Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report <i>An equal right to sight </i>by SeeAbility, and the subsequent response by the College of Optometrists and others, what steps they are taking to ensure that children with learning difficulties have regular and full ocular examinations.

The recent NHS England “Improving Eye Health and Reducing Sight Loss Call to Action” consultation called for a debate on how to tackle eye care inequalities and specifically those experienced by people with learning disabilities. NHS England recently commissioned a service in London that will provide sight tests and dispensing of glasses at a number of special schools. This service is being provided by SeeAbility and is governed by the existing regulatory framework for primary eye care services in England. NHS England will work with SeeAbility to review current levels of provision and determine the extent to which children with learning disabilities struggle to access high street optical practices.

A copy of the consultation is attached and can be found at the following link:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/calltoaction/eye-cta/