SeeAbility has supported over 1,200 special school children across England, providing adjusted eye tests and collecting data. It’s the biggest global study actively reporting on the eye care needs of children with learning disabilities.

Of the children using the SeeAbility service over a four academic year period we have found, with the help of Dr Maggie Woodhouse’s support in analysing our data that:

• Nearly half (47.5%) had a problem with their vision.
• A third (31.7%) needed glasses.
• Over four in ten (43.7%) had no history of any eye care.
• Only 7% had ever used a community optician.

Of those children with a sight problem more than a quarter (28%) had a problem that was previously unknown to school or their parents

We are calling on NHS England to make wide reforms to community eye care for children and adults with learning disabilities and introduce adjusted eye tests in special schools.

We’re using the hashtag #EqualRightToSight on our social media platforms.

Click here for more information about our report

We have a ‘top tips’ bit on the website too to help direct people on getting better eye care information eg. easy read. Especially as parents may struggle to know where to go and get their child’s sight tested, and we also happy to write little pieces of advice for newsletters etc.

Also if anyone, individuals, organisations, wants to sign up to pledge your support on eye care reforms so we can keep ensuring NHS England know there remains real concern over lack of their action on this issue they can also do this on this link too.