Specialist Clinic Award winners VisionCare Development
The 2026 SightCare Awards saw VisionCare Developed announced as the winners of the first SightCare Specialist Clinic Award, sponored by OptiSocial.
VisionCare Development sets a benchmark for specialist clinical expertise in neuro-developmental vision, sensory integration, and rehabilitation, supported by exceptional depth of training, decades of experience, and international recognition through lecturing and professional education. Multidisciplinary collaboration, global study tours, and over 50 years in practice demonstrate outstanding authority and leadership in this highly specialised field. Comprehensive pre-assessment questionnaires, detailed post-consultation reports, and close collaboration with families and professionals ensure clear communication and strong patient involvement. Life-changing outcomes in areas such as hemianopia, diplopia, and learning difficulties, combined with innovative service branding, referral pathways, and professional-focused promotion, position VisionCare as a highly advanced and influential specialist clinic.
We spoke to Ruth from VisionCare Development .
What does winning the Specialist Clinic Award mean to you and your team?
It was a lovely surprise to have our speciality recognised by the wider profession.
Neuro Optometry is very different from mainstream. In the consulting room, the letters are still and 100% contrast. The patient is sitting and still. Nothing moves. But life is not like that, and in Behavioural (neuro) optometry, we have people walking, marching, while looking at balance, posture, motion and perception. It is active, not passive, and involves a trampette, a balance board and a gym ball.
When you think about what makes your practice truly special, what stands out most?
It is the delight of people who come with anxiety and leave with confidence and a big smile. Honestly, we can make a massive difference to lives, bearing in mind that 80% of all brain activity is connected to the visual pathway in some way. It is the small elements that can make a big difference, and we can sense the change in heartbeat and relaxation of the shoulders due to the effect of specific tints and small prisms.
Beyond the accolades, what keeps you passionate about what you do every single day?
I have had four people within two days this week complaining about current spectacles from elsewhere that do not feel quite right. I note that Binocular Vision Dysfunction is becoming a widely used phrase, and is often the cause of visual discomfort. The pleasure in putting this right gives me the delight to continue this important and uncommon work, such that I am still working at the ripe old age of 73.
Take us back to the moment your name was announced — what was going through your mind?
As I walked towards the stage, I wanted to revel in the moment and celebrate on behalf of Behavioural Optometry that this has at last been recognised. We have been criticised in the past due to a lack of proof and research, but you cannot argue with such happy people who come from all over the country to seek our services. There are many videos on my website www.developmental.vision
How have you celebrated this win, and what has the reaction been from patients, staff and your local community?
We took the staff out for a meal – all 5 of us- and have altered the signature on my email account to read ‘Winner of the Specialist Practice Award ‘ 2025/6.
What’s next for the practice — are there any plans or ambitions you can share with us?
This work involves multi-disciplinary meetings with solicitors, Case managers, physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists. To work in a team is really appreciated. We have access to the brain function like no other. I can add vision exercises to any other profession, making therapy more effective. Team meetings are usually held by Zoom since COVID, and give me an insight into the wider rehabilitation therapy program. I can also charge realistic fees.
So often, I come home from work on a high and feel valued and needed. We have started to market Travel Sickness Spectacles (called Non Voms – plano lenses with BiNasal Occlusion ground into the lenses), and this has gone viral on Instagram, selling hundreds of pairs online without a single rejection or complaint.
I love my job. Work is a family atmosphere where Colin and I are just as at home as we are here. However, one day I shall need more time with the four grandchildren and the overseas work, which are all pressing for my attention.
