Valuing Our Vision with Scott Watkin

Eye care professionals from across the UK attended SeeAbility’s recent Valuing Our Vision conference in Leeds. There are estimated to be over a million people in the United Kingdom with a Learning Disability and one in three will have a sight problem, yet only a minority get regular and effective sight tests. SeeAbility is the leading eye care charity which supports people with a visual impairment and other disabilities. The charity’s eye 2 eye Campaign supports people with learning disabilities to get better eye health care. SeeAbility is working to ensure that avoidable sight loss is reduced for people with learning disabilities by 2020 as well as improving support and services for blind and partially blind people.

One of the key issues is improving eye examinations for people with a learning disability. As Gordon Ilett, an independent optometrist and expert in examining patients with learning disabilities, explained at the conference, “Diagnostic overshadowing is a huge risk for people with learning disabilities. Often behaviour changes are put down to the individual’s learning disability yet a sight test can, in many cases, diagnose sight problems. As optometrists we need to make reasonable adjustments so that people with learning disabilities can come into our practices. With the right approaches you can examine everyone and get results. We need to ensure that supporters and carers are trained to do some desensitisation work with people before they come in for their sight test. This will prepare people for their sight test. Also simple changes such as using familiar words and short sentences and spending a bit more time on an eye test, can make a big difference to someone with a learning disability. Everyone in this room today needs to work together.”

Co-hosting the event Scott Watkin from the Department of Health who has learning disabilities talked about his own personal experience of the importance for a better eye health care service for people with learning disabilities. He commented, “Having my eye surgery has changed my life, I got this job at the Department of Health – I’ve achieved a lot. It’s an inspiration for people who have learning disabilities. People with learning disabilities need reasonable adjustments made to the eye care service. We need to keep campaigning and making sure that eye care is at the centre of all we do. If we can get eye care right for people who have learning disabilities, then we can get it right for everyone.”

Many sight problems begin when children are in school. Optometrist Margaret Woodhouse, who runs the only primary care clinic dedicated to children and adults with special needs in England and Wales, spoke about the visual problems that occur in children and adults with Down’s Syndrome.

Ophthalmologist Rachel Piling highlighted the difficulties people with learning disabilities faced when accessing NHS eye clinics: “There is no formal NHS system to flag up the fact that the person has a learning disability so often consultants don’t know until the patient is in front of them. Eye clinic staff are not given any formal training in communicating with people with learning disabilities. We need to be aware of the people’s needs and what adjustments we should make ahead of the visit. Often consultants don’t have the right answers because we are not asking the right questions. I would advise carers and people with learning disabilities that come to the clinic to be prepared and to be persistent. Write a shopping list of what you want from the eye clinic and ask for a second opinion where necessary. Anything is achievable with enough planning.”

Summing up David Scott-Ralphs, SeeAbility CEO commented, “Addressing the eye care needs of people with learning disabilities is essential. This conference was a rare opportunity for people from all aspects of the eye care journey to focus solely on the needs of people with learning disabilities and it has been another significant step forward in raising the profile of this important public health issue. The feedback has been incredibly positive with everyone making clear a commitment to make everyday changes to their current practices which will make a huge difference to people with learning disabilities. Scott Watkin was a brilliant Chair, he talked eloquently about his own eye care experience and had a great rapport with the audience. The Optical Confederations’ support was also deeply appreciated. All in all it was a great day and another step forward in raising the profile of this important public health issue”.

SeeAbility provides customised training and consultancy services for optometrists about the needs of people with a learning disability. For more information and to book courses visit: www.seeability.org/training
For more information about eye care and vision for people with learning disabilities visit:
www.lookupinfo.org