Optometrist and Pearce & Blackmore Opticians clinical director, Clare Pearce, has described the steps optometrists can take to make the sight test more accessible to people with hearing loss.
Speaking with OT for The Skills and satisfaction edition, Pearce outlined the importance of being deaf aware when working in an optometry practice.
“Every optometrist can be deaf aware. It is really simple things – like making sure you are looking at the patient, making sure that they can see your mouth, and speaking clearly,” she said.
Pearce added that it is also important to explain the steps you are taking in advance before removing visual cues – for example, by turning the lights off or if a patient is using equipment where they face away from the optometrist.
Describing her motivation for learning British Sign Language (BSL), Pearce reflected: “I feel like everyone should have access to a sight test that is in their first language.”
Pearce added that while previously she would have been nervous if she saw that she had a deaf patient, she now feels like she can deliver the same level of care in a similar time frame to a hearing patient.
“I would love to see universities teach [optometry] students the BSL alphabet – that and deaf awareness are things that are relatively easy to add in but would make a massive difference,” she emphasised.
In the video, Pearce shares key BSL phrases optometrists can use in practice – such as ‘Is it better – one or two?’ and how an optometrist can introduce themselves by name.
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