Our weekly visits to his special school have allowed Nasir to get the eye care he needs.

"I can’t take Nasir for an eye test at the high street optician’s because he gets upset and kicks people," says his mum, Amal.

Nasir has Down’s syndrome and is autistic. He has limited communication skills and strange places and new people make him feel anxious. It often leads to challenging behaviour, which could turn a visit to a high street optical practice into a struggle.

Flexible eye testing

SeeAbility’s optometrist Lisa Donaldson has tested Nasir a number of times at his special school:

"Last time I saw Nasir he wasn’t up for anything. His teaching assistant warned me he was having a bad day, so we decided to postpone. I said we would do it again next week but in most high street practices you don’t have that option.

"Children who are autistic like Nasir often dislike leaving familiar surroundings. In that case I can go into their classroom and it is often better to find out a little rather than take them out of their comfort zone and find out nothing."

Children with Down’s syndrome are more likely to have keratoconus – a degenerative disorder that causes the cornea to thin and change shape, leading to distorted vision and increased sensitivity to light. SeeAbility found Nasir has astigmatism, often the first stage. Lisa said:

"Nasir is very mobile which makes him more challenging to test. He gets up and moves round the room a lot. It would be more difficult in a high street practice full of equipment that he couldn’t touch."

Knowing Nasir

Tanja Hohler, the qualified teacher of the visually impaired at Nasir’s special school, explains how best to support him:

"You have to know the child well before you can assess him. Nasir kicked in his first assessment, was brilliant on his second and lashed out when he saw his glasses in his third. I believe he couldn’t go to a high street optometrist - they wouldn’t know how to deal with his behaviour."