Arranging home eye and hearing care for someone else
Most people who contact HomeSight are not booking for themselves. They are a son, a daughter, a spouse or a carer who has noticed that a parent has stopped reading, keeps the television painfully loud, or has not had an eye test since before they stopped driving.
You can arrange the whole thing on their behalf. This page sets out what HomeSight needs from you, what happens on the day and what it costs.
You can book on someone else behalf
Call 0800 080 6095 or email info@homesightonline.co.uk. A coordinator takes the patient name, address and date of birth, checks NHS eligibility with you, and books a visit. There is no GP referral to arrange and no waiting list. From first call to first visit is usually within two weeks. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, and you can give your own number as the contact number for the appointment.
Signs it is time to book
For sight: giving up reading or hobbies, holding print at arm length, misjudging steps or kerbs, a new stumble or fall, sitting closer to the television, difficulty recognising faces across a room, or simply more than two years since the last test.
For hearing: the television volume rising, asking for repeats, withdrawing from group conversation, answering the wrong question, or saying that everyone mumbles. Both changes happen slowly enough that the person living with them is often the last to notice.
Can you be there for the visit?
Yes, and it helps. Family members and carers are welcome at every appointment. You will hear the findings first-hand rather than second-hand, which matters because people routinely under-report what they cannot see or hear. At a hearing aid fitting your presence matters more still, since someone else in the household knowing how the aids charge and clean is often what determines whether they get worn.
What it costs
An NHS home eye test is free for eligible patients, and most people who cannot leave home unaccompanied qualify. Where NHS funding does not apply, a private home eye test is £30. A hearing screening is free. A full hearing assessment is £30 and is refunded if hearing aids are bought from HomeSight. Earwax removal by microsuction at home is £80. There is no call-out fee for any visit. NHS-voucher frames are supplied at no charge to eligible patients.
What happens at an eye test visit
The optometrist takes a history, checks distance and near vision, carries out refraction, examines internal eye health, takes retinal photographs and explains the findings, in about an hour at the patient pace. The examination screens for glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, signs of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, and dry eye and corneal health. Several of those show no symptoms until they are advanced. If glasses are needed they are fitted and delivered at home, and the optometrist writes to the GP where a referral is needed. More about home eye care.
What happens at a hearing visit
An audiologist carries out otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, speech-in-noise testing and tympanometry with portable clinical equipment, and explains the audiogram on the day. If earwax is blocking the ear it can be removed at the same visit for £80. If hearing aids would help, they are fitted at a second visit at home, with follow-ups at week two and week six. Around one in six first-time assessments come back as normal for age, and HomeSight says so when that is the case. More about home hearing care.
If your relative is reluctant
Reluctance is usually about losing independence, not about the test. Two things tend to help. The visit comes to them, so there is no journey, no waiting room and nothing to organise. And a test is not a commitment to anything: the appointment can end with nothing more than a baseline record and a date to check again. If earwax is the problem, which it often is, a single £80 visit resolves it entirely.
If your relative lives in a care home
Living in residential care is itself an NHS eligibility route. HomeSight works with over 300 care homes across the South East, visits residents in their room or at the bedside, and reports back to the home team. Ask the home manager whether HomeSight already visits, or point them at the care homes page.
Power of attorney and consent
You can arrange the appointment, be present for it and hear the findings. Clinical decisions, including whether to proceed with glasses or hearing aids, rest with the patient where they have capacity to make them. Where they do not, the HomeSight clinician works with the attorney, deputy or care team in line with the Mental Capacity Act. Tell the coordinator when you book if a lasting power of attorney is in place.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book a home eye test without my parent being on the call?
Yes. Give the coordinator their details and your own contact number.
Can I pay for my parent test or glasses?
Yes. Payment is taken separately from the clinical appointment.
Will you tell me the results?
The clinician explains findings to the patient. If you are present you hear them at the same time, which is why being there is worth arranging.
My parent has dementia. Can they still be tested?
Yes. The clinicians test people living with dementia routinely, adapt the examination to what the person can manage, and involve family and carers.
Do you cover my parent area?
Check the areas we visit page, or call 0800 080 6095 with the postcode.
How soon can someone come?
Usually within two weeks of the first call.
Book Your Home Visit
No queues, no waiting rooms. Send your request any time and our team will get back to you.
Book a visit for a relative
Call 0800 080 6095 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and give your own number as the contact. A coordinator checks NHS eligibility and arranges a time that suits the household.