Devon eyecare experts are celebrating their first year of bringing an essential service to hundreds of people unable to leave their homes.
For the past 12 months, more than 1,656 home eye tests have been given by the Exeter Specsavers Home Visits team.
As well as being able to check for serious eye conditions, the Exeter service is particularly important during the winter months when people who are unable to leave their home unaccompanied can become more isolated.
Steve Dorrans, director at Exeter Specsavers Home Visits, says: ‘We are very proud that for the past year we have been bringing important eyecare to people in and around Exeter who are unable to leave their home.
‘Regular eye tests are important because they can help to detect serious eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. These conditions can lead to sight loss and poor vision, which can be a risk for falls.
‘The earlier such conditions are discovered, the better the chance of successful treatment. Eye tests can also detect a variety of other serious health issues, such as brain tumours, cancers, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.’
The home visits team consists of two opticians, four optical assistants and two office staff. They offer comprehensive free eye tests in the home for people who qualify for an NHS-funded eye test and are unable to leave their house unaccompanied due to a physical or mental illness or disability.
They undertake the same standard of eye test as in Specsavers’ stores but with just with a few changes and specialist equipment to make them home-friendly.
In the past year hundreds of pairs of glasses have been dispensed to those who can’t leave their Exeter home unaccompanied, and the home visits team has referred dozens of people for treatment to safeguard their sight.
Joe Sutton, director at Exeter Home Visits, says: ‘We often visit older people and, in addition to our professional expertise, we are really conscious that we might be the only people they see that week.
‘Maintaining good vision is a key part of any person’s quality of life, but perhaps more so for our customers because they often have limited mobility, so most of their hobbies and pastimes will involve visual tasks.
‘We aim to enhance people’s quality of life as best we can so that they can continue to enjoy doing the things they enjoy.’
For more information about the Exeter Specsavers Home Visits team or to book an appointment, visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/home-eye-tests
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