WGOS 1 NHS-funded eye examinations by patient eligibility and health board
See what variables and values are shown in your table
| Variable | Visibility | Selected values | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Shown in table | All 30 values | Change values |
| Area | Shown in table | All 10 values | Change values |
| Measure | Shown in table | All 26 values | Change values |
| Data description | Shown in table | Number of Eye Examinations | Value cannot be changed |
Table
Standard shorthand is used in this table: [t] = total.
| Data values | Data description | Year | Area | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 463,850 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1996-97 | Wales | All WGOS 1 eye examinations |
| 477,210 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1997-98 | Wales | All WGOS 1 eye examinations |
| 477,090 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1998-99 | Wales | All WGOS 1 eye examinations |
| 630,620 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | All WGOS 1 eye examinations |
| 17,050 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | Total domiciliary eye examinations |
| 244,840 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: persons aged 60 and over |
| 154,880 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: children aged 15 or under |
| 26,590 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: students aged 16 - 18 |
| 94,380 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: adults receiving Income Support |
| 22,880 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: adults receiving Tax Credit |
| 14,270 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: adults receiving Job Seekers Allowance |
| 17,420 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: adults holding a low income certificate |
| 680 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: registered blind/partially sighted |
| 27,380 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: diabetics/glaucoma sufferers |
| 2,110 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: persons requiring complex lenses |
| 25,180 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: close relatives aged 40 and over of glaucoma sufferers |
| 630,620 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | Total WGOS 1 eye examinations: eligible patients |
| 2,200 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | Private eye examinations partially NHS funded |
| 0 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 1999-00 | Wales | Private domiciliary visit partially NHS funded |
| 659,330 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | All WGOS 1 eye examinations |
| 18,210 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | Total domiciliary eye examinations |
| 242,430 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: persons aged 60 and over |
| 166,350 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: children aged 15 or under |
| 32,340 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: students aged 16 - 18 |
| 97,680 [t] | Number of Eye Examinations | 2000-01 | Wales | WGOS 1 eye examinations: adults receiving Income Support |
Next update expected:October 2027
Updates
- 8th October 2026
Update for financial year 2025-2026
- 30th September 2025
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Official statistics
- Data provider
- NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
- Data source
- GOS 1 Sight Test form
- Time period covered
- April 1996 to March 2026
- Dataset ID
- f4020589-05bd-48e0-ba41-b0c10aad09cd
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
This dataset shows the number of WGOS 1 NHS-funded eye examinations. Eye examinations for GOS 5 and GOS 6 services are also shown, which includes domiciliary eye examinations, private eye examinations partially NHS funded and private domiciliary visits partially NHS funded.
The data is broken down by eligibility category including age groups, clinical need and entitlement to income-related benefits.
Prior to 2023-24, equivalent services were provided through GOS 1, GOS 5 and GOS 6 claims.
- Data collection or calculation
The WGOS 1 eye examinations data is sourced from the GOS 1 Sight Test Form, which is submitted by practices to NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) for payment. This data is subject to some estimation. Due to the scale of the number of eye examinations, the information from only 1 in 50 (2%) eye examinations is recorded to a database. This means that the information from that sample is scaled up to estimate the number of eye examinations by eligibility criteria.
The domiciliary eye examinations data is extracted from the K2 payments system, which is collected by NWSSP from the GOS 6 Mobile NHS funded Sight Test form submitted by practices for payment.
The data for private eye examinations with partial help towards the full cost is extracted from the K2 payments system, which is collected by NWSSP from the GOS 5 Private Sight Test form submitted by practices for payment.
- Statistical quality
The WGOS 1 eye examinations data is based on a sample rather than the entire population, as only one in every fifty eye examinations is recorded. This sampling and subsequent scaling introduces some uncertainty to the estimates, meaning the figures provided are not exact counts but rather approximations. Users should be aware of this estimation method when interpreting the data. Despite this sampling uncertainty, the time-series has been broadly stable.
Eligibility definitions for NHS-funded eye examinations have changed over time. For example, from 2023-24 separate categories relating to care leaver, care of local authority, risk of eye disease, uniocular, hearing impaired and retinitis pigmentosa were introduced.
On 1 April 2019, health service responsibility for Bridgend residents moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. Health board names also changed: Cwm Taf became Cwm Taf Morgannwg, and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg became Swansea Bay. See the weblinks section for official statements.
- Rounding applied
As the information from the sample is scaled up to estimate the number of eye examinations by eligibility criteria, counts by eligibility criteria are rounded to the nearest whole number. Therefore, the sum of eye examinations across eligibility criteria may not necessarily equal the total number of eye examinations.
- Related reports
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- stats.healthinfo@gov.wales