Learning disabled 'need better eye care'

Data from a pilot study conducted by SeeAbility and the Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU) has revealed that over half the people with learning disabilities seen in specialist sight tests suffered an eye health issue.

Almost two-thirds required spectacles and 52 per cent of those seen had an eye health problem which could have led to sight loss, said the authors of the London Tri-Borough study. The report looked at the LOCSU eye care pathway of 104 specially adapted sight tests carried out in the of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster between October 2013 and March 2015.

In light of the findings, the organisations have called on clinical commissioning groups to introduce more eye care pathways to avoid reduced independence, poorer quality of life and higher health and social care costs for these individuals.