An enhanced eye care pathway for people with Learning Disabilities and/or autism.
The LOCSU pathway uses the skills of primary care optometrists and dispensing opticians and aims to improve local access to eye care for all people with learning disabilities. We know that patients with a learning disability are more likely to need, but less likely to have, access to high quality eye care.
By delivering adjustments it is possible to make it as easy for people with learning disabilities to use optical services as the wider population.
The resources have been refreshed with the support from experts from SeeAbility, ABDO and Mencap and the service utilises SeeAbility’s wide range of “easy read” information which is available free of charge and in a format that many people with learning disabilities prefer. For further information or advice, please phone SeeAbility’s information service on 01372 755 000.
The pathway is intended to provide individualised care for patients with moderate to severe learning disabilities; those with mild learning disabilities may access GOS sight tests in the usual way with minor reasonably adjusted support.
A podcast exploring the issues faced by people with learning disabilities in accessing eye care, and how these issues are addressed by the pathway, is available to download.
It features SeeAbility’s Head of Eye Health, Lisa Donaldson and SeeAbility Eye Care Champion, Grace McGill, with LOCSU’s Richard Whittington and Zoe Richmond.
Easy Eye Care Services for People with a Learning Disability
This short course, provided by WOPEC and LOCSU, contains lectures and MCQs compiled by people with many years of experience in the field. It provides an insight into how learning disability and learning disability is defined, how practice can be adapted and how barriers to service provision, both clinical and non-clinical, can be overcome.
To register for this course, please contact your LOC to a request a code.
