Easy Eye Care, commissioned by the South East London Integrated Care Board, is available across the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
The service, launched on September 18, was expected to reach 20% of the capital, helping to support an estimated 9,000 people in south-east London with a learning disability and 21,000 who are autistic.
Adults with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely to have serious sight problems than the general population, increasing to 28 times more likely in children with learning disabilities.
These people can face significant health inequalities compared to the rest of the population and often experience poorer access to healthcare. They are less likely to receive timely eye examinations, glasses and referrals to hospital eye services for serious eye conditions.
Under reporting of eye and sight problems can occur due to difficulties in communicating and signs and symptoms being overlooked or being attributed to the patient’s learning disability.
Easy Eye Care aimed to avoid preventable sight loss, increase patient independence, address health inequalities, reduce outpatient appointments for routine eye care and lessen the financial impact within the hospital eye service.
The service was developed as part of primary care services in south-east London with the assistance of SeeAbility, Mencap, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and other optical professional bodies.
‘As the commissioner responsible for Primary Eye Care services in south-east London, I am delighted that the Easy Eye Care pathway for people with learning disabilities and autistic people is now operating across our region,’ said Lucy Butterworth, associate director, Planned Care-NHS south-east London.
‘As the first ICB in London to adopt the pathway it will complement the Special Schools Eye Care Service in giving young people the opportunity to have uninterrupted eye care as they transition to the adult services,’ she added.
The Special Schools Eye Service, recently announced by the Department of Health and Social Care, enabled children who attend special schools in England to receive a sight test at their special school.
Children leaving their special schools will be referred into the South East London Easy Eye Care service to ensure continuity of eye care.
Individualised care
Under the Easy Eye Care service, local optical practices, accredited by the ICB, provide individualised eye care for all people with learning disabilities and autistic people registered with a GP in south-east London.
Optical practices receive an enhanced fee for each completed Easy Eye Care appointment. Participating optometrists undertake the Wopec Eye Care for People with Learning Disabilities training. Dispensing opticians and other support staff are recommended to complete some of the modules as well.
Patients may self-refer or be referred by a carer, their GP, an advocacy group, mainstream Send provision or community eye clinic.
Prior to appointments, patients are encouraged to fill in a pre-examination questionnaire called About me and my eyes. Longer and multiple appointments are accommodated under the service, with other necessary adjustments made, as required.
Following examinations, optometrists produced a plain English eye test results report to be shared with the patient, their supporters, GP and other health professionals.
Eye Care Champions with experience of learning disabilities and autism from the charity SeeAbility are actively promoting Easy Eye Care widely to learning disability organisations across south-east London.
Grace McGill, a London Pathway Expert by Experience at SeeAbility, said: ‘Because I was born with sight problems, I have a lifetime’s experience of what good eye care looks like for people with learning
disabilities.
‘The Easy Care pathway will help people maximise what they can see and detect eye problems early on. This will help people with learning disabilities to be independent and live great lives.’
Charles Greenwood, director at Primary Ophthalmic Solutions, said: ‘Primary Ophthalmic Solutions has contracted the Easy Eye Care Service on behalf of optical practices across south-east London. It will lessen the need for referrals to hospital out-reach departments for routine sight tests and mean that people can be seen by the local community.’
He added: ‘In addition to this new service, the population of south-east London is able to access a range of community services including the minor eye conditions service, glaucoma and cataract refinement, post-op cataract checks and children’s eye
screening.’