We’ve worked with local eye care services to improve access for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. These areas now offer an Easy Eye Care pathway, which means longer appointments through opticians who have had additional training on supporting people with learning disabilities, including about using easy read information and being able to test people who find it hard to talk.

Easy eye care

The Easy Eye Care pathway provides:

• A longer eye test or multiple shorter appointments, supported by an enhanced fee for the optometrist.
• A pre-examination questionnaire for the person having their eyes tested.
• A plain English eye test results form.
• Eye care from an accredited optometrist.

We want the LOCSU (Local Optical Committee Support Unit) eye care pathway for people with learning disabilities to be available across the whole of England.

Currently the pathway is only available in a few areas:

• South East London (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham). Download our South East London resources and watch our film to find out more.
• North West England (Greater Manchester, Cheshire & Merseyside and Lancashire and South Cumbria)
• Durham

We want to hear from you!

We would love to hear from:

• People with learning disabilities and autistic people who are struggling to access eye care services in London.
• Advocacy groups for people with learning disabilities or autistic people who would like to offer their support.
• Optical professionals and Local Optical Committees who are interested in the pathway.
• Commissioners of eye care services wishing to reduce health inequalities in their area.

We are also keen to hear from people in other parts of the country who are interested in learning more about the pathway. 

To get in touch please email Steve Kill at s.kill@seeability.org.