Contrary to popular belief, my time spent working as a dispensing optician wasn’t just spent fitting children’s specs and reassuring every patient over 40 that literally everybody feels weird when they first try varifocals. A good portion of my career was spent advising, reassuring and doing lots of lens thickness calculations for those who were sight impaired.
Over ten years in practice has allowed me to see a vast array of sight problems that lead to people being registered as partially sighted or blind (referred to these days as sight impaired or severely sight impaired respectively). I have not, by any means ‘seen it all’, but I have seen the stress it brings when a visit to the opticians is required (and I’m not just talking about the emotional side of losing one’s sight).
The practical aspect of sight impairment can render choosing spectacles almost impossible. Some conditions demand extremely high prescription lenses, which need to be made up in hi-index (thinner) materials in order to perform best for the patient. Thinner lenses can be very expensive and as there are many different types, only certain lenses will be available to the patient, depending on the prescription as well as the frame choice. The frame choice can also be extremely limited.
Despite being in the middle of a career break, I still love optics and still follow the ABDO Facebook page, which is where I spotted a petition for thinner lenses to be made free on the NHS for people who are registered as partially sighted/ blind, created by someone who is registered blind.
Underneath the post, a discussion ensued (such is the nature of Facebook) and the comments ranged from totally agreeing to agreeing in principal but highlighting other areas for change, but then, these people are like me, they’re experienced in optics so have seen the stress firsthand. They all agreed in some way.
I believe this is something that not everyone would have considered if they (or someone they know) had not been affected by visual impairment.
It’s the sort of thing people scroll past if they can’t relate.
If anything, I believe the NHS voucher system needs an overhaul in general, but back to the point for a moment: People who have a complex prescription do receive some help on the current NHS voucher system. Complex refers to prescriptions that are +/- 10.00 dioptres (the unit prescriptions are measured in) and doesn’t refer to whether or not the patient is visually impaired.
Currently, if a person claiming certain benefits requires a complex prescription (sight impaired or otherwise), they will receive at least £86.90 towards their (single vision) glasses and if the prescription is higher than +/-14.00D they will receive £196.00! In comparison, those not on any qualifying benefits will receive £14.60.
Considering these high prescriptions tend to perform better with correctly measured thinner lenses, you’d be looking at spending around £250 for lenses and a mid-priced frame (based on prices from a popular budget high-street opticians). That £14.60 is a bit like giving a hungry elephant a single peanut to snack on; a kind gesture, but essentially useless.
Although sight impairment can make it difficult to work, there’s plenty of visually impaired people out there in the working world, meaning they won’t be claiming the benefits that entitle them to the extra help.
My personal opinion is that there should be an amount contributed by the NHS based on certain criteria being met (one of those criteria being a registered visual impairment, another being a minimum prescription) rather than the help being means tested.
For someone who is sight impaired, new specs aren’t about achieving perfect vision or keeping up with the latest trend, they are about making the most of the vision that remains. I can’t even begin to imagine how upsetting and frustrating it would be to have a condition that means my sight would rapidly deteriorate. I expect it would be increasingly frustrating to know the vision that remained could be improved but only at an expense I could not afford.
For that reason I have signed this petition and urge you to as well, if you agree with me. I imagine if it gets enough signatures to be discussed in Parliament, the outcome won’t be as straightforward as ‘free thinner lenses for the sight impaired’ but it might be a step in the right direction.
Feel free to share this post and if you have anything to add, pop it in the comments.
This is a fantastic post and being visually impaired, I’ll definitely be signing it. I went for my yearly sight test last week and was told that because I received a voucher last year, I wasn’t entitled to one this year.
This seems so unfair! I had no idea. Well done for spreading the word on something so important! Thanks for joining us at the #bigpinklink