Home-based rehabilitation improves daily life of people with low vision

The visual function and daily life of people whose sight can't be corrected with glasses or contact lenses can be significantly improved through home visits by rehabilitation specialists, concludes a study by Cardiff University. Participants that received home care by visual rehabilitation officers were found to have a significantly greater improvement in visual function compared to those that were only offered standard appointments at hospitals and community based services. Professor Tom Margrain from Cardiff University's School of Optometry and Vision Sciences said: "With low vision affecting around 2m people in the UK, it's important to identify visual rehabilitation services that can improve the independence and quality of life of those with sight loss.." Dan Pescod, RNIB's Head of Campaigns, added: "This study is a useful addition to growing evidence about the efficacy of vision rehabilitation in helping blind and partially sighted people to live independently. The research also reinforces the importance of RNIB's See, Plan and Provide campaign, which calls for better access to timely, high-quality vision rehabilitation support." During the study, 67 study participants were split into two groups for a six month period. Half were seen at regular intervals by visual rehabilitation officers, employed by the charitable organisation Sight Cymru, and the other half were only entitled to receive routine appointments at hospitals or community-based low vision optometric services.