As my late mother was diagnosed with glaucoma, I was advised to go to an optician and have my eyes checked annually, including eye pressure tests, to ensure any deterioration in vision was found early as it may be an indication that I too was developing glaucoma. I followed this advice and although, I was under 60 at the time, the tests were carried out free of charge under the NHS. Up until 2014, the tests showed no sign of glaucoma. In February 2015, I suddenly developed pains in my eyes, and went almost blind in my right eye and was admitted as an emergency inpatient to the Eye Unit at my local hospital where it was found I had developed glaucoma. I was kept in hospital for three days where I had a series of injections and eye drops to lower the pressure. I also had two holes laser drilled in the sclera of each eye to prevent pressure building up. Since the 2015 incident, I have been taking eye drops every morning and evening. My opticians (Specsavers) were aware of this. The consultant at the Eye Unit at the hospital, where I currently go for six monthly check-ups, told me to continue with the annual optician appointments and it was about that time I switched to Specsavers, and I had appointments round about June in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; no issue was ever raised about my attending annually; all were carried out and paid for by the NHS with no problem. However, I had my 2019 appointment four days ago at Specsavers (Bournemouth, Old Christchurch Road branch) and was told by the optician I saw that appointments can only be paid for by the NHS once every two years and if I wanted my eyes tested, I would have to pay for this to be done (I guess as a private appointment – but I was not told how much this would cost). I explained that I suffered from glaucoma, that I had been advised by the hospital to have my eyes tested annually, that I was experiencing a small amount of fuzziness with my reading glasses and I had noted that recently, whereas I could before read large print with difficulty without glasses, I could no longer do so. The optician responded by telling me that my prescription last year should be perfectly fine as far as reading was concerned until next year, when my two year cycle was due, and what I could or could not achieve without glasses was of no interest to her. I tried to explain the situation to her again, but she would not listen saying as I was “under the hospital”, I was only entitled to two year testing. When I said that the hospital carried out many tests but did not test if my glasses prescription needed changing, she again offered me a private test or told me to wait until next year. When I said that I felt my prescription may need changing which is why I felt I should have my eyes tested there and then she again gave me the ultimatum – pay for a private test or wait a year. While the optician was never actually rude to me, she did make me feel like I was attempting to cheat the system by asking for the NHS to pay for something to which I was not entitled. She certainly did not show me any respect either as a customer or as a person who was probably fifty years her senior. As I was beginning to feel very angry at the situation, I decided it best to leave. When I got back home, I decided to look up the rules. I do note they state that normally, free NHS eye tests for somebody my age should only be carried out every two years, but it also states an ophthalmic practitioner or optometrist may recommend I can have an NHS sight test more often than every two years (which my consultant at the hospital has done) if I am are aged 40 or over and have a family history of glaucoma (which is the case) or am aged 70 or over (which is also the case). I also note that had I accepted a private eye test, I would not have been able to have a free NHS test for a further two years – something the optician conveniently neglected to tell me. On a less serious note, before I saw the optician, I had a series of pre-tests carried out by the Specsavers receptionist. One of these tested the pressure in my eyes, and I asked the receptionist what the readings were. Her answer, in a very disinterested way, was that she did not understand the computer printout and I should ask the optician. This did not fill me with confidence with regard to the technical knowledge of Specsavers’ staff. As a result of my treatment, I submitted a formal complaint, on-line, to Specsavers. I received an automatic email response saying “one of our representatives will contact you within 48 hours”. I took this to mean two working days, which have now passed. I am still waiting for a response. Their advert states “Should have gone to Specsavers …”. I did. As a result, I wish I had gone to an opticians who are less interested in the commercial side of the business and more concerned in their patient’s care.