Bowden and Lowe

Bowden and Lowe

Opticians and Contact Lens Centre

  

Home | About Us | Contact Lenses | Eye Care | Eye Wear | Resources | Hearing Services | Privacy | Contact Us | Directions

Eye Care
optomap
Eyeplan

 

 

Eyecare

We recommend that everyone should have their eyes examined on a regular basis, even if you feel your eyes are fine and your vision is perfect. Some ocular conditions have very few symptoms and the vision can change so gradually you do not notice that things are not as sharp as they used to be. Eye examinations can also be a very useful check on the health of the whole system, and not just the eyes.

Eye examinations can be carried out through the health service (NHS) at no charge (see below if you are eligible) or privately for a fee of £20. Free eye examinations also feature as one of the many benefits of our Eye Plan Scheme

NHS Criteria for free examinations

Children under 16 years of age
People under 19 years of age and still in full time education
People over the age of 60
People diagnosed with Diabetes, glaucoma, or if you are a close blood relation to someone diagnosed with glaucoma, and aged 40 or over
People with a "complex optical prescription" as defined by the Department of Health
People Registered Blind or partially-sighted

People who receive certain benefits:

  • Income Support

  • Income-based Job-Seekers Allowance

  • Pension Credit, Guarantee Credit, or receiving Tax Credits and meeting qualifying conditions

  • On a low income and named on a valid HC2 (Full Help) or HC3 (Partial Help) form

We have copies of the HC1 to apply for help in the case of low income

We recommend children have an eye examination prior to starting school, and at regular intervals thereafter, possibly every six to twelve months, as prescriptions can change quite quickly when children are growing.  It is not necessary for them to be able to read for an eye examination to be completed.

We accept eye care vouchers for VDU examinations and eye examination fees can also be claimed from the HSA and other Friendly Associations.  We also offer the Eyeplan Reward scheme to give you peace of mind regarding the costs of eye care and eye wear.

The partners would also recommend that adults and children also have a further assessment of their eyes by upgrading to include a retinal scan. 

The optomap takes a detailed image of the retina at the back of the eye, the equivalent of the film in a camera, to help detect any diseases or disorders so that treatment can be commenced at an earlier stage. Each image takes less than one second to capture and are downloaded and inspected in the privacy of the consulting room allowing full discussion with Miss Lowe. Downloaded images are stored for future reference and can be emailed to you for your own reference or forwarded for Consultant opinion anywhere in the world.

See our optomap page for more information. 

Phone now on 01634 851783 or email for an appointment

Website Designed and maintained by denverdesign

Eye Care, You Care, We Care

Bowden and Lowe Opticians and Contact Lens Centre, 117 Watling Street, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 2YX