UK eye test comparison

Specsavers vs Boots Opticians Eye Test Fees

Specsavers lists £25 for its Standard eye test (no OCT scan); up to £35 for its Standard eye test plus OCT retinal scan (test plus OCT scan add-on), checked by hand 7 November 2026. 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.

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	Specsavers	Boots Opticians
Private test in store, no OCT scan	£25 Standard eye test	from £29.95 Essential Eye Test
Private test in store, with an OCT scan	up to £35 Standard eye test plus OCT retinal scan	from £54.95 Advanced Eye Testfrom £79.95 Ultimate Eye Test
Private home visit	£60 Home eye test	Nothing captured on the pages read

“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
Specsavers	Standard eye test	Not included	£25	Checked by hand7 November 2026
Specsavers	Standard eye test plus OCT retinal scan	Included	up to £35Not published as one figure: the test plus the scan add-on of up to £10, both listed on the same page.	Checked by hand7 November 2026
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
Private home visit
Specsavers	Home eye test	Not included	£60	Checked by hand7 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
Specsavers	from £15Complete glasses; the sentence does not say what lenses are included“Complete glasses from £15”Checked by hand, 7 November 2026	“2 for 1 on glasses from the £70 range, with single vision lenses to the same prescription”Checked by hand, 7 November 2026 “Standard varifocal lenses free with glasses from the £70 range”Checked by hand, 7 November 2026
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	“Choose 2 pairs for £75 from our £50 range, including essential single vision lenses.”Read from the page, 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

Specsavers eye test cost Boots Opticians eye test cost All UK eye test fees Specsavers vs Vision Express Boots vs Vision Express Eye Test Fees

FAQs

How much is an eye test at Specsavers and at Boots Opticians?

Is an OCT scan included at Specsavers and Boots Opticians?

Specsavers: without a scan, Standard eye test £25; with a scan, Standard eye test plus OCT retinal scan up to £35 (the test plus a separately listed scan add-on). Boots Opticians: without a scan, Essential Eye Test from £29.95; with a scan, Advanced Eye Test from £54.95, Ultimate Eye Test from £79.95.

Is an eye test free on the NHS?

It is free if you qualify for an NHS sight test. nhs.uk lists who qualifies in England, including people under 16, 16 to 18 in full-time education, 60 or over, diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma, and people receiving certain benefits. In Scotland, NHS eye examinations are free for everyone who usually lives in the UK.

Can I use my prescription at a different optician?

Yes. After an eye test you are entitled to a copy of your prescription, which you can take to any optician to buy glasses or contact lenses.

Sources

Specsavers published eye-test fees (checked by hand). Read 7 November 2026.
Boots Opticians published eye-test fees. Read 26 October 2026.
nhs.uk: Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers. Read 26 October 2026. Who qualifies for a free NHS sight test (England).