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Celia, Hackney: My name's Celia, I’m 45 years old and I’m from Hackney in London.
Out of all the senses, it’s the one I'd miss the most.
My sight is incredibly important to me, imagine not being able to see colours.
Aftab, Bradford: My name is Aftab. I am 45 years old and I live in Bradford.
If you didn’t have your eyes you wouldn’t see the beauty of life or the colours of life.
David Allen, RNIB: I'm David Allen and I'm Head of Sight loss Prevention for RNIB. Prevention
of avoidable sight loss is one of RNIB's key strategic priorities,
and in 2011 we commissioned some qualitative research to identify the barriers to access
for primary and secondary care amongst particular target populations.
The research is part of a much wider programme of work looking to identify key issues for
target communities in Bradford, Hackney, Glasgow, Cwm Taf in South Wales and in West Belfast.
What we found from this research was that there is a sense of fatalism amongst the community.
They didn't really understand much about eye health, there was very limited community awareness.
And worse than that there was a misconception that they couldn't do anything about protecting
their eyes.
Mary, Belfast: My name’s Mary and I'm 63 and I’m from Belfast. For me eye health
is about whether you need glasses. You have to accept what God gives you.
Celia, Hackney: Losing sight always comes in time,
if it's going to happen to you, it's going to happen to you.
David Allen, RNIB: People tend to think that sight loss isn't avoidable and if you have
a sight problem it's going to make you go blind. We need to challenge this misconception.
What was interesting about the research was it didn't make a difference if someone had
an eye test or not, as to how much they knew about eye health.
Aftab, Bradford: There are no posters or leaflets to show how to look after your eyes. They
should have some sort of course to say how to take care of your eyes.
Or they should have a professional coming into the community centre to give information
on eye care.
Derek, South Wales: My name's Derek, I'm 65 and I am from Rhondda Valley, in South Wales.
There is a lack of awareness around eye health, so not taking preventative measures to look
after your eyes is the biggest problem. The only thing you hear about is contact lenses
or laser treatment.
Ali, Glasgow: I’m Ali, I’m 41 years old and I’m from Glasgow.
Much is talked about “lifestyle factors” but it isn't fully explained for people to
make a change. I get letters from the dentist all the time
about check ups, but nothing from the optician. It's human nature, we don’t go to look after
ourselves until we’re told.
David Allen: So what we found out was that eye test attendance is symptom driven.
and that of course means that early detection is much less likely.
One of the barriers we found is the retail dimension of optometry. People feel under
pressure to buy glasses when they do go. They often ration their attendance, because they
can't afford to go very often, and they viewed the eye examination as a completely different
type of intervention to other medical health checks.
That's going to have an effect on the treatment that people are going
to be able to receive. Most people go in because they think they need to get glasses.
Celia, Hackney: People do go to the optician's, yeah, but when they go, they only get told
that they need more glasses,
Derek, South Wales: When I can’t see, I’ll go. I only get tested when I'm having trouble.
Mary, Belfast: It’s difficult to get out of working hours appointment.
You make do with what you can afford rather than what you need or want.
Ali, Glasgow: Too much pressure to purchase glasses, too much emphasis on selling expensive
designer frames. I postpone my eye examination, to manage my costs.
Aftab, Bradford: Your eyes are worth it. Sometimes you have to save up and if other things are
needed then it would have to wait.
Celia, Hackney: Personally I think it’s a money making thing. Even if you’re eyes
are ok they are still trying to offer you things to buy. I saw a show on TV that said
to make glasses cost 30p. I have to pay £300.
David Allen, RNIB: A lot of people also spoke about having a really positive experience
when they go to the optometrist, and what we found out is that developing trust between
the optician and individual was really important in them wanting to come back again and again.
It put people at ease, making them feel comfortable; making them feel like it was a valued experience
from both sides.
Aftab, Bradford: The staff are nice and polite. The optician gives you time.
I was quite impressed because I do an eye-check every year or so and the optician was quite
young, but she referred me to Moorfields eye hospital for a second opinion, and she was
clever, because she was right about needing more treatment.
Derek, South Wales: Yeah, I like my local optician, they do diagrams and explain it
all.
David Allen, RNIB: In two of our sites we focused on diabetic retinopathy, and in three,
we wanted to look into a bit more detail around glaucoma and the issues surrounding it. The
research showed us that managing diabetes is really hard work for people.
They struggle to keep track of the different appointments that they've got. Sometimes they're
not even sure what appointment they are going to and why. And in some cases they didn't
even know if they'd been to an appointment.
People with diabetes didn't understand the difference between diabetic retinopathy screening
and going for a standard eye examination. It can make a real difference as to whether
other eye conditions are identified and treated.
Aftab, Bradford: There is a link between diabetes and eyes, they're like two sisters. If we
knew the how and why we could protect ourselves. The community's diet makes control difficult
- fried food and sweets.
Ali, Glasgow: In my circle, people don’t know about the links between diabetes and
eye health. No one really considers watching their sugars to protect their eyes. Asian
people don't associate that, the link between diabetes and eye health, they don't understand
the importance of it.
David Allen: Many patients find the eye care system to be fragmented and confusing, and
sometimes people are taken off hospital lists if they don't attend appointments.
And of course that can lead to even bigger problems and people going blind.
Aftab, Bradford: I was in Pakistan, and I let help service know this, but I still got
a letter saying that I did not attend.
Celia, Hackney: You need a text message to remind you about the appointment, otherwise
it is too difficult.
I have to wait a long time often, a lot of waiting. And people often leave because they
cannot wait any longer. It’s a lot of waiting! You don't always see the same person every
time at the hospital that'd be nice. But that's how it goes.
Mary, Belfast: Didn’t know anything about glaucoma, would have liked a bit more information
about treatment options and scenarios.
David Allen, RNIB: Poor patient experience and lack of information are going to be barriers
to accessing eye care services. But on the other side, a much more positive
patient experience and continuity of treatment are going to enable people to engage much
more effectively.
Derek, South Wales: I had a very professional service at RGH. The surgeon took me through
all aspects of the procedure and made me feel very comfortable.
Celia, Hackney: My optician did have to console me, and tell me not to worry too much. Glaucoma
was not a case of automatically going blind. She did take pains to calm me down.
Ali, Glasgow: We would like more support but we don’t know what's available.