In Focus: Call made to improve access to low vision services

Covid-19 has resulted in many low vision assessment clinics being cancelled or carried out via remote consultation and there has been a significant fall in patients being certified of having visual impairment during lockdowns.

A survey carried out by the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC) revealed these findings and explored the impact of the pandemic on low vision assessment services between April 2020 and March 2021.

In its five-week survey carried out in April 2021, it found a variation in the use of service specifications, protocols and thresholds for low vision assessments.

The CCEHC said commissioning and provision of low vision services should be reviewed to deliver more accessible and integrated care for patients in England.