View from: OCCS

As our industry emerges from lockdown there has been an emerging trend on complaints that has caught the attention of the team here at the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS). That of apparently compulsory charges being levied on elements that should be part of the NHS examination.

While some pre-examination tests may be excluded in social distancing and all clinicians will need to make individual judgements about risk versus benefit there can be no ambiguity around some of the cases we have seen.

The cause for concern revolves around a small number of consumers saying they have been told that, due to social distancing guidelines, direct ophthalmoscopy will not be performed and therefore a retinal photograph will be taken and a charge will apply.