What makes an advanced eye exam different?

An advanced eye exam goes far beyond the basic sight test. At Buchanan Optometrists, you benefit from hospital-grade technology like 4D OCT retinal scans and ultra-widefield imaging, which can detect signs of eye disease up to 5 years earlier. Your 60-minute appointment allows time for in-depth assessment, personalised advice, and a complete understanding of your eye health—not just a new prescription.

How often should you have your eyes tested?

Most people should have an eye exam every two years. However, if you're over 60, have diabetes, a family history of glaucoma, or wear contact lenses, more frequent tests may be recommended. Regular advanced exams can detect silent conditions early and help preserve your vision for life.

What are the early signs of glaucoma or macular degeneration?

Early signs of glaucoma may include loss of peripheral vision or changes in eye pressure, often without symptoms. Macular degeneration may cause blurred or distorted central vision and difficulty reading. Because these signs can be subtle, advanced scans at Buchanan Optometrists help detect issues before you notice symptoms.

Missed appointment fees

Missed Appointment & Cancellation Policy

At Buchanan Optometrists, we take pride in offering longer, more detailed appointments than most practices. This allows us to give you the highest quality care using advanced equipment and the full attention of our expert team.

Each appointment is carefully reserved for you. If it’s missed or cancelled late, we are often unable to offer that time to someone else—resulting in a direct cost to the business. This includes the cost of our optometrist’s time, support staff, and the clinical room that remains unused.

Please Give Us 48 Hours’ Notice

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please let us know at least 48 hours in advance. This allows us to offer the appointment to someone else in need of care.

Charges for Missed or Late-Cancelled Appointments

If you miss your appointment or cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, and we are unable to fill the slot, you will be charged the full appointment fee.
This charge reflects the actual cost of the unused clinical time, including professional time, equipment use, and staff overheads.
If it is your first missed appointment, we will usually offer to rebook you. If you attend your rescheduled appointment within one month, we will waive the original fee as a gesture of goodwill.
If the rescheduled appointment is also missed or cancelled late, both appointment fees will be due and non-refundable.

Advance Payment for Repeat Missed Appointments

If you have previously missed an appointment without adequate notice, we may require full advance payment when you rebook.
This advance payment is fully refundable if you give us at least 48 hours’ notice of cancellation or change.
If you cancel with less notice or fail to attend, the fee becomes non-refundable.
For appointments booked less than 48 hours in advance, we allow a 3-hour grace period to cancel or reschedule without charge.

Non-Payment and Debt Recovery

If a missed appointment fee remains unpaid after we have made reasonable efforts to contact you, we may refer the matter to a debt collection agency.

In this case, the agency may apply its own administrative fees in line with its published charges. These fees are set by the agency and are separate from our own policies.

We encourage open communication and are happy to discuss payment options if needed.

Why We Have This Policy

Our aim is to keep our services accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality. When appointments are missed or cancelled late, it impacts not just our business—but also other clients waiting for care.

This policy helps us reduce disruption, manage our clinical time effectively, and avoid raising prices for all clients.

Thank you for your understanding.

Need to Cancel or Reschedule?

Please contact us as soon as possible:

Call: 01634 240645
Email: [email protected]

We’re always happy to help.

Legal Notice

This policy is designed in accordance with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and UK contract law. It aims to be fair, transparent, and proportionate. It does not affect your statutory rights.