AIBU to object to relentless upselling at my child's NHS eye test?

[Eyetestconcern]

I took my young teen for a NHS eye test yesterday at a branch of a national optician chain. The NHS eye test for children is free. My AIBU is the "upselling" that was relentless from the minute we arrived. I understand shops need to make money but playing on parental worries about kid's health does not seem the right way to do it. Examples:

1. On arrival child was seated for the eye photos bit of the test. The staff member said they could do better photos to check more of the eye and potential health issues with a different photo. Cost £25! Setting aside the fact that the free test has been fine for years and presumably considered clinically adequate by the NHS, I did not like the inference that without the better option a serious issue might be missed and would be my fault for not paying up.
2. Child has very mild short sightedness in one eye. Usual outcome is to recall in 6 months. However yesterday we were offered very expensive "myopia management" glasses to slow down any potential worsening. Again subtle but strong pressure to buy these glasses despite my child's prescription not even needing glasses at the moment. Certainly fine to wait 6 months .
3. At the end of the test offered expensive Optegra (?) plan to monitor and predict child's eventual prescription for glasses as an adult. I did not really understand the purpose of this but she was relentless in selling it.
4. Child mentioned eyes occasionally get dry / sore after gaming / screen time. The optician suggested a warm compress held on the eyes for a few minutes. This is sensible advice but somehow I was talked into buying an eye compress mask costing £20 when google tells me a warm, clean flannel would be fine!

Lastly when we waiting for our prescription print out at the end another staff member came over and said to my child who was browsing the teen NHS frames (free) that most teens chose adult frames which were not free but could take £50 off. Of course my child then picks up a £180 pair of frames! All in all it felt like a sales pitch playing on parent's health worries rather than a medical appointment to check for eye issues / sight problems. AIBU to think this is not OK? or are the optician / staff just doing thier job offering full range of services?

@Eyetestconcern100% agree with the locum optometrist above.

The NHS eye test was brought in after WWII to test sight and get desperately needed NHS glasses to those without.

An eye test has now moved into a more healthcare sphere and technology has advanced .
The eye is the organ in the body where the there is a non invasive view of the brain through the optic nerve appearance and view of the general vascular system health through the retinal vessels. So looking at eye health is looking at more than the health of the eye. Hence why a GP may look in your eye sometimes.

The photo of the eye is normally fine for a child, unless there are concerns, whereas an OCT scan involves the optometrist looking at individual structural health of the nerve and central retina for the extra charge.
The big companies require their support staff to offer the scans at the pre tests stage, but it’s fine to decline and ask the optometrist if they recommend it.

Myopia control glasses have to be talked about by optometrists as their professional body considers not to do so is negligent. As 1 in 2 children are becoming myopic they are looking at evidence based practice to slow down the amount of myopia in most children.
I’m very myopic so my risk of eye diseases has been higher- my children are a lot less, so their risk is lower.
Ocumetra is just a recording tool to put data from the eye test visits in to predict future myopia development. It gives a link to share with the parent on their phone from the QR code to the information and studies - doesn’t cost anything.

The flannel is ok but doesn’t work well and the eye bag is better. I’ve got the same issue and as the previous poster said it’s impossible to keep it warm enough for the recommended 5 minutes.

Opticians get paid less than dentists for their time doing NHS work, but there has always been private aspects to their work such as selling glasses.
Online retailers don’t have to subsidise the cost of providing NHS tests and paying staff and can therefore sell glasses cheaper (not to under 16s). But if the public moves to all buying online glasses then the NHS sight test may become limited (like dentists) and private eye tests will be more expensive.

You shouldn’t feel sold to, but you should be given options and the NHS is there for the basic requirement provision.

We are lucky to have the NHS and you will get good care within it but it’s important that you know there are things the NHS can’t cover, but that may still individually be recommended.
I’m sorry the situation felt like being sold to rather than explained to.
I’d ask to speak to the optometrist where you choose to go before your dc’s next test and mention your concerns with this visit and hopefully have a much more positive future experience.

I thought it would be Boots - they did this to me - though worst was when we were half way home frame chosen by DD2 did not actually come under NHS so had to head back in and sort.

It's put me off going and I do need to.

Used to do specsavers but branch here was awful about booking appointments and then accuse me of not paying when I had - literally walked to the till -and went in to prove it. gave up and tried boots as next ones in center.

Our local Specsavers is brilliant - no upselling and they take stuff back for ditching or reglazing without batting an eyelid - I took a pair back because I did not like the reactolite lenses I had ordered and they simply took them back, put in non-reactive and refunded my the difference! - and these were expensive varifocal high index lenses!

It’s not a chain thing. I take my DC to a local independent and have had exactly the same upselling. We got talked into those ortho k lenses which was a disaster for my son, not needed, wasted so much time and was incredibly expensive.

I always paid for those extra £25 scans but only because I have Simply health through work and could claim most of it back.

once they’re too old for free NHS test I’ll be going elsewhere. Or rather they’ll be taking themselves elsewhere and I’ll probably have to pay for it while they’re students, no idea what they’ll be entitled to.

The staff are lovely though and have replaced my son’s broken NHS glasses many times. The owner is the up seller. Really dislike him.

This is helpful thank you and also the PP from the locum optometrist. You have both explained my examples much better than in the shop at the time. If the enhanced scan and myopia lenses are the gold standard then I agree the NHS should fund this for children's eye tests / sight correction. A lot of parents will not be able to afford these extras especially if they have more than one child and children are known to break / lose glasses frequently. Piling the pressure on via upselling is not OK.

On a lighter note good to read my new £20 (!) eye compress is much better than a flannel after all! Eye watering in both senses.