A Newcastle MP has called for better eye care provision for people with learning disabilities, following an event in Parliament organised by sight loss and learning disability charity, SeeAbility, and the Optical Confederation.

The Westminster event marked the release of SeeAbility’s new report, ‘Delivering an equal right to sight’, which highlights that hundreds of thousands of people with learning disabilities in England experience problems with their eyesight, yet they are much less likely to get the eye care they need – with some tragically losing their sight.

There are around 1 million people with learning disabilities in England, with 1 in 10 of these people being blind or partially sighted.  6 in 10 people with learning disabilities will need glasses, whilst children with learning disabilities are 28 times more likely to have a serious sight problem than other children.

Yet, despite these figures, some 50% of adults have not have had a sight test in the recommended period, whilst 4 in 10 children in special schools have never had one.

At the event in Parliament, Catherine met people with learning disabilities, charities, optometrists and eye care professionals who are working to make local eye care services more accessible and raise awareness of vision problems for people with learning disabilities.

Those attending the event also heard how NHS England’s national sight testing and funding system is letting down people with learning disabilities and desperately needs reform.

Campaigners want all working age adults with learning disabilities to be eligible for NHS-funded sight tests. They also say new national pathways of eye care are needed by people with learning disabilities, including in special schools. Currently there are only a few areas of the country which fund dedicated learning disability eye care services in community optical practices. A new petition on the Parliament website has been launched to support the campaign.

Catherine said:

‘I just didn’t realise the staggering levels of sight problems among both children and adults with learning disabilities, until I attended this event.

‘The crucial thing is that many sight issues can be easily treated as long as they are identified soon enough through a sight test – and it clearly makes more sense for the NHS to invest in preventative eye care to stop more costly problems arising in the future.

‘We must remove the barriers that people with learning disabilities face in accessing eye care, if they are not to risk losing their quality of life and independence.’ 

More information about the Equal Right to Sight campaign can be found here.