Press Release issued: 11 September 2012.
Health Minister Michael Matheson will formally open a new facility at Dundee's Ninewells Hospital today to help blind and partially sighted people in Tayside come to terms with their sight loss.
The Vision Support Service has been established by the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government.
The service provides emotional support for people diagnosed with conditions that threaten their sight. It also offers practical advice and information on a range of aids and services to help maintain independence and reduce loneliness and isolation.
Mr Matheson said: "This is a fantastic facility which will provide a very important service to blind and partially sighted people in Tayside. Sight loss or sight impairment can be very traumatic and I have no doubt that the Vision Support Service will prove invaluable to people trying to come to terms with this.
"We have been working in partnership with organisations like RNIB Scotland to improve the advice and support available to people with a diagnosed sensory impairment and this is an example of how this joint working is improving services. This commitment to improving people lives will continue with the development of a Scottish sensory impairment strategy, which will be issued for consultation later this year."
John Legg, director of RNIB Scotland, said: "Every day in Scotland, ten people begin to lose their sight. But only a tiny percentage are offered support and counselling, despite the devastating impact sight loss can have on people's lives.
"That's why RNIB Scotland is working to establish a network of Vision Support Services in each health board area where none exist at present. These will offer newly diagnosed people the support they need to coming terms with sight loss and can also refer them on to other services available to them.
"Our staff here can also advise on what aids and adjustments can make life easier, help people to retain their job or re-train for new work, and explain what benefits are available. Much of this is help that NHS staff will not have the time to offer patients themselves. Three different studies have already found our Vision Support Services have increased NHS staff efficiency by assisting distressed patients."
Service-user Alex McGurk (77), from the Blackness area of Dundee, was registered blind this year due to age-related macular degeneration. "It's a tremendous service," he said, "and the people running it are absolutely first rate. I heard from other people who had more experience of sight loss and I was able to ask a lot of questions about what help was available."
Betty Harris (86) from Old Glamis Road in Dundee also has macular degeneration. She said: "I've found the service very friendly and reassuring. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for them. They're quite prepared to just sit and listen to your concerns and I was helped to find the right magnification aids for me".
The service has been established in partnership with NHS Tayside, which has provided refurbished space within the ophthalmology department of Ninewells Hospital.
Consultant ophthalmologist Professor Carrie MacEwen said: "While the vast majority of people attending Ninewells Hospital's eye department successfully have their vision preserved or restored, there remains some who have untreatable conditions who require support and advice because of vision loss. We warmly welcome this joint initiative which will assist patients with impending or newly diagnosed sight loss come to terms with their condition with no delay, as the service is sited within our department."
Almost 188,000 people in Scotland already live with a sight loss that seriously affects their daily lives, and this figure is projected to double by 2031.