OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and Manchester Homelessness Partnership Bring Free Vision Care to the City’s Most Vulnerable

In collaboration with the Manchester Homelessness Partnership and supported by Simplyhealth, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation delivered free eye exams and prescription glasses to homeless individuals and disadvantaged families who fall outside NHS eligibility

The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, in collaboration with the Manchester Homelessness Partnership, hosted a vision care clinic in Manchester from 23 – 27 March, providing free eye examinations and prescription glasses to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. The initiative was made possible by sponsor Simplyhealth — enabling every service to be delivered entirely free of charge.

Beneficiaries were reached through the Manchester Homelessness Partnership’s network across the city, with a dedicated clinic day for disadvantaged families who, like those experiencing homelessness, fall outside NHS eligibility and have no access to vision care services.

Across the United Kingdom, 73% of the population requires vision correction, yet nearly 8 million people[1] live with uncorrected poor vision. Without a fixed address or GP registration, many people experiencing homelessness are excluded from NHS-funded eye care entirely. For someone already navigating the instability of homelessness, uncorrected poor vision makes it harder to access services, reduces the chance of finding work, and stands in the way of rebuilding independence.

“Homelessness and poor vision are both isolating. Together, they can be devastating. This clinic is about breaking that cycle — because we know that when someone can see clearly, everything else becomes a little more possible. We’re grateful to have had the support of so many EssilorLuxottica colleagues and brands, including Vision Express, David Clulow, Optegra and HumanWare, who joined us at the clinic,” said Margarida Barata, Europe Programs Director, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation.

The Manchester clinic is the result of like-minded organisations coming together to deliver on a key need. Simplyhealth, a certified health solutions company committed to making healthcare accessible and affordable across the UK, is sponsoring the full cost of the clinic — covering eyewear, and operational costs.

The Manchester Homelessness Partnership, a cross-sector network uniting people with lived experience of homelessness, mobilised the beneficiaries and ensured the clinic reached those most in need.

“Vision care is one of the most overlooked aspects of health for people experiencing homelessness in Manchester — and yet it impacts all facets of life. This partnership gave us the chance to address that in a real, practical way, and we are proud to have been part of it,” said Val Bayliss-Brideaux, Network and Communication Worker, Manchester Homelessness Partnership.

The Manchester clinic forms part of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation’s global mission to Empower Humans through better vision. The Foundation works with local partners worldwide to deliver screenings, provide glasses, and strengthen long-term access to sustainable vision care.

Despite world class care within the NHS, structural gaps in eligibility leave tens of thousands without coverage. The 2023 The Eyes Have It report identified more than 640,000 patients awaiting ophthalmology treatment and called for a national eye care plan to address systemic gaps. Events like this Manchester clinic demonstrate what targeted, partnership-led intervention can achieve even within those gaps.

About the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation

The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is committed to eliminating uncorrected poor vision. Inspired by EssilorLuxottica’s mission to Empower Humans, it works to expand sustainable access to vision care in underserved communities worldwide. The Foundation provides free eye exams and glasses, supports local vision care systems, and partners with NGOs, governments and like-minded organizations to deliver scalable, long-term solutions. As the first Global Collaborating Partner of the World Health Organization’s SPECS 2030 initiative, it supports the integration of vision care into primary healthcare systems and advances progress toward universal access. To date, its work has reached more than 140 countries and enabled access to vision care for over 1 billion people. Find out more at: onesight.essilorluxottica.com

About the Manchester Homelessness Partnership

The Manchester Homelessness Partnership (MHP) unites people with personal experience of homelessness with organizations from different sectors to co-produce solutions together to end homelessness.

A bit about our history – The MHP formed in 2016, in response to growing concerns about high levels of visible rough sleepers in Manchester city centre, and indicators showing that all forms of homelessness were on the rise across Manchester at a rate which was higher than the national average. There was a recognition that more needed to be done to address homelessness in Manchester – but we also needed to change the way in which it’s done.

After a series of events and workshops, the Manchester Homelessness Partnership was formed, bringing together cross-sector organizations and people who have experienced homelessness, to tackle homelessness in Manchester.

In 2022, the MHP was relaunched after the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating the successes of the Partnership so far, while also recognizing that we need to continue working together and adapting our response to end homelessness in Manchester.

https://mhp.org.uk

About Simplyhealth

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