London Specsavers stores are celebrating after the company was awarded Reader Recommended status by the Good Housekeeping panel for 2021.

The panel was asked to rate the instore experience, whether they would happily recommend the Specsavers eye test and OCT scan to family and friends and how likely they would be to return in the future. The results showed that 94% would return to have the service again and 92% would recommend it to family and friends.

While many people are familiar with a regular eye test, Specsavers also offers the option to have a more in-depth advanced eye examination through the use of its hospital-grade OCT equipment. 91% of the reader panel said the added detail of the OCT scan benefited their eye test experience with 95% saying it is a useful service in addition to an eye test.

What is the OCT scan?
An optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan is used to view the health of eyes in greater detail as it allows optometrists to see beneath the surface of the eye. It only takes a few seconds and uses light to take over 1,000 images to produce a 3D image which reveals the inner layers and structures of the eye. These images are then stored on file and can be monitored for changes during each visit.

What can it detect?
OCT scans can help detect sight threatening conditions earlier, often before symptoms appear – and can even help detect glaucoma four years earlier than a regular eye test.
Other conditions it can help detect are diabetic retinopathy, detached retina, age-related macular degeneration, macular hole.

Who should have an OCT scan?
OCT scans are separate to a normal eye test and it is recommended for those aged over 25, have diabetes or glaucoma, or people who want to find out more about their eye test or have a family history of eye disease.

It is useful to have the scan with every eye test so your optician is able to have a baseline image on file and can monitor any changes over time. They might then notice the slightest change before symptoms occur which could help manage certain eye conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, before they get any worse.

What did the Good Housekeeping Reader Recommended panel say?
Among the responses for the eye test experience at Specsavers, the panel revealed that they were ‘always happy with the service’, they ‘felt safe in store’, they ‘would never go anywhere else’ and that they were ‘thoroughly pleased with the eye test examination and the professional and helpful team’.

Others stated they were ‘impressed with the service and came away feeling reassured about their eye health’ and another said they ‘feel very lucky to have this option’.