Every year, National Eye Health Week gives the UK a moment to pause and ask a simple question: when did you last have your eyes tested? For 14.5 million Brits, the honest answer is "too long ago" and new research suggests that number is only growing.

The Numbers Behind the Headline

New research from the charity Eye Health UK, released for this year's National Eye Health Week (21–27 September), reveals that 14.5 million Brits are missing routine sight tests, potentially delaying the detection of sight-threatening eye conditions and hidden general health issues. (visionmatters) What's more concerning is the direction of travel. The research highlights a worrying post-pandemic rise in the number of people skipping routine eye tests, up from 14 million in 2019, a trend driven by healthcare costs, systemic inequities and lack of awareness.

David Cartwright, chair of Eye Health UK, states that neglecting routine sight testing could lead to a spike in advanced-stage diagnoses, overloading an already stretched ophthalmology sector where outpatient appointments are experiencing unprecedented and unsustainable growth.

"My Eyes Are Fine" - The Myth

Perhaps the most telling statistic in the report is this: four in ten people who skip routine sight tests say they do so because their eyes are fine. It's an understandable assumption but also a dangerous one.

Eye tests aren't just about checking whether you need new glasses. Conditions like glaucoma, one of the UK's leading causes of blindness, can develop silently for years before a person notices any change in their vision. By the time symptoms appear, damage may already be irreversible. Catch it early, though, and the outlook changes dramatically - early detection can slow the progression of glaucoma by up to 50%, preserving both vision and independence.

Eye tests also do more than protect sight. As Cartwright notes, as well as identifying vision problems, eye tests can detect a range of other conditions including high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, heart disease, brain tumours and risk of stroke; a reminder that the optician's chair is often an unsung front line of preventative healthcare.

Cost Concerns Are Keeping People Away - Even When Care Is Free

Money is clearly a barrier for many. One in six people surveyed said worries about cost prevented them from having regular eye tests, despite more than 34 million people in the UK being entitled to free sight tests on the NHS.

Awareness is a big part of the problem here. Awareness about entitlement to NHS eye care was lowest among those who didn't attend routine eye tests, at just 59%, compared to 26% among those who'd had a sight test in the last two years as recommended. In other words: many of the people most in need of a sight test may not even realise it could be free.

Why Access Is the Missing Piece

This is where the conversation shifts from awareness to action. Knowing you should get your eyes tested doesn't always translate into booking an appointment,  especially if you're anxious about what you might find, unsure about cost, or simply haven't thought about it in years. That's the gap IbisVision exists to close.

Our mission is to make eye care easier and more accessible for everyone, no matter where they're starting from. Our online vision checks and screenings give people a low-pressure first step to engage with their eye health, from the comfort of home:

• No appointment, no pressure. People who are reluctant to walk into a practice, whether from anxiety, time constraints, or simply not having thought about it, can start with a quick, simple check.

• A bridge, not a replacement. Our tools don't replace a professional sight test; they act as a gateway that encourages people to take that next, more formal step when they're ready.

• New reach for practices. Providers can use our solutions in their own marketing to reconnect with existing patients who've drifted out of their routine, and to reach new patients who might never have engaged with a practice before.

With 14.5 million people currently missing routine care, the opportunity - and the responsibility - for the industry to offer more entry points has never been clearer.

This National Eye Health Week, Let's Make the First Step Easier

Half of all sight loss in the UK is avoidable. That statistic alone should be motivation enough. But turning it around isn't just about telling people to "go get their eyes tested" - it's about meeting them where they are and lowering the barriers that keep them away.

This National Eye Health Week, we're asking the eye care industry to think differently about access: not as an afterthought, but as the starting point for getting those 14.5 million people back into their eye care routines.

Find out more about IbisVision and our online eye care solutions at www.ibis.vision.