HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE NEW COMMUNITY BASED WELSH LOW VISION SERVICE?

Helen J Court (1) , Barbara Ryan (1) , Catey Bunce (2) , Tom H Margrain (1)

1 Cardiff University
2 Moorfields Eye Hospital

Aims: To determine if there is a significant difference between user-centred and clinical outcomes in people with low vision who attend the new Community based Low Vision Service (CLVS) and the Hospital based Low Vision Service (HLVS). Methods: A prospective controlled before and after study. Participants were recruited from the CLVS (n=343; 96 male, 247 female; median age 82) and from the HLVS (n=145; 55 male, 90 female; median age 80). The primary outcome measure was change (baseline-3 months) in visual disability as evaluated by the seven-item NEI-VFQ. Secondary outcome measures included: use of low vision aids, satisfaction with the service provided and change in near visual acuity before and after the provision of low vision aids. Results: There were no significant differences in user-centred and clinical outcome measures between the CLVS and HLVS. Self-reported visual disability was significantly reduced after low vision service intervention for participants in both groups by 0.46 and 0.57 logits in the HLVS and CLVS respectively. Conclusion: This study provides strong evidence that the community and hospital based low vision services are effective methods of service provision in Wales.

Mots clés: Low vision aid; Rehabilitation

Helen J Court, Barbara Ryan, Catey Bunce, Tom H Margrain. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE NEW COMMUNITY BASED WELSH LOW VISION SERVICE?. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2010, 95 (2), pp.178. ⟨10.1136/bjo.2010.179606⟩. ⟨hal-00558530⟩