'I felt vulnerable': Specsavers apologise for rejecting HIV+ patient
Jason Reid went in to have his ear wax removed - but was rejected treatment because of misguided safety fears
Last updated 18th Sep 2025
Back in the summer, LGBT advocate Jason Reid was booked in for a standard ear wax removal appointment at Specsavers, only to be denied treatment because of his diagnosis with HIV.
Three months on from publicly outing the firm on social media, they have now changed their guidance, in a move Specsavers themselves say has helped them remove unnecessary barriers for patients.
But Jason has been telling Hits Radio Pride how it's been a difficult journey - as the whole experience made him feel vulnerable and discriminated against - because of the little research and understanding there was in caring for people who need to have their ear wax removed.
He says turning his negative experience into a positive is a vital step in chipping away at HIV stigma.
It all happened after Jason was told by some friends that he had to have his ears syringed, which he thought would be a standard procedure.
When going through the health questionnaire, he told the consultant he has HIV, which is something Specsavers say was on the list of guidance for their staff to ask about before carrying out the procedure.
That was when alarm bells were raised.
He said: "It was at the point when I told the clinician about my HIV status when things all felt a little weird - after all, getting your ears cleared isn't an invasive procedure.
"It transpired, and felt to me, that the member of staff simply didn't understand HIV, especially as they didn't feel comfortable going through with it, and to be honest, that made me feel very upset.
"After all, it's discrimination - and it made me feel confused and quite vulnerable.
"HIV is protected under the Equality Act, but in that moment, I was really bamboozled that things like this still happen in 2025. It feels like we were living like we were twenty years ago.
"You feel like you've just been rejected and, actually, quite ashamed of living with the disease."
It was after this encounter that Jason decided he'd share his story online.
Specsavers then reached out to him and conducted an internal consultation over their audiology guidelines.
A month later from bravely taking to the Internet, these rules were changed.
After calling out the firm on social media, HIV is now not included as a contactisation in their guidelines.
It may have been a battle for Jason, but when future patients people disclose their status, they're not met with a refusal like he was.
'HIV stigma is so ingrained in parts of society'
He tells us he's turned what was a difficult encounter into real, positive change.
Jason added: "A positive came from my negative experience, and what's all I wanted to see happen.
"It's so clear that companies - not just Specsavers - are just not on top of HIV health and care, which has changed so much in the past ten to fifteen years.
"And that's not just for people who are undetectable - but for those with a viral load as well.
"HIV stigma is so ingrained - still - into parts of society that it's sadly inevitable people like me will face these barriers on a daily basis.
"But what I did has to be done - because, ultimately, change, even as small as this, is just so important."
His story has been praised across the Internet, including from the team at London's Mildmay Hospital - which is Europe's only specialist centre providing treatment, rehabilitation and care for people with HIV and people who are homeless.
They called the whole thing 'shocking', calling the safety fears an 'awful blunder' - and highlighting the stigma which many still face when accessing healthcare in 2025.
Jason reflected: "It's unfortunate what happened to me, but my ethos is that if you can turn what ultimately was a negative experience into something positive, then that can only be a good thing.
"I'm incredibly proud to see this happen with a company like Specsavers, because it will impact so many people.
"Something like this is just putting some good into the world - and that should be a driver for anybody."
'We are committed to improving access to care for everyone'
The firm tell us their audiologists follow industry guidance provided by the British Society of Audiology, and also have a set of contraindications for their clinicians to follow when performing specific procedures.
This sets out what needs to be referred onwards.
Under their previous guidance, patients who have a communicable blood disease would have been told by their clinician to seek treatment elsewhere, but Specsavers concluded, thanks in part to Jason's advocacy, that there was a 'lack of clarity' in these recommendations.
In a statement, a spokesperson from Specsavers told us: "Updated clinical guidance was issued to our clinicians in July, to clarify that people living with HIV can access ear wax removal at our stores rather than being referred onwards as was previously required.
"This reflects the updates to the British Society of Audiology (BSA) guidance, which has always informed our approach.
"At Specsavers, we are committed to improving access to care for everyone.
"We would like to thank Mr Reid for bringing this matter to our attention.
"His advocacy has helped us take meaningful steps to ensure more people can receive the treatment they need without unnecessary barriers.
"We apologise for any inconvenience or stress caused while we were operating under the previous guidance.
"We have acted swiftly to make this change and remain dedicated to continually reviewing our practices to better serve our communities."
The BSA has also updated its documentation which is available on their website.
Support and advice
There's plenty of support available for people wanting to speak to someone about living with HIV or AIDS.
The NHS website has a useful page about the symptoms and causes, which you can read more about here.
The Terrence Higgins Trust is a great place for support and advice, and you can read more about their mission on ending new cases of HIV by 2030 here.
The George House Trust provides support, advice and information for people living with HIV.
And there's plenty more help at the National AIDS Trust.