Low Vision Services
There are two levels of Certification / Registration for Visual Impairment:
Sight Impaired: “substantially and permanently handicapped by defective vision caused by congenital defect or illness or injury”
- Visual acuity between 3/60 and 6/60 with full visual fields.
- Visual acuity of up to 6/24 with a moderately reduced visual fields.
- Visual acuity of 6/18 with a significantly reduced visual fields.
Severely Sight Impaired: “so blind as to be unable to do any work for which sight is essential”
- Visual acuity of less than 3/60 with full visual fields.
- Visual acuity between 3/60 and 6/60 with a severe reduction of visual fields.
- Visual acuity of 6/60 or above with very reduced visual fields especially with inferior field loss.
WEST SUSSEX
CRAWLEY & HORSHAM AREA
4Sight have the contract for low vision assessments in Crawley and Horsham (subcontracted by Surrey and Sussex Hospitals (SaSH)
Tel: 01243 828555
Website: Welcome – 4Sight Vision Support
Eye clinic liaison officer for SaSH:
The Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) service is provided by Sight for Surrey Sensory
Services and offers support for patients and their families by providing:
- Advice about sight registration and certification
- Information on eye conditions
- Emotional support
- Referral and signposting to other agencies (e.g. social care)
- Acts as a bridge between clinical and social services.
Sight for Surrey also offers support for patients who live in Surrey who have hearing loss and combined sight and hearing loss.
Contact the Sight for Surrey Help Desk on: 01372 377701 to access ECLO services
WORTHING & CHICHESTER AREA
St Richards and Southlands Hospitals Eye Department:
The Low Vision Service is provided by local opticians through the redemption of a Hospital Eye Scheme voucher.
There are criteria in place to receive the voucher (patients must be in the catchment area for St Richards or Southlands Hospitals and must be certified as SI (Sight Impaired) or SSI (Severely Sight Impaired) or have visual acuity (VA) of 6/18 or worse in both eyes).
For local practices involved in this scheme please follow this link:
Low Vision Services Provided in the Community
Sight Support Worthing have basic equipment on display, but also have IT and technology support available.
Tel: 01903 235 782
Website: Home – Sight Support (sswcharity.org.uk)
EAST GRINSTEAD
Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead :
ECLO (Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) for QVH
Name: Georgia Scanlan
Email: qvh.eclo@nhs.net
Tues-Thurs
EAST SUSSEX
Patients from Seaford, Hailsham , Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings can be referred to ESHT via their GP into the low vision clinic service.
BRIGHTON & HOVE AREA (EAST SUSSEX)
Montague House
Patients must be a resident of Brighton and Hove to access LVA services at the Low Vision Clinic at Montague House, Montague Place, Brighton BN2 1JE
Tel: 01273 290409
Email: BSHASC@brighton-hove.gov.uk
The Low Vision Referral Form can be emailed to the above-mentioned email address. (Additional contact: glen.murdoch@brighton-hove.gov.uk)
Sussex Eye Hospital, Brighton
Eye clinic liaison officer: amanda.dean7@nhs.net
EAST SUSSEX HEALTH TRUST (EASTBOURNE, HASTINGS & BEXHILL)
ECLO (Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Marie Bryant 07895 215194 eclo.esht@nhs.net
Useful Links and Information
East Sussex Vision Support (ESVS) do not undertake low vision assessments, but they do have social groups and outreach workers. Brighton and Hove have a branch of ESVS as well should any patients want to engage in a local sight loss charity.
Tel no: 01323 832252
Website: ESVS Home – East Sussex Vision Support
Eastbourne Blind Society
Tel: 01323 729511
Website: Home – Eastbourne Blind Society
Hasting and Rother Voluntary Association
Tel: 01424 436359
Website: Hasting & Rother Voluntary Association for the Blind (hrvab.org.uk))
Home – Eastbourne Blind Society
Eastbourne Talking Newspapers
A small, local charity, providing free talking newspaper service to the sight impaired
community in Eastbourne
Tel: 01323 727273
Contact: info@eastbournetna@org.uk
RNIB
RNIB has a Talk and Support and Counselling offer which comes under the Counselling and Well-being umbrella, also includes an information group called Living Well with Sight Loss
Tel: 0303 123 9999
Website: www.rnib.org.uk
The Macular Society
The Macular Society ave local support groups nationally