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FRONT PAGE – UK visual impairment news 2008
Guardian focuses on lack of vision
April 23, 2008 -- A Guardian newspaper supplement highlights the inequalities faced by visually impaired people following the launch on April 18 of the UK Vision Strategy. Among the key findings are:
67% have no formal qualifications.
66% of blind and partially sighted people of working age do not have jobs.
Only 2% receive any counselling when registered blind.
A lack of co-ordination between professionals such as ophthalmologists, optometrists and rehab workers often means poor service for patients.
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Retinal implants give hope to RP sufferers
April 21, 2008 -- For the first time in the UK, surgeons at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, have fitted two blind patients with electronic retinal implants.
The aim of this trial is to restore a basic level of useful vision, in the form of spots of light and shapes of light and dark, to people suffering severe blindness due to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).
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Vision 2020 launches UK Vision Strategy
April 18, 2008 -- Charities, government and medics have combined to develop a UK Vision Strategy in an effort to improve eye care services and avoid preventable sight loss. The strategy is a VISION2020 UK initiative led by the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).
Jo Webber, deputy policy director at the NHS Confederation, said: "Around 50 percent of sight loss in the UK is avoidable or treatable, so we can't afford to be complacent. Right now as many as 250,000 people in the UK risk losing their sight simply because they don't know they have glaucoma. Thousands more are struggling to live with such low levels of vision that they would qualify as blind or partially sighted, unaware of the range of options widely available to restore their vision.”
The UK Vision Strategy aims to:
Improve the eye health of the people of the UK.
Eliminate avoidable sight loss and deliver excellent support to those with a visual impairment.
Enhance the inclusion, participation and independence of blind and partially sighted people.
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Losing sight is biggest fear
April 18, 2008 -- Nine out of ten people in the UK fear losing their sight more than any other sense, according to research carried out for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
RNIB chief executive Lesley-Anne Alexander warned that, despite being one of the richest nations in the developed world, the UK is not doing enough to prevent sight loss. “Sight loss increases with age and the UK has an ageing population, so the number of people losing their sight is set to double in the next few decades if we don’t intervene now. We're sitting on a sight loss time bomb."
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WCB appoints new director
April 7, 2008 -- Wales Council for the Blind (WCB) has appointed Phil Stevens as its next director. Stevens, who currently works for Monmouthshire LHB, replaces outgoing director Vanessa Webb. Stevens takes up his new role on May 5.
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NICE close to approving AMD drug
April 2, 2008 -- NICE has come a step closer to sanctioning the use of the drug Lucentis for the treatment of AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) in England and Wales.
“The Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) issued today by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is good news for patients – even though the process has taken far too long and has caused misery for thousands of people whose sight,” said Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society.
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Sanderson to head RNIB school
April 1, 2008 -- The RNIB has named Mark Sanderson as the new director of its Vision School and Children’s Home, formerly Rushton School and Children’s Home.
Sanderson joins the RNIB from MENCAP. He is also honorary president of the Albinism Fellowship, where he has been a committee member since 1995.
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Albinism biggest cause of childhood visual impairment
March 16, 2008 -- Albinism is the most common cause of visual impairment in children (20%) followed by rod cone dystrophy (10%), according to research at a specialist paediatric low-vision assessment clinic at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
The researchers examined data on 64 children collected over a 20 month period. Many children had secondary ocular abnormalities, including nystagmus, which was present in 51 of the 64 children (80%) but was considered to be the primary cause of VI in only one child.
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RNIB Cymru names new director
March 11, 2008 -- Sarah Rochira, currently with Caerphilly Local Health Board, is to take over as RNIB Cymru director on April 30.
Rochira replaces Ruth Marks who is leaving the RNIB to move to the new position of Commissioner for Older People in Wales.
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LOOK mulls merger with RNIB
March 10, 2008 -- LOOK, the charity for families with visually impaired children, has voted to pursue merger talks with the RNIB.
In LOOK’s Winter 2008 newsletter, chair of trustees Clive Furness said: “Our discussions with RNIB are wide-ranging and whilst not finalised, at this stage I can tell you that we are aiming to establish a stand-alone charity within the RNIB structure.”
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Most registered VI claim DLA – UK survey
February 29, 2008 -- Research by the University of Birmingham shows that an estimated 85% of people aged 18 to 64 and registered visually impaired in the UK receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
However, the research for the Network 1000 Survey 2 suggests that around 10,000 registered visually impaired people could claim DLA, but do not. The researchers found that the mobility component of DLA is more commonly received than the care component. It is relatively rare for visually impaired people to receive the higher rate within either the mobility or care components of the DLA.
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IAPB names Hansen as next CEO
February 18, 2008 -- The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has appointed Dr Larry Hansen as its next CEO. Hansen was formerly CEO of the Carl Zeiss company’s Asia Pacific region.
The IAPB was set up in 1975 as an umbrella organisation to co-ordinate efforts to prevent blindness. Its central office is in Hyderabad, India, and its registered office is in London. IAPB is closely connected with Vision 2020.
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Eye specialists support childhood screening
February 13, 2008 -- Ophthalmologists and orthoptists in the UK and Ireland have endorsed new proposals for regular eye screening of all children.
The proposals from the National Screening Committee (NSC) state that all newborn infants should be examined for eye problems. They also recommend that all children should be screened for visual impairment when they are four to five years old. At the same time, the NSC has agreed that screening for vision defects in seven year old children should be discontinued.
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Give advice at diagnosis -- research
January 29, 2008 -- Visually impaired people need information about the support available to them at or shortly after diagnosis. A pilot study by the RNIB suggests that people should be offered a one to one interview as early as possible to identify their information needs. The research is the first part of a three year study by the RNIB entitled “Early Reach and Support”.
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Charity boosts free blind helpline
January 21, 2008 -- UK charity Action for Blind People is expanding the service offered by its national freephone helpline for blind and partially sighted people. The helpline (0800 915 4666) currently handles around 10,000 calls a year.
“The helpline has always provided an invaluable service to callers, but whereas in the past callers were simply given useful information and advice, we can now take on clients and work with them over a period of time and support them to address their issues,” said Peter Holton, the new helpline manager.
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Blind people vulnerable to attack - survey
January 21, 2008 -- Blind and partially sighted people are more likely to be physically or verbally abused than sighted people, says UK charity Action for Blind People. A survey published by the charity shows that 1.2 million blind and partially sighted people have experienced physical and/or verbal abuse.
Action for Blind People chief executive Stephen Remington said: “Unfortunately visually impaired people can be seen as vulnerable and an easy target for anti-social behaviour. The impact this can have on a visually impaired person, who may already feel vulnerable can be devastating, perhaps even more so than for a sighted person.”
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Rehab workers reckon numbers falling
January 11, 2008 -- Research carried out by rehab workers suggests that the profession could be down to around 500 members in the UK. Only 395 have registered on a professional website (rehabworker.co.uk). These figures compare with an estimate of 1,250 rehab workers in 1994.
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