A LOCAL Home Visits optician has supported a man experiencing homelessness and unable to leave his car by carrying out a free eye examination while he was parked in a local car park.

Sonia Jethwa, optometrist at Specsavers Home Visits, which covers Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire was on-hand to help when Mark, who is currently living in his car and struggles with his mobility, reached out to his local Specsavers store in Retford.

‘I was more than happy to help after hearing Mark’s story,’ Sonia comments. ‘Its really important to be flexible and able to adapt in a domiciliary setting and as Mark was concerned about his eye health, we made sure to give him the best possible examination in the conditions we had.’

To carry out the eye test with Sonia’s equipment, which has been adapted to make it suitable for a mobile setting or home visit, Mark parked in a shaded spot of a car park to help reduce the glare when reading letters on the screen.

Sonia Jethwa carrying out Mark's eye examination

placeholder image — Sonia Jethwa carrying out Mark's eye examination

‘This just shows that anything is possible. No one should ever have to struggle with their vision. Everyone should be able to access eyecare regardless of their situation,’ Sonia continues. ‘It was really rewarding to see Mark so happy and relieved that there was nothing to worry about. I ordered him some complimentary glasses to help with his short sightedness and have since dropped them off for Mark.’

Specsavers Home Visits supports the eye and ear care needs of isolated and vulnerable customers across the region. The team of experienced mobile opticians and audiologists offer free NHS-funded eye and hearing tests for those who cannot access in-store appointments or who are unable to visit their opticians or audiologists unaccompanied due to a physical or mental illness, or disability.