Disability services: Specavers home eye test

I’ve shared in a previous blog post about disability services I use and would recommend and I wanted to add about Specsavers home eye tests to this list.

Recently I had a home eye test and I wanted to leave a review and also make people aware that this service is available. Having an eye test at home is something I’ve had before in the past but it was quite a while ago. I recently chose to have my eye test at home again because of the lack of accessibility at my two local Specsavers - (I wanted to go with Specavers specifically as I needed new glasses and I wanted to get Cath Kidston frames which only Specsavers do). As well with Specsavers offering home eye tests meant that it was much easier for me to get my eyes tested as I was well overdue and trying to find a wheelchair accessible opticians vs going for a home eye test is one less task for me. The alternative would be having to consider things like disabled parking plus access in the opticians and then once I have my prescription head to Specsavers to get my Cath Kidston frames which all of that as you can imagine is a total headache compared to a Specavers home eye test. 

It’s also important to look after your eyes and have them tested regularly and just as important as seeing your dentist or GP or consultant.

The eye test

 It was really convenient, I was able to ask for an afternoon appointment to work around when I’m free after my PA (carer) had finished work. They don’t specify a time so there was a bit of waiting around for them to turn up but they did call me to say when they were on their way to me and would be with me soon.

Once they arrive they are able to set up wherever you’d be most comfortable so in a chair or staying sat in your wheelchair or you can even be in bed if needed for some people.

They started by taking a medical history and asking about how my vision has been since my last eye test and any problems I’ve been experiencing. They also ask if I was still under the hospital eye clinic - they check this especially if your illness affects your vision. I was also asked other questions about how my vision has been since my last eye test.

You don’t get the fully comprehensive test that you’d get in store as they can’t bring every piece of equipment with them. However they did have a small gadget to measure the pressure in my eyes and an opthalmascope to look into the back of my eyes.

They used an iPad for the letter board and set that up and used the traditional lens changing glasses and did a traditional eye test asking me the usual questions over and over like if one looks better than two, or three looks better than four, or whether I could see the letters better with or without etc. as well as asking what letters could be read on what line. They also checked my prism for my double vision and asked whether my double vision goes side-to-side or over the top - for me it the former.

I was also shown on the iPad paragraphs of text in different font sizes and asked what text size I could comfortably read. They slightly altered the lenses and asked if I could read and font smaller than before or not.

Choosing my glasses

 They’d brought along with them a big case of glasses to look at. That’s one downside to home eye tests, you don’t have a shop full of frames to choose from and you’re limited on what frames they bring along with them especially as they have to bring a selection that will suit a range of ages and styles for a wide variety of people. I did like some of the frames in the box but I really wanted to try both the frames I’d asked for. I’d asked for two particular Cath Kidston frames to be bought along that I’d seen and liked on the Specsavers website but only one had been brought so they came back for a second time with both frames for me. The mixup only happened because my appointment had been rescheduled but usually the frames you ask to be brought are brought along.

Tip: You can look on the Specsavers website like I did and ask for specific frames to be brought along and most of the time they are brought which is what I did. 

If there aren’t any frames you like the home eye test team can come back out to you with more frames to look at until you find something that you like. I found the Specsavers staff good at helping me choose my frames and what suited me and which frames I should have as a clear pair and which as my dark tinted pair. You can still add things like anti-glare to your glasses and coloured tints like you can if you went into the Specsavers store.

Eligibility and funding 

You do have to be eligible for home eye tests; this could be because of a physical disability including access issues such as wheelchair access mor a mental illness such as anxiety disorders or due to health issues in old age - you can be any age to have a home eye test if you’re eligible. 

They also go through funding eligibility such as whether you’re eligible for free NHS eye tests and if you do buy glasses what components are funded and what you have to pay. So for me when I bought my glasses I had an NHS voucher to part-pay for my glasses and I also had funding to pay for the prisms in each eye of my glasses; the rest of the bill for the frames, anti-glare coating and darker tint I had to pay for myself.

You can pay in different ways; I paid on their card machine which I found to have a very accessible screen.

They also brought mini printers with them to print off my prescription and also my receipt once I’d chosen and bought my glasses.

Other things

 If needed they can refer people to their GP or to the hospital for further consultation. In my case because my health conditions affect my vision they put me down as needing another eye test in a year’s time just to keep a check on any changes to my vision.

The staff also all carry ID so if you’re unsure you can always ask to check their ID at the door before you let them in. I found the staff more than happy for me to check their ID.

Final thoughts

All-in-all it’s a service I’d highly recommend if accessing an traditional opticians would be difficult for you for whatever reason, whether that be poor physical access to physically get into an opticians, or due to being housebound or bed bound because of physical or if you have mental health illness such as an anxiety disorder. It was easy and convenient to book my appointment and buy my new glasses and to prove my eligibility for a home eye test. It also meant that my eyes got tested rather than going without especially as my illness does affect my vision.

It was also good that they were able to come back out to me with both of the frames I had an interest in.

The staff were friendly and helpful and willing to go with whatever was easiest for me. I felt like I got a good service throughout and a comprehensive eye test, as well as the service I got when choosing my new glasses both when I was looking at the frames brought along at my original eye test and when they came back out to me.

The service was fully free at no extra cost for all the times they came out to me which was great and much more accessible for me as well - it was less exhausting, I didn’t have to worry about access for my wheelchair and Batec as well as disabled parking, my hypersensitivity to noise, accessible toilets and more.

* originally posted 30.11.24, updated 18.12.24

Looking after your mental wellbeing over the holidays

The holidays can often be a difficult time, especially if you struggle with your physical and/or your mental health. Here are a list of things to help you look after your mental health over the holidays:

Plan something lovely for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve 

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve can be two days that are the most difficult. You may have a lot of anxiety on Christmas Eve about how Christmas Day will go and how you’ll cope. On New Year’s Eve you may be reflecting on the year that has been and the year ahead and be struggling with many mixed emotions.

Making a plan ahead to do something nice for either or both of these dates mights be an idea to help you cope and get through those days as well as having something to look forward to.

You might plan a whole day or just a small part of the day, it’s up to you and what other things you have going on on those days. - Always remember too that it’s okay to sit out of events over the holidays if you need to look out for your physical or mental wellbeing.

You could do something like have a cosy PJ evening and have your favourite meal and/or dessert. You could get a takeaway or cook something or buy in your favourite flavour of ice cream alternatively you could make a special hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and have this while you watch a box set or a film. You could also do your nails and have a go at some nail art. Or alternatively if you wanted to do something in the daytime you could go to somewhere special to you like a park or the beach and go for a walk or a ride (however you travel) out in the fresh air.

Plan some moments of ‘Me Time’

Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s important to spend time on yourself. Planning moments of ‘me time’, whether it be 5 minutes, a hour or a whole evening can really help with emotional wellbeing. 

Some things you could do are:

• Read a book or listen to an audiobook 
• Sit quietly with your favourite hot drink
• Spend time with a pet (if you have one)
• Have a DIY facial 
• Paint your nails
• Watch your favourite box set 
• Listen to music or a podcast 
• Do some crafting like colouring, card making, crochet, diamond art etc.
• Doing your makeup or a nice hairstyle 

Have some screen free time

These days we live with our hands attached to us and on average adults spend 6 hours and 40 on our phones a day with 2 hours and 20 minutes being the average time spent on social media. Research has shown that this time spent social media does have an impact on our physical and mental health.

I know from my own experience that the less time I spend on social media the better it is for my mental health and I don’t actually miss social media if I haven’t logged on for a few days. I personally would rather write a letter to a friend or message a friend if I had to use my phone. 

One way you could look after your mental wellbeing could be to have some screen free time away from either social media or your phone completely. Alternatively you could set up an app timer to limit time spent on social media or what I’ve done is delete the social media apps from my home screen. Especially over the holidays you could use your screen free time to do other things like making thank you cards to give out in the new year to everyone who has bought you a gift, or you could spend the time with your family doing things together such as playing a game or watching a film or you could get last minute jobs done like wrapping gifts.

Spend time outdoors 

Spending time outdoors does wonders for our mental health which research supports.

I know since I’ve got my Batec and being able to go out for a ride with it in the outdoors more often has really benefited my mental health.

Obviously the weather isn’t the greatest this time of year but wrapping up and going for a walk or a ride (if your a wheelchair or mobility scooter user) when the weather is nice even for 5 minutes as often as possible can really benefit your mental health.

If you struggle with the cold you can get thermal hat, scarves and gloves and thermal coats. For wheelchair users you can get wheelchair cosies (mine is very thermal and warm). You can also get reusable hand warmers.

Get plenty of sleep

Getting plenty of sleep is so important for our mental wellbeing. Often when you’re struggling with your mental health it has a negative impact on your sleep. You might struggle to get off to sleep instead you may lay awake worrying about things or just find you have insomnia. Alternatively you might have broken sleep or unrefreshed sleep where you’ll still feel tired when you wake up in the morning.

If you have physical health problems you might find you struggle to sleep because of symptoms like pain, or if you have limited energy and you’re very fatigued you might find it hard to sleep because your body doesn’t have enough energy to sleep. You also might have unrefreshed sleep too and wake up feeling tired too. This can impact on both your physical, cognitive and mental health.

Some things to do to help with sleep are:

• Avoiding screens before bed so doing an activity like reading or laying and listening to a book or podcast before bed
• Having a hot milky drink at bedtime 
• Having some sort of bedtime routine where you get ready for bed and then settle down at the same time and do your screen free activity until you’re tired and ready to sleep 
• Wake up at the same time each morning and have a small morning routine 
• Get ahead of your pain before it becomes your pain levels are really difficult 
• If you can’t sleep don’t fight sleep - if you can get out of bed do this for a short period of and do a screen free activity until you feel able to sleep - if you can’t get out of bed do something in bed until you feel ready to sleep
• If you just can’t sleep at all just laying in bed and doing something like listening to a book, podcast, music or the radio is still allowing your body to rest as often just laying with your thoughts can be difficult for your mental health 

Keep it in a journal

Journaling can really help with emotional wellbeing; instead of bottling feelings up you can write or draw in a journal how you are feeling an it can be a good emotional outlet. 

Writing or drawing (or both) in a journal can also help you work out your feelings and analyse them to make sense of them. You can put how you’re feeling into your journal and keep it in there almost like a container for how you’re feeling. Doing this is especially helpful as the holidays can be a more difficult time of year and can bring up a lot of difficult thoughts and feelings.

You can also make lists in your journal to help you organise what’s in your mind; this really helps if you struggle with anxiety.

My full-time job

Behind the scenes of my disability is my full-time job as it often feels. Outwardly you see me laid in bed listening to a book or going for a ride with my Batec but there is a lot more to living with chronic health conditions than people realise.

Firstly there is the management of my care, yes I use agencies to manage my PAs and also a care agency but if a PA is away I have to arrange alternative care myself. I also have the paperwork that comes with having Direct Payments to employ my own PAs and occasionally I have to call or email adult social care about my care. Sometimes there are also meetings with social workers or the finance department. I’m also trying to employ PAs so there is admin involved with that too including looking at CVs, arranging interviews, emails etc.

 Being prescribed medication is also far from straightforward. Recently for whatever reason I’ve had to move pharmacy a few times and that’s a total headache to sort out especially as my prescriptions are a bit complex plus I have them organised into medication trays made up by the pharmacy for me. Changing pharmacy means re-registering with the new pharmacy; informing my GP practice; getting my medication tray set up correctly, getting it delivered on time and more. Then once I’m with a pharmacy there are the phone calls to ensure my medication gets delivered to me on time especially if I have an appointment on my usual delivery day and asking for additional prescriptions such as antibiotics to be delivered to me as well as ensuring I don’t run out of medication. I also have to remember to order certain medications, some the pharmacy do for me but my ‘as needed’ medication I have to email my GP practice to order and I have to remember to do that before the medication runs out which isn’t always easy.

Managing my appointments can also be a task and a half. I have to either fit them into when my PA can take me, or alternatively book them after my PA has finished work depending on the appointment type. Appointments are also a challenge when you have an energy limiting illness as they’re exhausting and cause Post Exertion Malaise to develop as a result from doing the appointment. I try to just do one appointment a week to manage my PEM but that’s not always possible. I also have ways to manage the PEM around appointments such as resting before and after the appointment, using mobility aids like my wheelchair, taking notes, doing video or telephone appointments where possible instead and so on. Then there are appointments to make such as GP appointments, community nurse visits, therapy sessions to book and specialist referral appointments to chase up too as well as see where I am on waiting lists for appointments like community physio or neurology.

Then there’s my PIP (disability benefits to help cover the extra costs). I’m dreading when the time comes for that to be reassessed; filling in the paperwork; getting supporting evidence; the assessment. I have the same with my Universal Credit; occasionally having that assessed and trying to gain evidence that I need a telephone or home assessment and the rigour of the assessment process; trying to prove your disability and inability to work (when you desperately wish you were well enough to work) and the feelings of the stigma that comes with being out of work and on benefits. 

Then there’s managing the illnesses themselves. That in itself is a full-time job. Managing and staying on top of the symptoms which can often have a domino effect on each other. Treating symptoms when they occur. Looking out for warning signs like low blood pressure or tachycardia. Ensuring I get enough rest, sleep, hydration etc. Keeping my mental health in check. Remembering to take my medication; stay ahead of the pain. 

As well, doing all this work can exacerbate my symptoms and worsen my health. Like I mentioned going to appointments can cause Post Exertion Malaise but even the time spent talking or emailing can be just as challenging and can bring on PEM too especially if I’m already having a wobbly day or I don’t pace myself well enough with tasks but even with well managed pacing I can still be left exhausted and with exacerbated symptoms feeling flat out in bed. That’s one of the big challenges with having an energy limiting illness, you have to do all this work despite my lack of energy to do it.

Then there’s all the in between work of this full-time job. Such as ordering replacement disability aids; contacting places to get equipment fixed such as if there’s a fault with my mattress or Batec; making repairs to my wheelchair (if it’s something I can do), if not calling to get that fixed; finding a new cleaner (something I’m currently doing); ordering supplements; logging symptoms in my bullet journal; doing my catheter maintenance; ordering medical supplies; organising and putting away medical supplies; getting PPE for my PAs and any other miscellaneous emails or telephone calls that need making - the list goes on!

Now do you see how much of a full time job it is to be disabled or chronically ill? Plus amongst all that I have to find time for myself as well as do some house jobs (but most of house jobs I leave to my PAs/carers to do to save me some energy). 

Also if I’m having a bad day it’s almost impossible for me to get admin tasks done as I have to prioritise resting in bed as talking on the phone is often exhausting and I’m limited with what I can do and I have to reschedule appointments especially ones I have to leave the house for. This is why trying to rest before appointments and limiting the number of appointments is so important but I can’t schedule my bad days and with M.E. should I completely crash everything comes to a halt and there’s nothing I can do; all I can do is try to prevent myself from getting to a point where my body does crash so that I can do my unpaid full-time job. A job I never asked for or signed up to but one I must do.

I also try to schedule mental health days every so often where I try to put my full-time job aside as much as possible and do things for myself. Or even if I’m just having a day where I’m doing a lot of work for myself job I try to schedule a moment to breathe by sitting with a hot drink and reading my book for a bit. This just gives me a break from being surrounded by illness as I live with my chronic illnesses and have to deal with them 24/7/365 and then on top of that I have my medical full-time job, so escaping into a book or craft project gives me some much needed respite.

What I’ve been reading lately…

‘Politics On The Edge: A Memoir From Within’ by Rory Stewart

★★★★☆ 4/5 rating

This book I listened to. It’s a autobiography/meomoir book.

It was a bit slow to initially get into this book; I did have to take a break and then return to it once I had more concentration.

The book follows the author’s 10 year career in politics; how he got into politics and became and MP and rose up over time to almost becoming the next Prime Minister. He shares how the party he initially believed in changed over time.

As I read about Rory’s career in government it gave me a really good insight; one I’d not really seen before into the inner workings of my government. When he was Foreign Minister he spent millions on projects in subsaharan Africa yet when he was Minsters for departments within our own country he often struggled to get funding for projects such as to install body scanners in prisons and improve probation services, or to plant more native trees. It seemed absurd how much are government was spending in foreign countries and then spending so little on our own country. I was also surprised to read about how debt our government is in too.

It was also interesting to learn how new Prime Ministers are chosen too.

I already know from my A-Level Sociology that government is an ‘old boys club’ and that proved true. Most key figures in government in the book where old Eton students and there were few women mentioned in the book that were in government too.

Towards the end of the books where it gets to more recent times I started to notice some people from politics today such such as Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.

I also learnt things like MPs who are doctors can’t be Ministers for Health or something similar for say an MP who is a lawyer can’t be appointed Minister for Justice. MP’s also can’t choose where they are placed in government either they just go where they are sent but ultimately I learnt reading all MP’s want to become a Minister of some sort and work their way up.

Despite the book being difficult to get into at first once you break into it it gets more interesting and you learn a lot more and you gain more insight. Reading or listening to the book also helps you to form a more informed opinion about how the government works.

I gave it 4/5 rating because of how insightful the book was but because of how difficult it was to initially get into; I found it a bit dry at the start. There also didn’t seem to be much of an ending it just seemed to just cut off when he lost the running to become Prime Minister. That’s just what I found anyway.

‘Things The Eye Can’t See’ by Penny Joelson 

★★★☆☆ 3/5 rating

This book I read, it’s a Young Adult mystery novel - I still quite like YA books.

Like with all of the author’s books in which the main character has an illness or disability in this book the main character Libby is virtually impaired. I think it was clever of the author to have a visually impaired character especially one with a guide dog to educate people that visual impairments are a spectrum and some people with a visual impairment or who are blind have some level of vision.

At one point in the book Libby is harassed on verbally in the street then later on social media of the same incident when a photo is shared of her showing her stood with her guide dog Sampson looking at her phone [using accessibility settings]. People are commenting saying that she faking for benefits as she can see her phone and her guide dog is a prop. But she is also getting supportive comments from other visually impaired people. I think this was good of the author to put into the book to (a) show that visually impaired people can use technology and (b) the ableism disabled people face because of ignorance and lack of understanding and how rife harassment can be for the disabled community both in person and online - even I’ve experienced it.

The book explores the issue of county lines; how young people get caught up in drug dealing and how they are enticed into it by being bought new things like trainers and given money and are later set-up to be put into debt by and to the bigger drug dealers. It also covers the dangers of country lines including knife crime and murder. Another issue the book covers that goes along with this is cuckooing, where vulnerable people have their homes taken over by drug dealers for the purpose of county lines and the victim is taken advantage of in other ways such as financially such as having their benefits money taken off them.

I like how because this is a YA novel it highlights a current issue that’s affecting young people at the moment. I think this helps educate young people about county lines and the dangers of it and how you can easily get pulled into it without realising. I learnt a lot myself reading the book. I also like the disability awareness side of the book too. For example Libby is into photography and art even with her visual impairment; the book just shows the way around how she manages to do tasks and also how you should support someone with a visual impairment such as helping guide them or announcing the train approaching. The book demonstrated that Libby was just as capable even with her disability.

I rated it 3 stars as it was very insightful and informative and it was a good read but towards the end I did find it a bit unrealistic and also how Libby and her friends went off on their own to find Charlie without informing the police or their parents. In reality that wouldn’t have happened; it was a little too far fetched what happened but like I said it was a good book and it was well written and informative about country lines and accompanying issues as well as understanding more about disability. I would recommend this book and Penny Joelson’s others books if you like YA mystery novels.