What are General Ophthalmic Services (GOS)?
General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) is the NHS framework under which sight tests and optical vouchers are funded for eligible patients in the UK (with arrangements administered separately in each nation). It forms part of primary care and is delivered through contracted optometrists and optical practices acting on behalf of NHS England, and the corresponding bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Once a practice holds a GOS contract and the optometrist meets the relevant national registration requirements (for example, inclusion on the Ophthalmic Performers List in England), its optometrists can carry out NHS-funded eye examinations and provide optical vouchers to qualifying patients. Practices may also offer private services alongside NHS-funded care.
What Does GOS Cover?
GOS covers three core services, delivered by contracted optometrists and optical practices on behalf of the NHS:
- NHS sight tests (GOS1): a full eye examination for eligible patients, including checks on visual acuity, refraction, and the health of the eye.
- Optical vouchers (GOS3): provided to eligible patients to help cover the cost of spectacles or contact lenses, for patients who meet the NHS optical voucher eligibility criteria.
- Domiciliary sight tests: sight tests delivered in a patient’s home or care setting, for those unable to attend a practice in person (for example, at home, in a residential/care home, or at a day centre, depending on eligibility and circumstance).
Anything beyond the standard GOS sight test protocol, such as repeat visual fields testing or extended tonometry, sits outside GOS and can be offered as a private service.
Who is Eligible for GOS?
NHS-funded sight tests are available to patients who satisfy eligibility criteria set out by NHS England. Eligible groups include:
- Children under 16, or 16, 17 or 18 and in full-time education
- Adults aged 60 and over
- People diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
- People at risk of glaucoma (first-degree relatives of a glaucoma patient, aged 40 or over)
- People registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired
- Holders of an NHS Low Income Scheme (HC2) certificate
- Prisoners and people in NHS-contracted care
Optical vouchers are subject to their own related eligibility rules. Eligibility for an optical voucher is not the same as eligibility for a free sight test, and criteria can vary across the UK. In England, NHS optical voucher eligibility is set out separately from NHS sight test eligibility.
How Does the GOS Contract Work for Optical Practices?
To deliver NHS-funded services, an optical practice needs a GOS contract with NHS England, or with the appropriate devolved authority in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. Contracts are tied to a specific practice location, so a business running several sites must hold a separate contract for each one.
In England, holding a GOS contract and performing GOS are not the same thing. Each optometrist (or ophthalmic medical practitioner) who performs NHS sight tests must be included on the Ophthalmic Performers List. A standard GOS contract does not automatically cover every service: in England, domiciliary (mobile) sight testing is provided under an “additional services” GOS contract, which is separate from the “mandatory services” contract for fixed premises.
Administration of GOS differs across the four UK nations, and eligibility and service scope vary as a result. In Scotland, NHS eye examinations are free for people who usually live in the UK (and certain other groups, such as refugees and asylum seekers). In Wales, free NHS-funded eye tests are available to people who meet the WGOS eligibility criteria (it is not a universal entitlement for all residents)