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"You don't get anything in this life for free. And if it is free, and I seriously doubt it, it won't be worth the paper it's written on." Whether or not that is a sound statement handed down through generations of my family, with slightly differing wording as the years have gone by, it certainly isn't the way the people of Scotland are thinking having quite literally voted with their feet in regards to the introduction of free eye examinations in the country. In this increasingly worrying economic times where long term stability continues to concern each and every one of us, it seems this offer has been one not to miss.
Inspecting the numbers of eye exams taking place around the four countries which make up the UK, it was clear that Scotland was lagging a little way behind its close neighbours by the time free eye testing became available in 2006.
| 2005 | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
| % of population receiving an eye test |
35.1 | 32.1 (Lowest) | 36.6 (Highest) | 34 |
Since the free eye testing options became available, figures have seen a rise north of the border, which has been welcomed as a success.
| 2008 | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
| % of population receiving an eye test |
37.3 (+2.2) | 36.2 (+4.1 Lowest) | 39.9 (+3.3 Highest) | 36.4 (+2.4) |
Although all countries in the UK have since a rise, quite possibly attributed to other reasons such as increased awareness and education via the media to the populations, Scotland has actually seen the highest rise of 4.1%, something that cannot be ignored. With education on the mind, it is also worth pointing out that the study which was done via collated data from the British Household Panel Survey indicated that those from lower income or educational backgrounds were actually LESS likely to take up the free eye testing offer than those from more educated or affluent areas. One possible explanation put forward was that those from less highly educated families did not value the service (not the price) as much as they possibly should, in some cases unaware of the risks that not having regular eye tests brings.