Reflections on sight loss - RNIB

Glaucoma and ethnicity
The biggest barrier to visiting an optician was
cost, and there was a general lack of
awareness about exemptions from payment.
Communities are also suspicious of opticians
acting more like commercial enterprises than
health care providers are “I don’t see them as
health people”, said one participant.
It was a commonly expressed fear that people
would be pushed into buying glasses that they
didn’t want or need. It was also noteworthy
that respondents who previously had concerns
over their eyes had gone to their GPs first,
before being referred to optometry. This
demonstrates the value placed on health
professionals who are known and trusted by
individuals. Although people who had been to
high street opticians were satisfied with the
service provided, a preference was generally
expressed for optometry to be delivered in
community or health settings.
Members of these communities felt there was
a need for information about the importance
of eye health and eye tests. “GPs have leaflets
about general health issues but nothing about
what to do for your eyes. If you already have
eye problems, there is no information on what
to do,” said one person. Language was also a
barrier for some people, who commented that
there wasn’t any literature that they could
read.
Understanding glaucoma
With increased risk of glaucoma in people of
African or Caribbean descent, it was important
to establish what people knew about it
already. We found that understanding of
glaucoma was limited and often inaccurate,
even when family members had the condition.
And it did not always lead to any action.
“My father-in-law was taken to hospital, but it
was too late to get his eyes repaired due to
glaucoma. My GP asked me to get my eyes
tested”, said one participant – but at the time
of the focus group he had not yet done so.
Symptoms were often accepted as a sign of
getting older, rather than something that
could be prevented.
Focus group participants and stakeholders
were supportive of the need to raise
awareness in at-risk communities. The findings
from the focus groups were the starting point
for this, but we also need to continually learn
from the communities about the work we are
doing.
Building relationships
When the pilot was started, we spent some
time mapping community networks. However,
this was only a beginning, and it has proved
essential to move on from there and develop
partnerships with community and faith ➜
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