HMN 2025: How to Break down barriers to accessing dementia-friendly eyecare

New accessible resources aim to make it easier for people with dementia and their families to access dementia-friendly eyecare.

People living with dementia are more likely to experience treatable sight problems, which could be prevented through simple interventions such as updating or replacing eyeglasses, or cataract surgery.

Poor eyesight makes living with dementia harder, and increases the risk of falling; however, some people with dementia are less likely to see their optometrist regularly. To help people with dementia see as well as possible, the researchers aimed to find out how to improve their eye exam experience, thereby supporting their well-being and independence.

The study found dementia education and training to support optometrists, and encouraging people with dementia and their caregivers to declare a dementia diagnosis before their eye exam, could help break down barriers to accessing dementia-friendly eyecare.

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, in collaboration with researchers from The University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia.

Lead author Dr. Marianne Coleman, from the National Center for Healthy Aging (NCHA), a partnership between Monash University and Peninsula Health, conducted this research while she was at The University of Melbourne. “The research found that good eyesight matters to people living with dementia in all kinds of ways. However, keeping up with regular eye exams and following eyecare advice at home, like putting in eye drops, can be difficult,” Dr. Coleman said.

“This is especially the case if the eye exam or eyecare advice isn’t adapted to accommodate people’s unique needs associated with dementia, from cognitive fatigue and communication difficulties, to anxiety, agitation, or other changed behaviors.”

The research suggests optometrists can make lots of changes to the way they test and give eyecare advice to accommodate these aspects of dementia, which can vary from person to person. But it’s much harder for optometrists to do this if they don’t know much about dementia, or don’t know a person has dementia until after the eye exam has begun.

“We found in our study that optometrists need and want to know more about dementia, and people with dementia and their families may benefit from resources that enable them to let the optometrist know about a dementia diagnosis,” Dr. Coleman said. “It would also be helpful if they could declare any support needs that may arise during the eye exam, such as needing to have someone with them, or a longer appointment.”

The resources produced by the research team can be used to help break down barriers to accessing eyecare for people with dementia, and are also featured on the World Health Organization’s Global Dementia Observatory Knowledge Exchange Platform. People with dementia can use the resources to tell their optometrist about their dementia diagnosis and any support needs they may have during the eye exam.

Natalie Ive, a Dementia Advocate who guided this research, said, “Vision is a key priority for everyone, but it holds even greater significance for those of us living with dementia, as poor vision can significantly impact our quality of life and ability to maintain our independence, perform daily tasks and navigate the world around us.”

As a result of this research, people can now search online to find a dementia-friendly optometrist at more than 300 practices across Australia. Optometrists can also complete training about dementia-friendly eyecare created from the research, empowering them to best support people living with dementia.

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