Low vision
Advice on providing primary care services for patients with low vision and sight-impairment
A consultant ophthalmologist may register a patient as sight-impaired, or severely sight-impaired, by filling in a Certification of Vision Impairment (England and Wales), BP1 (Scotland) or A655 (Northern Ireland).
Sight-impaired
To be certified as sight-impaired, patients will generally fall into one of the following categories:
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Visual acuity between 3/60 and 6/60 with full visual fields
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Visual acuity of up to 6/24 with a moderately reduced of visual fields
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Visual acuity of 6/18 with a significantly reduced visual fields
Severely sight-impaired
To be certified as severely sight-impaired, patients will generally fall into one of the following categories:
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Visual acuity of less than 3/60 with full visual fields
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Visual acuity between 3/60 and 6/60 with a severe reduction of visual fields
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Visual acuity of 6/60 or above but with very reduced visual fields, especially with inferior visual field loss
A leaflet about benefits, concessions and registration is available on the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) website. Patients who aren’t registered can still access advice and support from their local council social services department and a Low Vision Leaflet (LVL) can be issued.
England
In addition to hospital based services, a number of community low vision services have been commissioned locally. Service locations can be found on the LOCSU website.
Northern Ireland and Wales
Low vision services can be accessed through the hospital eye service.
Wales
In addition to hospital based services, accredited practitioners can provide low vision services through the Low Vision Service Wales (LVSW). Further information is available on the Wales Eye Care Services website.
Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLOs)
Some eye clinics have specially trained individuals who are able to offer emotional and practical support to patients with sight loss. A register of hospitals in the UK with eye clinic support is available on the RNIB website.
Voluntary Sector
Other organisations provide which provide support to patients in the UK with low vision include:
