Improving Low Vision Services: What needs to happen now
A clear case for making comprehensive and accessible low vision support available to everyone who needs it
Low Vision Services can significantly improve the lives of people with sight loss. They can help a person make the most of the sight they have, provide them with physical and electronic aids tailored to individual needs, and ensure they gain access to the benefits and other support services that they need.
These services can significantly improve a person’s quality of life, reduce social isolation, and support better mental health.
At a glance
| The issue | The opportunity | The ask |
| Access to Low Vision Services is inconsistent across the UK | Good services can improve independence, wellbeing and access to wider support | Comprehensive services should be commissioned in every area, with clearer referral thresholds |
Building on existing good practice
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has collaborated across the health and social care sectors to develop a comprehensive Framework and good practice guidelines. The General Optical Council and The College of Optometrists have also set out standards of practice for low vision, and the Local Optical Committee Support Unit have developed a low vision pathway for services delivered by optometrists and dispensing opticians.
RNIB and the British and Irish Orthoptic Society have surveyed the state of services in the UK and are developing guidance for commissioners.
Sector consensus
We hosted a consensus workshop in November 2025 to review evidence on the provision of low vision services to people in the UK, discuss the features of a great service, and agreed what needs to happen to ensure that everyone with low vision in the UK receives the services that they need.
Wales is currently the only UK country with a national service, and Scotland has announced plans to develop a similar service. Across the rest of the UK, strong local examples show what is possible, but provision remains inconsistent.
A good service should include:
- Easy access for everyone who needs support
- Proper assessment of individual needs
- Information and signposting to relevant services and benefits
- Emotional support
- Training in visual techniques.
Physical and electronic aids and equipment that help people make the most of their sight
People who have benefited from low vision services can attest to the positive impact they can have. The question now is why access is not universal for those who need it.
Take homes from the workshop
The workshop concluded that the case to Government needs to demonstrate the value and cost effectiveness of low vision services for the NHS. It is likely that costs can be saved elsewhere in the health and social care system, but more research is needed to gather the evidence.
The workshop also supported the view that specialist optometrists should be able to certificate visual impairment, as they already can in Wales, so that more people can access the certification that unlocks benefits and services.
Comprehensive and accessible LVS should be commissioned in all areas of the UK with greater clarity in the thresholds for referral to enable wider access. The eye health sector has long been lobbying for this outcome, but there is a growing necessity to form a cohesive business case that will compel commissioners to fund the sustainable service provision.
Next steps
- The AOP will help to consolidate existing research, identify gaps, and support further collaboration
- A virtual roundtable will be organised with relevant researchers and health economists, invested businesses, NHS Confederation, and other relevant charities
- Partners will share relevant articles, updates and examples of best practice
- Linked CVI work will be progressed, helping build trust with secondary care and supporting domiciliary practitioners to identify patients who could benefit from LVS
- ECLOs are widely recognised as the glue in the system for patients - increasing ECLO provision across the UK could be an easy win.