General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Sight tests – applications

17.—(1) An eligible person who wishes to have his sight tested under general ophthalmic services may make an application to any contractor for his sight to be tested.

(2) The application shall be made on a form provided for that purpose to contractors by the Agency and shall contain a written declaration signed by the applicant to the effect that he is an eligible person.

(3) In addition, a person who is an eligible person—

(a) but only by virtue of regulation 16(1)(d) and (2)(c) or (d) shall show to the contractor a current notice of entitlement;

(b) but only by virtue of regulation 16(1)(e), shall show to the contractor the prescription for a complex appliance issued to him on the occasion when his sight was last tested;

(c) but only by virtue of paragraph 16(1)(g), shall on a form provided for that purpose to contractors by the Agency provide the contractor with the name and address of his doctor and give his consent to the Agency seeking confirmation of his diabetes or glaucoma from his doctor.

(4) A contractor to whom an application for a testing of sight is made shall, before making any test of the person’s sight—

(a) subject to paragraph (5) —

(i) satisfy himself that the person is an eligible person by asking for satisfactory evidence of entitlement, unless the contractor, in cases other than where the patient is a person specified in regulation 16(1)(d), already has satisfactory evidence of it available to him; and

(ii) where the patient has been asked for but not produced satisfactory evidence that he is an eligible person, then the contractor shall record the fact on the patient’s sight test form;

(b) ensure that particulars of the patient and the approximate date of the last testing, if any, of his sight are inserted in a sight test form by the patient or on his behalf; and

(c) satisfy himself that the testing of sight is necessary.

(5) Where an eligible person to whom paragraph (3)(b) applies is unable to meet its requirements, the contractor may, instead of satisfying himself that those requirements are met, satisfy himself that the person is an eligible person by referring to his own records or by measuring the power of the lenses of the person’s existing optical appliance by means of a focimeter or other suitable means.

(6) Where the contractor has provided the sight test at the place where the patient normally resides, he shall record on the sight test form the reason given by the patient, or on his behalf, for not being able to leave home unaccompanied.

(7) The contractor may appoint a member of his staff to carry out the requirements placed on him by paragraph (4)(a)(i) and (ii) on his behalf, provided that he ensures that person is given instruction by him to enable him to fulfil the requirements on his behalf.