“A significant investment in the future of optometry,” is how Wales’s Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has framed this year’s eyecare funding moves - and the numbers now follow through in law. Welsh Ministers have signed regulations that uprate NHS optical voucher values for supply, replacement and repair, backdated to 1 April 2025 and legally in force from 11 November. The changes matter for high street practices from Wrexham to Rhyl - and for patients who rely on a free, basic pair of specs under Welsh rules.

The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025 - WSI 2025/1119 - replace the voucher tables and lift several supplements. Examples include prism per lens rising from £12.20 to £12.68; tints from £2.03 to £2.11; photochromic from £2.54 to £2.64; and the small‑glasses supplement from £65.29 to £67.90. The children’s additional payment moves to £15.86, while complex‑appliance minima rise to £15.44 (single vision) and £39.56 (multifocal).

For patients, the headline figures in Wales from 1 April 2025 include Voucher 1 at £22.37 and the top‑end Voucher 10 at £539.01. Hospital Eye Service Voucher 11 is £539.01, with Voucher 12 at £57.97 per lens. Your optician will confirm which code applies to your prescription.

There’s a cut‑off to be aware of. The updated amounts only apply to vouchers issued or completed on or after 1 April 2025. If a voucher was issued or completed between 21 October 2024 and 31 March 2025 but not used before 1 April, it keeps the pre‑April values under transitional rules.

For North Wales families and independent opticians near the border, the divergence with England is practical as well as political. Westminster froze England’s 2025 optical voucher values at 2024 levels, confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care on 24 March. That means a slightly different sums‑on‑the‑till outcome depending on which side of the border the voucher is issued.

Wales also operates a stronger access guarantee. A Senedd statement in March noted that practices are required to provide a basic pair of glasses at no extra cost for eligible patients across all prescription ranges - unlike the contribution‑only model in England. That policy choice keeps cost down for children and low‑income households across Betsi Cadwaladr.

The repair side moves too. Schedule 3 has been replaced, updating what practices can claim for one‑lens and two‑lens repairs and for frame work, alongside the uprated supplements for small or specially‑manufactured frames. Contractors should check NHS Wales guidance to ensure claims from April are reconciled to the new values.

Sector voices say the direction of travel is right. Optometry Wales chief executive Judy Misra welcomed Welsh contract changes that “empower community optometrists and dispensing opticians to operate at the top of their licence,” keeping more care closer to home. Payments related to the 2025 fee deal are set to be backdated to 1 April.

For patients, the ask is simple: if you’re eligible for help with NHS costs, ask your local optician which voucher code you qualify for and whether small‑frame or special‑fit supplements apply. Parents should check children’s eligibility at the practice - Wales intends that an appropriate basic pair is available without extra charge.