Christmas volunteer appeal

A charity which provides free eye examinations and spectacles to homeless people is appealing for volunteers to help offer sight tests as part of its optical service at Crisis at Christmas.

Calling for support from optometrists, ophthalmologists, dispensing opticians and optical assistants, Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) will offer free eye examinations from 10 different centres across London from 23–29 December.

General manager of Vision Care for Homeless People, David Brown, said: “Thanks to generous support from our sponsors, we will have six mobile optician teams operating across the capital from Hackney to Hammersmith. Each clinic will be led by an optometrist, with assistance from dispensing opticians, optical advisers and optometry students.

“We are also hoping to have an ophthalmologist on hand every day to make referrals, especially as Topcon has loaned us an OCT for the week.”

VCHP partners with Crisis and its Christmas initiative annually. Last year it tested the sight of 300 homeless people, provided 243 pairs of spectacles and almost 100 ready readers, and made 16 referrals for further investigation.

For more information and to volunteer, visit the Crisis website.