Volunteers help 312 homeless over Christmas

Three-hundred-and-twelve homeless people had their eyes examined by a team of volunteers from Vision Care for Homeless People over the festive period.

Joining forces with Crisis at Christmas, an assembly of optometrists and dispensing opticians used domiciliary kits loaned by the Outside Clinic to treat homeless patients at various clinics across London.

Ready readers were issued to 75 patients and another 241 were having glasses made to their prescription by Essilor.

Meanwhile, around 30 people were referred to either Moorfields Eye Hospital or the Western Eye Hospital for further investigation and treatment.

‘One chap came in with a retinal tear and a bleed to the eye. He needed laser treatment which we organised and he was treated immediately. He was able to stay at the Crisis centre for the week, so he could recover,’ said volunteer and consultant ophthalmologist Jan van der Hoek.