Calculate NHS optical voucher values for 2025/26. Find out how much your NHS glasses voucher is worth for your prescription strength and lens type.
Choose the band that matches your prescription — most standard prescriptions fall into Band F (up to ±6 dioptre). Your optician will confirm your band after your eye test.
Select whether you need standard single vision lenses, varifocals, or anti-reflection coatings to see the applicable supplement added to your base voucher value.
Input the retail price of the frames you are considering. The calculator will show how much top-up (if any) you would need to pay above your NHS voucher value.
The calculator will display your NHS voucher amount for 2025/26 and any top-up cost required for your chosen frames.
Confirm your entitlement with your optician, who will issue the NHS optical voucher form (GOS3) at the time of your sight test if you qualify.
You are entitled to a free NHS eye test if you are under 16, a student under 19 in full-time education, aged 60 or over, diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma (or at risk of glaucoma), registered as partially sighted or blind, a prisoner on leave, or receiving qualifying benefits such as Universal Credit or income-related ESA.
An NHS optical voucher is a contribution toward the cost of glasses or contact lenses. It is available to people who qualify for a free NHS sight test (see above) and those receiving certain benefits. The voucher value depends on your prescription strength (voucher band) and is set annually by NHS England.
The 2025/26 NHS optical voucher values are: Band A £39.10, Band B £68.40, Band C £97.70, Band D £42.90, Band E £62.40, Band F £39.10. Additional supplements apply for prism lenses, varifocals and other complex prescriptions.
You qualify for an NHS optical voucher if you are entitled to a free NHS sight test, or if you receive Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support, NHS Low Income Scheme (HC2 certificate), or are under 16 / student under 19. Your optician will check your entitlement.
Yes, NHS optical vouchers can be used toward the cost of contact lenses instead of glasses, provided contact lenses are clinically appropriate for your prescription. The voucher value is the same as for glasses of the equivalent band.
A private eye test typically costs between £20 and £35 in a high-street optician. Hospital eye departments and specialist optometrists may charge more. If you are entitled to a free NHS sight test, there is no charge. Some supermarket and budget opticians offer lower-cost or promotional tests.
Children under 16 (and students under 19 in full-time education) are entitled to a free NHS sight test and an NHS optical voucher toward the cost of glasses. The voucher covers a range of standard frames and lenses; parents can top up for premium frames if desired.
Yes. The NHS voucher covers a set contribution toward your glasses. If you choose frames that cost more than the voucher value, you pay the difference as a top-up. Your optician must offer a range of frames that are fully covered by the voucher with no top-up required.
NHS optical vouchers must be used within six months of issue. They can only be used at a registered optical practice. They cannot be exchanged for cash. If your prescription changes within a short period, a replacement voucher may be available in some circumstances.
Varifocal lenses are not automatically included in the standard NHS voucher. A supplement is added to the voucher value for varifocals, but the NHS only funds varifocals where they are clinically necessary. In many cases, single vision or bifocal lenses are provided on the NHS and you pay any difference for varifocals.
A complex lens supplement is added to NHS optical voucher values for prescriptions that require special lens manufacture — for example, very high power lenses, prism lenses, or lenticular lenses. The supplement is determined by the optical prescription and is added to the base voucher band value.
Most eligible adults can get a free NHS eye test every two years. Children, those with certain medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, glaucoma), and those with a family history of glaucoma aged 40 or over can get tested every year. Your optician may recommend more frequent tests based on your clinical needs.