Domiciliary eye care is a growing field. Of the 12,790,385 NHS sight tests performed in England in 2022/23, 424,736 were domiciliary visits. The proportion of domiciliary visits to total sight tests increased from 2.28% in 2020/21 to 3.32% in 2022/23 (NHS Business Services Authority, 2025). 

These figures reflect the growing demand for domiciliary eye care. “We know that the population is ageing and the number of people with sight loss is also increasing. By 2050, it will double to over four million people [RNIB, 2025]”, says Zahra Jessa MCOptom, a Clinic Lead for the RNIB Low Vision Centre.

“This makes domiciliary work extremely important. As the population ages, there will be comorbidities that result in patients struggling to access eye care within the community. A significant proportion of sight loss is avoidable through regular eye tests.”

Domiciliary eye care is changing. “In the past we may have viewed domiciliary eye care as necessary for those patients with mobility issues or those who struggle physically to leave the house,” says Zahra.