HOMELESS people in Weymouth are being given free sight tests and glasses in a NHS pilot scheme.

NHS-funded sight tests can normally only be accessed if the individual has a fixed address.

The NHS England Local Eye Health Network (LEHN) has developed a service accepting shelters for people who are homeless as their address. The pilot service is now providing sight tests at nine shelters in Hampshire and Dorset including one at the Lantern Trust in Weymouth.

Optometrists with the necessary mobile equipment deliver eye care services to the shelters fortnightly. The sight tests also provide an opportunity to detect any serious eye conditions or health issues and refer the individual on to specialists if needed.

Mike Graham, Chief Executive at the Lantern Trust shelter in Weymouth, said: “The service is working really well. Our client group includes the most marginalised and excluded from society, so this project has enabled them to gain access to health care that they wouldn't normally be able to.”

The pilot will run until the end of March 2019 when it will be fully evaluated.

Chairman of the LEHN Jane Bell said: “The results and the feedback we have received are so positive that we are optimistic that following evaluation, this programme will continue to help changing lives for a long time. The pilot has made a huge difference for the homeless people whose eyes were examined and our aim at NHS England will always be to make sure that everyone has the care they deserve.”