Impact of sight loss Flashcards
Who makes the recommendation for registration of visual impairment?
Ophthalmologist
What are 2 types of visual impairment?
- Blind (severely sight impaired)
- Partially sighted (sight impaired)
What is meant by blind/ severely sight impaired?
See only top letter of eye chart or less, at 3 metres (3/60-6/60)
What does an eye test result of 3/60 mean?
Blind person sees at 3 metres what a person with normal vision would see at 60m
What is meant by partially sighted/ sight impaired?
Sees 6/60 - 6/18
What is the form used as a certificate of visual impairment registration, and what has this replaced?
Certification of Visual Impairment (CVI), previously BD8
What are the top 4 causes of visual impairment registration in the UK?
- Age-related macular degeneration (>65 years) - by far biggest cause
- Glaucoma
- Cataract
- Diabetic retinopathy
What proportion of older people are living with sight loss that could have been avoided?
over 50%
What is the biggest cause of visual impairment globally?
Uncorrected refractive errors
What is the leading cause of blindness in middle- and low-income countries?
Cataract
What is the leading cause of infectious blindness globally?
Trachoma
What was the financial cost of sight loss in the UK in 2008, and what is likely to happen to this figure?
£6.5 billion, likely to increase as the number of people with sight loss increases
What are 2 key things that the cost of sight loss in the UK is made up of?
- Direct health care costs such as eye clinics, prescriptions and operations
- £4.34 billion in indirect costs such as unpaid carer costs and reduced employment rates
What is knowledge of blindness registration practices like among doctors?
Found to be low, no indication of increasing knowledge with increasing experience
What proportion of registered blind and partially sighted people were offered formal counselling by eye clinic?
Only 8%
In the year after blind registration, what proportion of people who lost their sight say they were offered mobility trainin to help them get around independently?
Less than a quarter
What proportion of blind and partially sighted people feel ‘moderately’ or ‘completely’ cut off from people and things around them?
48%
How many times more likely are older people with sight loss to experience depression than people with good vision?
3 times more likely
What proportion of registered blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment?
only 1/3
How common is it that blind people can see only light/ nothing at all?
Very few blind people see nothing at all
What kind of visual defects are common among the visually impaired?
Some have no central vision while others have no side vision
Some see everything as a vague blur, others a pathwork of blanks and defined areas
What are 4 key categories of help available for visually impaired individuals?
- Government benefits
- Peope to help: social worker, mobility officer, technical officer, rehabilitation worker
- Voluntary organisaations
- Low vision aids
How does being partially sighted affect government benefits available?
Receive less if partially sighted
Who are 4 types of workers available to help visually impaired individuals?
- Social worker
- Mobility officer
- Technical officer
- Rehabilitation worker
What are 3 examples of Birmingham-based voluntary organisations to help visually impaired people?
- RNIB Royal National Institute of Blind People
- Guide Dogs for the Blind
- Birmingham Focus
What are 2 examples of low vision aids for visually impaired people?
- Magnifiers
- CCTV - video magnifier
How does visual impairment affect employment?
These people can do most jobs that they want to do, but workplace adaptations are important
What is the ‘normal’ range of visual acuity?
6/6-6/18
What is the visual acuity range at which someone is deemed to be blind?
1/60-3/60 & NPL (NPL=0/60)
What is a visual handicap?
A disability caused by the environment or by other people rather than the person’s lack of sight, i.e. it is imposed from outside e.g. blind person trained to do a job but cannot find work because sighted people won’t give that person a chance
What is the ophthalmologists’ definition of blindness and what common diseases can/can’t cause this?
No perception of light (NPL); AMD and cataract don’t cause this, glaucoma can but there is treatment available
