Loading ...‘You and Eye’, a film made by The Misfits, a Bristol theatre group for people with learning disabilities which outlines the issues surrounding sight impairment is to get a screening at Bristol Eye Hospital. The film commissioned by SeeAbility, formerly The Royal School for the Blind, aims to raise awareness of the need for eye health care for people with a learning disability and access appropriate eye healthcare locally.
There are an estimated 11,000 people with a learning disability in Bristol and over 4,000 will have a significant but undetected visual impairment which could put them at risk of going blind. For the vast majority of people, glasses could be prescribed to greatly improve their quality of life but in some cases people with a learning disability lose their sight needlessly and lead even more isolated lives.
David Melling, SeeAbility’s eye 2 eye Community Development Officer in Bristol helps people with a learning disability access sight tests and low vision support. David is Deaf and understands the discrimination faced by people with a disability.
“It’s been great working with The Misfits,” said David, “I think the message is much more powerful because the people who made the film have a learning disability. It’s much easier for people with a learning disability to relate to the actors and understand the message and the importance of regular eye tests.”
SeeAbility are currently Dollond & Aitchison’s chosen charity and have been working closely together to help D&A optometrists to give more effective sight tests to people with a learning disability.
“D&A cares passionately about eye health and is committed to providing first class sight tests to everyone,” explains Andy Cole, Head of Learning and Development for D&A. “SeeAbility’s eye 2 eye Campaign has enabled our optometrists to gain a much greater understanding of the issues facing people with a learning disability. Some of the filming took place in Broadmead D&A branch and we were happy to be of help in making this informative film.”
David Melling will be presenting ‘You and Eye’ at Bristol Eye Hospital with some of the Misfits Theatre Group to raise awareness about eye healthcare for people with learning disabilities.
