Eye clinic for people with Down's syndrome opens in Portsmouth
Video report from ITV News Meridian's Christine Alsford
A brand new eye clinic in has opened in Portsmouth, which is designed specifically for those with Down's syndrome.
Run by the city's University, the optometrists there know exactly what to look out for.
Optometrist, Anthea Reid, said: "In individuals with Down's syndrome, squints, where the eyes don't quite point in the same direction, is more prevalent".
"Something called Nystagmus where the eyes wobble, cataracts and something which comes on later in age, maybe teenage, called Keratakonus where the clear cornea can become distorted."
Anthea Reid, Optometrist
Before now, the closest specialist clinic like this was hundreds of miles away in Wales, this facility at the University of Portsmouth believed to be the first to be established in England.
As well as all the clinical expertise, patients will find a set up individually tailored to them and their levels of concentration and ability, tests specially adapted following pre-assessments on the phone.
Small details like bubble machines and fidget spinner toys designed to put patients at their ease.
Visitor Matilda reacts to her new glasses
Daniel Stride from the University of Portsmouth Eye Clinic, said: "Not everyone copes with short appointment times or an environment where there are lots of people around."
"We find some of our patients need a quiet time or quiet appointments. Sometimes they need to split the appointments over multiple sessions".
There's no doubt that demand for this kind of service is out there. When it launched they were expecting one or two enquiries a month, that happened in the first week. And the number of requests for appointments now is rising day by day.
And it seems that good news travels fast. Building on its work with the city's Down's Syndrome Association.
The clinic is now also taking increasing numbers of enquiries from those with autism and other learning difficulties who think this approach will also benefit them.