The added value of wearing glasses: Persons with profound to moderate intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Refractive ametropia has a high prevalence in people with intellectual disabilities. It has a significant impact on their quality of life. Although glasses counteract the visual impairment caused by refractive ametropia, wearing glasses is still uncommon for people with intellectual disabilities, and getting used to wearing glasses can be challenging. In addition, the client’s support system often believes that the effort of learning to wear glasses does not outweigh the benefits. The literature lacks evidence-based interventions and information on the effects of wearing glasses. This comment article aims to discuss the difficulties and opportunities for researching the impact of wearing glasses to correct refractive ametropia in people with a profound to moderate intellectual disability.