Sally's Story
Sally is in her thirties and she has a rare genetic condition which means she has a learning disability. Sadly Sally developed glaucoma which wasn’t picked up early enough, resulting in sight loss She eventually received emergency surgery but she had already lost most of her vision, now only seeing light and dark.
Maureen, Sally’s mum, said: "We feel guilty about Sally’s eye condition and we wish we had noticed it earlier. I hadn’t been told that Sally’s type of learning disability might come with an increased risk of developing glaucoma, something we now know. There are times when Sally gets down and realises what she lost, but we are a loving and supportive family and we do our best to pick her up.
I am determined that something positive should come out of our experience and I am committed to calling for better awareness and eye care services for people with learning disabilities.”
It was too late for Sally, but you can help more of the million adults in the UK with learning difficulties and autism to get the eye care they need simply by downloading SeeAbility’s simple guide and making your practice more accessible.
