Accessible eye care top tips

We've put together our top tips on accessible eye care. You can click through to useful free resources on our website.

If you're looking for an optical practice that makes reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities, have a look at our searchable map.

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1) Be aware

• Children, young people, and adults with learning disabilities are much more likely to have problems with their eyes than others
  
  
• Vision is still developing until the age of 7 or 8 so having vision by that age is really important
  
  
• Frequent falls, frustration, being withdrawn or changes in behaviour could be a sign of a vision problem
  
  
• Staff who work in education and social care services should have training about eye care and vision

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2) Eye tests

• Eye tests are possible for everyone, you don’t have to be able to read or talk to have an eye test
  
  
• The optometrist can make reasonable adjustments during the eye test to suit peoples needs
  
  
• An eye test is an eye health check as well as seeing if glasses are needed
  
  
• Eye care services have a duty to provide information in a way that people with learning disabilities understand
  
  
• Preparing for what will happen at the eye test can make all the difference

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3) Glasses

• Simply wearing the correct glasses can often make a huge difference to how well someone can see
  
  
• Make sure that someone’s glasses are comfortable and fit well, so they are more likely to wear them 
  
  
• There are glasses frames for different face shapes and ones that are flexible or harder to break
  
  
• You can take your glasses voucher to any opticians so it’s a good idea to shop around for the right glasses
  
  
• Glasses don’t instantly make the world clearer, the brain has to learn to see differently so be patient and keep trying

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4) Support

• It’s important to understand how an eye condition affects how vision is used
  
  
• It’s important for people to know about their eye condition
  
  
• Teachers must know about any issues with vision so they can change the way information is presented
  
  
• Many hospital eye clinics have eye clinic liaison officers (ECLOs) who can offer support and signpost to local services
  
  
• Some people will need specialist support to live as independently as possible in adulthood
  
  
• Planning is essential for preparing for eye operations