Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of sight tests that were carried out by the NHS in each of the last five years.

The NHS Business Services Authority has published data on the numbers of National Health Service sight tests undertaken between 2020/21 and 2022/23. This data is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/ophthalmic-data/general-ophthalmic-services-gos-activity-data

We are aware there is an error in the data published for 2022/23, and this is in the process of being corrected. We expect revised data to be available shortly. NHS Digital has published data on the number of NHS sight tests undertaken before 2020. This data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-ophthalmic-services-activity-statistics/england-year-ending-31-march-2020