Business insurance for Opticians


For an optician, insurance can do more than protect specialist optometry equipment – it can help you manage general business risks and help safeguard your finances in turn.

Insurance can respond to several business barriers and help protect an optician’s income. For instance, your practice could experience flooding, sensitive data may become compromised, or you might face time away from the phoropter after an accident – these can all be potentially expensive scenarios. 

We also offer liability cover which can provide a route forward if you’re hit with legal complaints from a customer or employee.

Tailored cover can empower opticians to continue providing the care their customers deserve.

 

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Why choose Hiscox for optician insurance?


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Buy online in minutesIt takes a matter of minutes to generate a quote for insurance with Hiscox, so your optician business can be covered quickly

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A personal approach

Just as you tailor optical services to individuals, we make it possible to choose a relevant combination of insurance products

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Winners of the Feefo Platinum Service AwardWe've secured the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award in 2024 based on our customer reviews, among other awards

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Why do opticians need insurance?


Accidents at work

A customer falls in your eye clinic waiting area while your receptionist is taking in stock. They say a spillage of saline solution was the cause and take you to court citing health and safety failure. Even if you don’t feel your optician business is at fault, such legal proceedings can be costly. By including public liability cover in your insurance policy, you gain support with legal fees and compensation demands, helping you to feel protected as you practice.

An injured employee

In time, you may need to employ a dispensing optician or assistant to fit glasses and repair frames while you’re handling eye tests. When a new employee joins the practice, there may be safety implications if they aren’t up to speed on tool use, however. Should they experience an accident and say the correct training wasn’t given, your clinic may lose time and money mounting a defence. Employers’ liability cover keeps you in a position to defend yourself and keep disruption to a minimum.

Cyber crime target

Using computers to store information about customers’ prescriptions and delivery details is standard practice for an optician or optometrist. You might not consider your website booking form to pose a threat, but if a hacker launches an SQL injection attack against this infrastructure, they could steal data and demand a ransom in return. Insurance can protect an optician by responding to such cyber events both practically and financially.

What insurance is available for opticians?


Each optician’s insurance requirements are unique. If you own your premises, then property insurance could prove important, while personal accident cover may benefit locum optometrists.

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Insurance for opticians: FAQs


What insurance do I need for my optometry equipment?

To insure valuable optometry equipment, select contents insurance as part of your property cover.

This protects machinery such as phoropters, retinoscopes and retinal cameras – as well as less specialist equipment such as computers – in the event of a break-in or accidental damage. Stock is covered, too, for added reassurance if your centre sells designer eyewear.

To protect items while you’re away from the practice at events such as recruitment fairs, consider portable equipment insurance.

If I upgrade my equipment, is it automatically covered?

Equipment isn’t automatically covered if you upgrade it. To keep cover in place, let us know when changes are made so we can help you adjust policy details accordingly.

Understanding the exact nature of your optical instruments and other equipment helps to calculate how much cover you require. This might include knowing the type of optical lens groover you’re using, or the laptop model you work from.

Failing to notify of increases to equipment value could create problems in the event of a claim and might mean you’re underinsured. Find out more about underinsurance in our glossary of terms.

I’ve been in an accident and can’t work temporarily, can insurance help?

Yes – business insurance can help safeguard your income against the risk of accidental injuries. Add personal accident insurance to your policy to benefit from this type of cover, which can provide a weekly benefit payment to you or another insured member of staff.

If the injury creates a long-term problem that leaves you unable to practice, this insurance can also help with medical expenses and the cost of retraining.


What is a phishing attack?

Our FAQs provide answers to common questions about cyber security, including in this guide to phishing attacks.

How much does public liability insurance cost?

Learn more about the factors you need to consider when purchasing public liability insurance and choosing your cover limit with our guide.

Real examples of commercial insurance for retail businesses

How Hiscox business insurance helped our retail customer recover the cost of destroyed stock after a misunderstanding with a courier.