas.

Sixty two per cent of respondents who were delaying their eye tests until the New Year said they were doing so due to the cost of buying replacement lenses and eyewear, while 22 per cent said that they didn't think that their eyesight had deteriorated sufficiently to warrant an examination.