Supply of contact lenses within the Hospital Eye Service
Patients requiring replacement contact lenses or urgent clinical advice should contact us on 0113 2064742 or through our email: [email protected] for non-urgent queries.
We provide a contact lens assessment, fitting, prescribing and aftercare service for patients of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust requiring clinically necessary contact lenses. We provide a specialist contact lens service including cosmetic, paediatric, therapeutic and keratoconic contact lenses. We provide this service for adults at the main eye clinic, Level 04, Gledhow wing at St. James’s University Hospital and for our paediatric patients in the Multi Speciality Outpatients (MSO) at St. James’s University Hospital.
Only a hospital Consultant Ophthalmologist, or a hospital contact lens practitioner, can decide whether a patient has a clinical need for contact lenses. Only an appropriately qualified registered optician can fit contact lenses.
We will not normally fit patients with “medical” contact lenses if they can achieve driving level vision with an up to date spectacle correction.
At present there is a patient charge of £61.77 per lens (as of the 1st of April 2025) for clinically necessary contact lenses.
At present we charge a single fee yearly for single contact lenses, a double fee for monthly contact lenses and a four yearly fee for daily disposable contact lenses.
We would not usually charge for clinically necessary changes in the first six months of fitting.
Our contact lens Acknowledgment form must be signed before we will order contact lenses and a scanned copy will be given to the patient.
Normally you will be expected to pay for your contact lenses prior to them being ordered and supplied.
Help with the cost of contact lenses
You would not normally have to pay for your first set of contact lenses from the hospital if:
- You are aged under 16, or aged under 19 and in full-time education or
- You receive Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (not contribution-based)
- You receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit.
- You receive Income-based Employment and Support Allowance.
- You are awarded Universal credit
- You are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate.
- You are named on a valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2).
- You will be asked to show proof of your entitlement to the optometrist or a member of the optometry team.
Lost or damaged contact lenses would normally be charged for at £61.77 (as of the 1st of April 2025) per contact lens.
Your referral is then usually reviewed by the Consultant Optometrist to ensure there is a medical need for contact lenses, following which an appointment is sent to you.
Clinics
Adult contact lens clinics will be running morning and afternoon on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, in the main eye clinic, Level 04, Gledhow wing at St. James’s University hospital.
At present Paediatric contact lens clinics are running on Wednesday morning and Friday morning and afternoon in the Orthoptic department, Multi Speciality Outpatients at St. James’s University hospital.
Waiting times
Patients attending contact lens clinics for an assessment will usually be in clinic for at least 45 minutes, patients requiring fitting may be in clinic for longer.