Glasses repair and replacement guidance

 

When an orthoptic department paediatric patient presents with broken or lost glasses. 

 

Within the department, we appreciate that a child and parent / guardian presenting with broken or lost glasses to their community optician practice and known to be under the care of the hospital has the potential to cause confusion if considering a repair. We want to help.  

 

Occasionally, we receive calls from parents who have questions about who is responsible for the repair. The dispensing practice may have informed them that the prescription is now ‘out of date’ and that no replacement spectacles can be provided. As a department however, we may not be able to provide a new sight-test, refraction and spectacle voucher for a number of weeks. 

 

We would like to offer guidance in what may work best for practices, the orthoptic department and our patients. 

 

Our HES(P) vouchers for the cost of glasses state that the prescription is “valid for 12 months”. The reasoning behind this is to ensure that patients under the care of the orthoptic department do not continue to be in receipt of repaired / replaced glasses without having had a recent examination or discussion surrounding their treatment.  

 

If therefore, a patient known to be under the care of the orthoptic department presents with broken or lost glasses and the current voucher date is less than 12 months old: 

  • Use the GOS4 mechanism to repair / replace the glasses. There would be no requirement to contact the department in this instance. 

 

If a patient known to be under the care of the orthoptic department presents with broken or lost glasses and the current voucher date is more than 12 months old: 

  • Use the GOS4 mechanism to repair / replace the glasses without delay if you feel this would be in the best interests of the child (especially in the case of high refractive errors / strabismus) 
  • Contact the department to inform. We will be able to review the patient’s case history and advise on the next course of action. 
  • Please do not refract and prescribe for a patient still under the care of the hospital without discussing with us prior. It may not be immediately obvious if a full refractive error has been adapted to meet the needs of a patient. 

 

If a new patient known to be under the care of the orthoptic department presents to your practice with broken / lost glasses that were provided by another optician: 

  • Use the GOS4 mechanism to repair / replace the glasses without delay if you feel this would be in the best interests of the child (especially in the case of high refractive errors / strabismus) 
  • Contact the department where possible to obtain details of the last prescription issued to allow for the repair / replacement. 
  • If this would cause undue delay, please determine the prescription by neutralisation / focimetry.  
  • Contact the department to inform. We will be able to review the patient’s case history and advise on the next course of action. 
  • Please do not refract and prescribe for a patient still under the care of the hospital without discussing with us prior. It may not be immediately obvious if a full refractive error has been adapted to meet the needs of a patient. 

 

The orthoptic department is available on 01253 953457 (where you can also leave a message) or on bfwh.orthoptics@nhs.net 

 

Further reading: 

 

Association of British Dispensing Opticians (2020) Out of date prescriptions. Sale and Supply of Spectacles. Available at https://www.abdo.org.uk/regulation-and-policy/advice-and-guidelines/clinical/sale-and-supply-of-spectacles/ [Accessed June 2023] 

 

Black, P and Black,T (2021) Fundamentals of ophthalmic dispensing 18: Law and regulation – part 1. Optician Online. Available at https://www.opticianonline.net/cpd-archive/6151 [Accessed June 2023]