Free eye and ear care clinic with Specsavers supports people experiencing homelessness in Leicester

Guests at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope have received free eye and ear care as part of a community outreach clinic.

A guest from The Bridge Homelessness to Hope has their eyes tested.

The clinic was provided by colleagues from Specsavers in Blaby and Wigston along with Umesh Jungi and Rizwan Desai from the Specsavers Leicestershire home visits team. It was organised by the Sri Sathya Sai Centres of Leicester, in partnership with The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.

The free clinic took place at The Bridge's day centre bringing together eye care and hearing professionals, volunteers and staff to provide essential healthcare to people experiencing homelessness who face barriers when accessing health care.

Running from 9am-1pm, the clinic provided free eye tests to 20 guests at The Bridge. Following their examinations, 18 people were given a new prescription or required glasses.

Each person requiring glasses was given the opportunity to choose a frame they liked, with the frames then taken away so that prescription lenses could be fitted. The team returned to the charity last week to fit the frames and make any adjustments required.

The clinic was delivered by a dedicated team of four optometrists, four dispensing opticians and one audiologist from Specsavers, alongside several volunteers and members of The Bridge Homelessness to Hope team. The team generously donated their time and expertise to ensure all eye tests and glasses were provided completely free of charge.

Staff from Specsavers Blaby and Wigston, joined by staff and volunteers from The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.

“Access to healthcare can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness, so bringing essential services directly to our guests can make a real difference. We were delighted to work alongside the Sri Sathya Sai Centres of Leicester, the dedicated healthcare professionals from Specsavers and volunteers to provide our guests with free eye and hearing care.”

David Fawcett, CEO at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.

“We are committed to making healthcare accessible to everyone and have been involved in these clinics for a number of years. It is incredibly important to us to be able to offer people in our community free access to eye and ear care that they may otherwise go without. Seeing how something as simple as a pair of glasses can positively change someone's life is hugely rewarding, and these clinics play a vital role in helping break down the barriers that many people face when trying to access the care they need.”  

Kay Chotai, optometrist director at Specsavers Blaby and Wigston.