What happens in Newcastle
The following is a link to Newcastle’s Eye Department at the RVI
The following is a link to Newcastle’s Eye Clinic Liaison Service
The Eye Clinic at the hospital has an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) or Sight Loss Adviser. They can provide you with information and advice on getting the help and support that you need. This includes assistance with understanding the certification and registration process, accessing emotional support and counselling if necessary, and providing information on services in the community, such as referring to your local council and voluntary organisations.
Who you can talk to
There are many organisations that provide free telephone counselling for different eye conditions. For example, age-related macular degeneration is the largest cause of sight loss, and the Macular Society has a team of professional counsellors who have been trained to listen, to help people talk through their feelings, and to find ways of dealing with them. To contact the Macular Society, call 0300 3030 111 or follow this link to their website Macular Society
You may find it useful to look up your condition on the internet to get the details of other organisations that are able to help you.
You can also contact a member of our team to discuss your eye condition and the support we offer.
Knowing more about your eye condition
RNIB has very useful, medically-approved information on individual eye conditions. If you want to know more about your eye condition, the following link should help RNIB Eye Conditions.
Macular Degeneration
As well as the Macular Society the following link is to our long standing local peer support group NVS Mac Group
Glaucoma
The following link is for the NHS guide to Glaucoma NHS Glaucoma
Retinitis Pigmentosa
The national organisation is called Retina UK (formerly known as RP Fighting Blindness), the following is a link to their website Retina UK
A regional peer support group called the Northern Alliance Ushers and RP group. The following is a link to their Facebook group Northern Alliance RP and Ushers FB page
If you are Asian and have RP you may find the following link to a Facebook group useful Information for Asians with RP FB Page
Diabetic Retinopathy
The following is a link to the NHS guide on Diabetic Retinopathy
Visual impairment as a result of a stroke
The following is a link to the Stroke Association’s guide Visual Problems After Stroke
Nystagmus
The national organisation is called the Nystagmus Network. The following is a link to their website Nystagmus Network and the following is a link to a video explaining what it is Nystagmus video
It’s not always about the things that you can’t see
Charles Bonnet Syndrome is something that can happen to people who lose some or all of their sight. People can see things that are not there (these are called visual hallucinations) and it can be very frightening as people may think they are experiencing mental health problems. The following is a link to the RNIB guide RNIB Charles Bonnet Syndrome
There is also a national support group called Esme’s Umbrella and the following is a link to their website Esme’s Umbrella