Thousands of children with disabilities missing out on crucial eye care

Despite the high risk of sight problems, thousands of vulnerable children with disabilities are missing out on crucial eye care, new research from SeeAbility has found.

The national sight loss and disability charity discovered that nearly four in ten (37 per cent) pupils attending special schools had no history of eye tests. It said this figure was made worse as children with learning disabilities were 28 times more likely to have serious sight problems than other children, adding that it was unacceptable there was no is no national plan to meet the eye care needs of children with disabilities.

If the findings in the ‘An equal right to sight’ report were replicated nationwide among the 100,000 children in special schools, 37,000 children with disabilities would be missing out on the eye care they need.