Adults with learning difficulties being 'excluded from eye tests'

Nearly all adults with severe learning difficulties are being denied access to eye exams, according to new research by LOCSU and SeeAbility.

The organisations have found up to 985,000 of England’s 1,012,000 learning disabled adults, equalling 97 per cent, cannot access tailored eye tests.

They highlighted the case of a 21-year-old man with profound learning difficulties who spent most of his life being wrongly treated for curvature of the spine when all he needed was a pair of glasses.

LOCSU managing director Katrina Venerus said: ‘Serious sight problems are 10 times more common among people with learning disabilities and have a disproportionate impact on the quality of life they can lead. This is a real but avoidable issue.