Opticians across North Wales and the Cheshire border are preparing for updated NHS optical vouchers after Welsh Ministers signed off new regulations. The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025 were made on 21 October, laid on 23 October and formally start on 11 November - but apply to activity from 1 April 2025. That means claims since April can be settled at the new rates, according to legislation.gov.uk.

What’s changed is targeted rather than sweeping. Prism supplements edge up to £12.68 per single‑vision lens and £14.80 for other lenses. Tints and photochromic lens supplements rise to £2.11 (single‑vision) and £2.64 (other). The small‑glasses supplement increases to £67.90. Where frames must be specially manufactured on facial‑characteristic grounds, the three repair figures are lifted to £67.90, £60.27 and £32.57. The children’s supplement moves to £15.86, while complex lens vouchers rise to £15.44 (single vision) and £39.56 (other complex appliances). These figures are set out in the Statutory Instrument.

For context, Wales’ base voucher bands - the amounts attached to prescriptions by strength and lens type - currently span from £22.37 at the lower end to £539.01 at the top, with £57.97 per hospital‑issued contact lens. Those bands are published by NHS Business Services Authority and guide what eligible patients can claim back towards glasses or lenses.

The regulations also replace the voucher tables for supply and repairs (Schedules 1 and 3) and tweak the add‑ons for prisms, tints, small and special frames, and complex appliances (Schedule 2). Welsh Government has included a transitional rule: vouchers issued or completed between 21 October 2024 and 31 March 2025 but not accepted before 1 April 2025 keep their earlier face value when redeemed. New rates apply to vouchers issued or completed on or after 1 April 2025.

For readers on the border, this isn’t abstract. Government data show that, as of April 2024, around 21,100 English residents were registered with Welsh GPs and 13,300 Welsh residents were registered with English GPs. In practice, which nation’s rates apply comes down to which NHS system the service is provided under, so patients in places like Wrexham, Mold and Chester should ask their practice which contract their voucher sits on.

England, by contrast, has frozen its NHS optical voucher values for 2025 at the levels set in spring 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed in a letter to providers on 24 March. That leaves a modest divergence this year, with Wales nudging up supplements while England holds steady.

Sector voices say this aligns with Wales’ push to do more eye care closer to home. The Association of Optometrists welcomed earlier funding for primary eye care in Wales in February, saying it would support more clinical work in high‑street practices - a direction of travel these voucher tweaks sit alongside.

For independent practices in Flintshire, Denbighshire and across into Cheshire, the immediate jobs are practical ones: refresh claims systems, brief staff on the children’s and complex‑lens top‑ups, and keep clear signage for eligible patients. Shops serving both sides of the border will be running two sets of rates for the time being.

Households should notice small but useful support, especially for children and people with high or complex prescriptions who rely on vouchers to keep costs down. The cash increases won’t transform bills, but they do acknowledge rising costs in the optical supply chain and keep community practices in the game for routine NHS eye care.

Key dates to remember: the Welsh rules start on 11 November 2025 but apply from 1 April 2025. If you’ve had a sight test in Wales since April and are eligible for help, ask your optician whether the new Wales rates apply to your claim. If you commute between Wrexham and Chester, one simple question - “Is my voucher under NHS Wales or NHS England?” - will tell you which rates you’re on.