HALTON Hospital’s orthoptics team has called for a nationwide programme to stop the inequality of eye care services for disabled children.

They have been specially commissioned to visit schools including Chesnut Lodge, Ashley School and Brookfields Special School in Widnes and Cavendish High Academy School in Runcorn to observe pupils while they learn.

Last year, they watched 378 pupils and discovered 65 per cent required optometry intervention.

Head orthoptist Veronica Greenwood said: “We are the only place providing this.

“There are pockets elsewhere where there is no provision and that’s an inequality.

“If you’ve got a child in Runcorn, Widnes or Warrington with special needs, they get an excellent level of service. If you travel 20 miles down the road it’s nothing.”

Children with special needs are 28 times more likely to have an eye problem.

Veronica added: “You can take your time and observe children in their classroom and see how they’re trying to use their vision and where they’re not able to use their vision.

“You can’t do that in a hospital appointment because the time is much more limited.”

The team also operates at two child development centres.

Specialist orthoptist Tom Lomas said: “A lot of parents aren’t aware of that increased eye health need.

“If you’ve got a child who isn’t able to communicate, eye problems are going to go unnoticed.”

He said children often find hospital examinations extremely difficult.

He remembers being unable to test one child because she was too upset.

He added: “I saw her a month later in school and she was so much calmer. We were able to do a full examination which was absolutely fantastic.

“There are children who have field defects so they might not be able to see at all on one side.

“Just the simple trick of telling the teacher they cannot see on this side, you need to present things from this side and they need to sit on this side of the classroom, things like that make a huge difference to their education.

“It’s really rewarding.”