UK eye test comparison
Boots vs Vision Express Eye Test Fees
Boots Opticians lists from £29.95 for its Essential Eye Test (no OCT scan); from £54.95 for its Advanced Eye Test (OCT scan included); from £79.95 for its Ultimate Eye Test (OCT scan included), read 26 October 2026. Vision Express lists £30 for its Advanced Eye Test (OCT scan included), read 8 November 2026.
Fees are what each chain lists on its own fee page, not quotes. The tiers include different checks, so the first table sets them out by scan level. If you qualify for an NHS sight test, it is free.
Side by side, at the same scan level
| Appointment | Boots Opticians | Vision Express |
|---|---|---|
| Private test in store, no OCT scan | from £29.95 Essential Eye Test | Nothing captured on the pages read |
| Private test in store, with an OCT scan | from £54.95 Advanced Eye Testfrom £79.95 Ultimate Eye Test | £30 Advanced Eye Test |
| NHS-funded test, paid upgrade | Nothing captured on the pages read | £6 Advanced Eye Test — NHS upgrade (England, Wales, NI)£10 Advanced Eye Test — NHS upgrade (Scotland) |
“Nothing captured” describes our read of the fee page, not what the chain offers in store. Sources and dates for every figure are in the table below.
Every tier, with its source
Each chain’s tiers under the chain’s own names, the fee page each was read from, whether a machine or a person read it, and the date.
| Optician | Tier, as the chain names it | OCT scan | Fee | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private eye test, in store | ||||
| Boots Opticians | Essential Eye Test | Not included | from £29.95 | Read from the fee page26 October 2026 |
| Boots Opticians | Advanced Eye Test | Included | from £54.95 | Read from the fee page26 October 2026 |
| Boots Opticians | Ultimate Eye Test | Included | from £79.95 | Read from the fee page26 October 2026 |
| Vision Express | Advanced Eye Test | Included | £30 | Read from the fee page8 November 2026 |
| NHS-funded test, paid upgrade (only for people who qualify for an NHS sight test) | ||||
| Vision Express | Advanced Eye Test — NHS upgrade (England, Wales, NI) | Included | £6 | Read from the fee page8 November 2026 |
| Vision Express | Advanced Eye Test — NHS upgrade (Scotland) | Included | £10 | Read from the fee page8 November 2026 |
Boots prints each tier as a "from" price and says prices may vary across regional stores.
“Checked by hand” marks a fee page that refuses automated reads: a person read it on the date shown. A fee is shown only if it was confirmed within 60 days. 6 UK optical chains with a fee shown — 5 read from the chain's own fee page by machine, 1 checked by hand because the fee page refuses automated reads, of 6 tracked; the full table is on the UK eye-test fees page.
Glasses: what each chain states as an entry price
An entry price is the chain’s own “from” sentence. One chain’s may cover complete glasses and another’s the frame alone, so the two are listed, not set against each other.
| Optician | Entry price, as the chain states it | Offers and ranges, in the chain’s words |
|---|---|---|
| Boots Opticians | from £50Boots own-brand frames; the sentence does not say what lenses are included“Boots own branded frames starting from only £50”Read from the page, 6 November 2026 |
|
| Vision Express | No glasses entry price was found on the page we read for Vision Express (https://www.visionexpress.com/glasses/value-range) on 6 November 2026. |
|
An entry price is the lowest figure the chain states its glasses start from: a floor, not a typical price, and the products differ between chains. Offers are quoted, not priced. A figure is shown only if it was confirmed within 60 days; “checked by hand” marks a chain whose pages refuse automated reads.
Glasses entry price captured for 2 of 6 optical chains checked (1 read from the chain's own page by machine, 1 checked by hand).
When an eye test is free: the NHS route
England: who gets a free NHS sight test
nhs.uk says you can get a free NHS eye test if you:
- are under 16
- are 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education
- are 60 or over
- are registered as partially sighted or blind
- have been diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
- are 40 or over and your mother, father, sibling or child has been diagnosed with glaucoma
- have been advised by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) that you're at risk of glaucoma
- are a prisoner on leave from prison
- are eligible for an NHS complex lens voucher
- are entitled to or named on a valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2)
You are also entitled if you or your partner receive, or you are under 20 and the dependant of someone receiving:
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Universal Credit and meet the criteria
People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help with the cost of a private sight test.
Source: nhs.uk: Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers, read 26 October 2026 (page last reviewed 19 July 2023).
What the NHS sight test is listed at
NHSBSA lists the NHS sight test at £23.53, or £64.33 for a sight test conducted at home. (NHS Business Services Authority: KA-03997: What are the current costs of NHS treatment in England?, read 26 October 2026) If you qualify, you pay nothing for it. If you do not, you pay the optician's own private fee, which is set by each chain.
England: NHS optical voucher values
A voucher goes towards glasses or contact lenses; your optician says which one your prescription entitles you to.
| Voucher | Value |
|---|---|
| Optical voucher A (single vision) | £42.40 |
| Optical voucher B (single vision) | £64.26 |
| Optical voucher C (single vision) | £94.14 |
| Optical voucher D (single vision) | £212.40 |
| Optical voucher E (bifocal or varifocal) | £73.10 |
| Optical voucher F (bifocal or varifocal) | £92.72 |
| Optical voucher G (bifocal or varifocal) | £120.48 |
| Optical voucher H (bifocal or varifocal) | £233.56 |
| Optical voucher I (hospital eye service) | £217.58 |
| Optical voucher J (hospital eye service) | £61.77 per lens |
(NHS Business Services Authority: KA-03997: What are the current costs of NHS treatment in England?, read 26 October 2026)
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- NHS eye examinations are free in Scotland for everyone who usually lives in the UK, and for refugees and asylum seekers. (NHS inform (Scottish Government): NHS community eyecare, read 26 October 2026)
- Wales and Northern Ireland: sight-test eligibility and voucher values not tracked.
Related eye test pages
FAQs
How much is an eye test at Boots Opticians and at Vision Express?
Is an OCT scan included at Boots Opticians and Vision Express?
Is an eye test free on the NHS?
Can I use my prescription at a different optician?
Sources
- Boots Opticians published eye-test fees. Read 26 October 2026.
- Vision Express published eye-test fees. Read 8 November 2026.
- nhs.uk: Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers. Read 26 October 2026. Who qualifies for a free NHS sight test (England).