Training Opportunity to Support Eyecare Services for People with a Learning Disability

28 September 2021

A series of six online teaching sessions is being launched aimed at preparing eyecare practitioners to deliver services to people with learning disabilities.

Developed and reviewed by subject experts in partnership with SeeAbility, a charity that supports people who have learning disabilities or autism and sight loss, it offers an authoritative insight into key areas of learning disability practice.

It is a prerequisite for practitioners wishing to deliver the LOSCU community learning disability pathway and the NHS England Special Schools Eyecare Service.

Zoe Richmond, Interim Clinical Director, LOCSU said:

“I would like to thank all the subject matter experts for their valuable contributions, it has certainly been a collaborative effort but a special thanks must go to Marek Karas for leading on the module development. The new training module is an excellent resource for optometry practice teams.”

Marek Karas, Senior Optomestrist, SeeAbility said:

“This training module has evolved out of current work being done on advancing eyecare care services of people with LD both in schools and in the community. We as practitioners at SeeAbility have been on a learning curve, developing our practice with this patient group and we have focused this training on the practical knowledge that we feel is needed to deliver services to people with a learning disability.”

The course includes:

• Relevant summaries of disability definitions and legislation
• Effective communication
• Referral and reporting
• Adaption of optometric and dispensing practice
• Introduction to Cerebral Visual Impairment

Delivered using the innovative online learning platform Xerte it will be of use to any practice team who want to make their service accessible for people with learning disabilities. The course carries 6 standard CPD point for dispensing opticians and optometrists.

Funded by LOCSU, WOPEC, ABDO and SeeAbility this training is free to eye care practitioners, eye care administration staff and other healthcare professionals.

To access the course please contact your Local Optical Committee or SeeAbility at SSECtraining@seeability.org

Course contributors:

• Rachel Pilling, Professor of Special Needs and Learning Disability Eye Care Bradford University, Consultant Ophthalmologist Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Dr Maggie Woodhouse, Senior Lecturer, Head of the Down’s Syndrome Vision Research Unit Cardiff university
• Lisa Donaldson, Optometrist, Head of Eye Health and Clinical Lead Special Schools Eye Care Service SeeAbility
• Marek Karas. Senior Optometrist SeeAbility
• Mitchel Rueben and Martyn Howlett Senior Dispensing Opticians SeeAbility Special Schools Eye Care Service