High-street stores use large, static equipment because it suits their fixed premises & workflows — not directly because it is clinically superior. The diagnostic outcome depends entirely on the skill and qualifications of the clinician, not the size of the machine.

Our optometrists hold extra qualifications, which sometimes may take years to fully obtain, and this is beyond their 4 year training to become an optometrist. The qualifications including Independent Prescribing, glaucoma & medical retina (e.g. macular degeneration) specialist qualifications and Low vision (specialist in assisting sight impaired people) — these are qualifications that the high-street opticians simply may not hold, as it takes immense dedication and time to achieve beyond your standard training.

Furthermore, we have worked alongside consultant ophthalmologists in NHS hospital eye clinics, which is rare for most optometrists working in the high street to have done. This gives us knowledge of how exactly the hospital eye departments work, how real eye surgeons treat cases and also affords us valuable contacts to liaise with hospital potentially faster than the average optician. We strive to bring that same clinical standard directly to your home.

We find that in practice, many of our patients receive a more thorough examination at home than they ever would in a busy, time-pressured high-street appointment.

Specifically regarding equipment: Our portable slit lamps, eye pressure equipment and lenses are the same optical instruments used in hospital eye departments — just in a compact form factor. They require more training and skill to use, but can deliver the same quality as the tabletop ones.

One area iCheck Wales wants to become the leader in is portable OCT & visual fields technology. Regrettably, currently we do not offer OCT scans, Optomap wide field imaging or Humphrey visual field analyser testing just yet. These machines are traditionally huge, heavy and fragile - however often the patients who need these special scans and measurements done are in fact the most vulnerable, housebound patients who iCheck Wales helps to serve. We will keep our patients updated on when we can offer this service, which currently a hospital or high street may offer.

Hospital eye clinics are stretched and primarily reserved for complex surgical cases. For the vast majority of eye conditions — urgent presentations, medication prescriptions, low vision assessments, and routine examinations — we provide an equivalent and often faster service:

• WGOS 2 (Urgent Acute Care): We triage and treat urgent eye problems that would otherwise send patients to a congested A&E. We can diagnose, treat, and independently prescribe on the same visit.
• WGOS 5 (Independent Prescribing): We write NHS prescriptions directly. No GP referral needed. No hospital waiting list.
• When onward referral is needed: We write a formal clinical letter immediately, accelerating your route into the hospital pathway rather than delaying it.

Consider what a typical high-street eye test actually involves:

• Taking time off work
• Arranging transport, or driving to the town centre where you often have to find and pay for parking
• Waiting in a busy reception, being seen by an optician who unfortunately may be under time & sales pressure from their company, sometimes leading to a rushed eye test with big emphasis on what you are going to buy
• And then repeating this for any follow-up.

With iCheck Wales, the entire process is reversed:

• Zero travel. We come to your home, care home, or workplace at a time that suits you. This saves you time, fuel and organisational hassle.
• No waiting rooms. Your appointment is yours, undivided, from the moment we arrive in the comfort of your home.
• 7 days a week. Including evenings and Saturdays — built around your life, not ours.

This is not just for those who are housebound by their condition, but also valuable for busy working people, for time-constrained mothers and carers, and anyone who wants to save time.

We understand this completely — and it is exactly why we invest in the highest levels of professional safeguarding as a baseline, not an afterthought:

• Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) checked: Every iCheck Wales clinician holds a current Enhanced DBS certificate — the same standard required to work in NHS hospitals and schools.
• GOC Registered: All optometrists are registered with the General Optical Council, the UK's statutory regulator. You can verify any clinician's registration number on the GOC public register before we arrive.
• Professional ID provided: We carry and present formal professional identification at every visit. You are always welcome to ask.
• Family or carer welcome: A family member, friend, or carer can always be present throughout the entire appointment. We actively encourage this.
• £5 million public liability insurance: Full professional indemnity and public liability coverage as standard.

There is no need to tidy, rearrange furniture, or prepare anything specific. Our clinicians are trained to conduct full clinical examinations in real home environments — we adapt to you, not the other way around.

• A comfortable chair or sofa and reasonable lighting is all that is needed for most examinations.
• For patients with mobility difficulties, we can conduct examinations bedside, in a wheelchair, or in any position that is comfortable for the patient.
• We bring all our own equipment — you do not need to provide anything.

We deliver the following Welsh General Ophthalmic Services (WGOS), shifting hospital-grade care into the community. (We do not currently provide WGOS 4.)

• WGOS 1 — NHS Enhanced Eye Examination: Full health screening and Patient Management Plan (PMP), available as a domiciliary home visit for eligible vulnerable patients.
• WGOS 2 — NHS Acute & Urgent Care: Immediate triage for sudden eye problems — flashes, floaters, painful red eyes. We save patients the need to go to A&E for their eye conditions, preserving NHS resources.
• WGOS 3 — NHS Low Vision & Rehabilitation: Specialist assessments and visual aids for permanent sight loss, including Certification of Vision Impairment (CVI).
• WGOS 5 — NHS Independent Prescribing: We write NHS medical prescriptions directly. No hospital doctor required for most ocular medication needs.
• Private Home Eye Tests: Premium domiciliary visits for self-funding patients, with the same clinical standard.

We work alongside GPs, care homes, and hospitals to provide a fast, frictionless referral pathway.

Our triage request portal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will process the request and aim to contact you/your patient within 24 hours.