Factsheets
Understanding why People may need to wear glasses
People with learning disabilities are prone to eye problems but many do not have regular eye examinations. The more people can see the easier it is learn. Correctly prescribed glasses help people see more clearly and in greater detail. People with learning disabilities may have to rely heavily upon their sight to learn new skills and gain information from the world around them.
Optometrists use specific terms to describe why people will need to wear glasses/spectacles. It is important that people and their supporters understand why people need to wear glasses.
After an eye examination we strongly recommend that the optician/optometrist is asked for a written statement about why glasses have been recommended, when they should be worn, and how they might help. Please read our Feedback from the Optometrist about my test form. We can only give an overview of the main impact of common eye problems. How someone with learning disabilities experiences their eye defect will be unique to that person, therefore strategies to support the person should be personalised to meet his or her specific need.
Common reason for wearing glasses
Glasses help correct errors of refraction. This means correcting errors within the eye that prevent a person seeing clearly and in detail.
Myopia means that near objects are seen clearly without active accommodation (see below) and distant objects are blurred. The further away objects are, the more blurred they will be. How close to the eye the distance at which objects will become clear will depend on the extent of the person’s short sight.
Amongst people with learning disabilities, myopia can be very severe – this might be referred to as High Myopia. For some people objects only become clear within five to ten centimetres of the person’s eyes. A person who is short sighted may need (or choose) to wear glasses just for distance use - such as television, cinema or going out. Others, especially people with severe or ‘high’ myopia, may benefit from wearing their glasses for more general use, but may still wish to remove them for very close work.
- Reading glasses
Glasses for “near vision” are often described as “reading glasses”. Just because someone does not read, it does not mean they do not need reading glasses. Glasses for near tasks can help with writing, drawing, doing puzzles, crafts and even eating a meal. Spectacles for near use should therefore be considered for all people who are middle-aged or approaching middle age.
- Accommodation
Accommodation is the term used to describe the ability of the eye to change focus to see objects clearly. Many people with learning disabilities (even very young people) are unable to ‘accommodate’ properly and may need glasses to see intermediate tasks (40-60cms from the eye) - such as using a computer, painting etc and near tasks (20-40cm) clearly.
- Long sight (hypermetropia/hyperopia)
Long sight refers to people who find it harder to see near objects and are better at seeing objects far away - i.e. more than 6 metres, though the distance depends on the degree of their long-sightedness and their age. Whilst high amounts of long sight are more common amongst people with learning disabilities, poor accommodation is also more common, so that the defect is much more significant.
Some people with long sight will need (or choose) to wear glasses only for close work, others for constant use.
- Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the normal process of the eye ageing that we all experience from age 40 to 45 onwards. As we grow older most of us struggle to read at arm’s length. This is when we start to wear reading glasses, bifocals or varifocal. We should remember that as people with learning disabilities age they too will experience a deterioration in their vision. Supporters should be watchful for a decrease in a person’s skills as they grow older and to ensure that people are encouraged to get regular eye examinations and health checks.
- Astigmatism
Astigmatism causes distorted vision because the curved front surface of the eye (the cornea) is misshapen (more like a rugby ball in shape than round like a football). This condition can occur alone or, more commonly, in addition to short and long sight. The eye is more powerful in one direction than the other, so that objects held in different positions are focused differently. This leads to parts of the object being looked at appearing blurred. For example, someone with astigmatism looking at the letter H will see the verticals (the strokes of the letter which go up and down) clearly, while the horizontal stroke (which goes across) is blurred. Another person may see the reverse, and yet another person may see the diagonal of the letter N clearly, while the verticals are blurred and so on.
A person with a high amount of astigmatism will benefit from wearing glasses for all tasks. However, glasses to correct severe or high astigmatism can to images being distorted and are more difficult to get used to than glasses that correct short or long sight.
Wearing Glasses
Many people who have worn glasses all their life may not appreciate just how difficult it might be for someone to become familiar with the feel and affect of wearing glasses for the first time. Similarly supporters who have not yet needed to wear glasses need to appreciate how disorienting it can be for some people to wear glasses.
June 2009
Related Information:
Making Sense of Prescription for Glasses
Preparing for an Eye Examination
The Eye Examination Explained
After the Eye Examination
Who is Eligible for Help with the Costs of an Eye Examination
Watch the You and Eye film
Telling the Optometrist about me form
Feedback from the Optometrist about my test form