Our Access to Care 2025 report shows real examples of how community-based care helps more people get the care they need, quickly, closer to where they live.
"Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill emphasised that achieving Sláintecare health reforms relies on the commitment and expertise of the whole workforce. This report highlights the vital role community optical and audiology professionals already play – and shows how much more we could do to shift care into communities and ease pressure on GPs and hospitals."
Rory Perry, President of ISHAA and Garvan Mulligan, Chair of FODO Ireland
We’re here to help you get the care you need, when you need it.
Looking after our sight and hearing is vital for our physical and mental wellbeing
The personal stories in this report show the real impact of neighbourhood care.
‘If I hadn’t gone to Specsavers, I would be dealing with a very different issue’
Tara Gilseanan, 22, was at risk of losing her eyesight due to Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension—a rare condition causing high brain pressure, vision changes, and severe headaches. Initially blaming screen time, Tara booked an eye test at Specsavers Monaghan when symptoms worsened. Optician Gerard McCann’s OCT scan revealed optic nerve damage, prompting an urgent referral to A&E at the Mater Hospital, Dublin. After CT, MRI, and a spinal tap, Tara began medication. Thanks to swift action by her optometrist and hospital specialists, her vision returned to normal. She now attends regular check-ups and urges young people to get eye tests, saying, ‘If I hadn’t gone to Specsavers, I would be dealing with a very different issue.’
‘I can’t afford to be in a meeting and miss out on any of the detail’
Jim Blake, 79, from Rathfarnham, first started wearing hearing devices in his early sixties. Says Jim: ‘As a business consultant I can’t afford to be in a meeting and miss out on any of the detail. I needed hearing aids and was able to get €1000 towards the cost through PRSI. I just gave my ID number for an eligibility check - there was no form filling. The only issue I have is when I leave the house and have to go back because I’ve forgotten to put the blooming things in!’
‘I walk in confidence now’
Des is a Focus Ireland LEAP Ambassador. He says: ‘I was asked by the council to go and do courses, but how could I do the courses when I couldn’t hear? Small things can be very hard to combat on the streets. Something as simple as booking a hearing test can feel impossible without support. Confidence is one of the main attributes I received from hearing aids. That’s why access matters - it gives people the ability to move forward. I walk in confidence now.’
We must work together to meet the growing need for eye and hearing care.
Your local Specsavers opticians and audiologists are already delivering vital services in the community.
We’re working to transform access to care for everyone, to offer greater convenience and more timely care wherever you live.
If you would like to receive an accessible Word version of the report please email pressoffice@specsavers.com
