Optical support agency provides eye care boost to those affected by homelessness

Funds that will allow 55 homeless people to access eye examinations and spectacles have been provided by an optical support agency.

Practice Building, the support agency for optical businesses, has provided the funds directly to Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) using money raised during the organisation’s lockdown marketing initiative.

As part of the initiative, information packs and marketing material that assisted independent practices in communicating with patients were sold for £59. All the proceeds are now being donated to VCHP.

Janice English, trustee at VCHP, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have this new support from Practice Building – it will help to provide more eye examinations and specs as we move forward out of lockdown.

“The optical community provides us with such great support in so many ways – from volunteering in clinics, to equipment and glazing and funds to run our regional centres.”

Homeless people are at increased risk of eye health problems, partly due to a lack of access to healthcare services such as NHS exam examinations. 

The information packs were distributed as part of Practice Building’s one2one campaign, which aimed to help practices reassure their patients about the safety of coming back into the practice. Making use of social media, the campaign reached thousands of people.

Andy Clarke, director of Practice Building, said that, as a result of its success, “We decided to donate the money generated to a UK charity and had come across Vision Care for Homeless People at the Optix conference. It certainly seemed the right charity for us to support at this time.”