Low Vision Aids

Optometrists and Senior Dispensing Opticians carry out Low Vision Aid (LVA) assessments for patients of the Trust.

An LVA assessment involves us working with your existing vision, assessing your visual performance and ability to perform daily living tasks and providing advice and any optical aids which may help, these might include high powered spectacles, hand magnifiers, stand magnifiers, spectacle mounted and hand held telescopes. We may also provide advice on specific adaptations for your daily living, lighting and strategies to improve your visual performance.

We provide LVA assessments to you in our specialist LVA clinics, if you have been registered blind (Severely sight impaired) or partially sighted (Sight impaired) by a Consultant Ophthalmologist.

You may also be seen in these clinics even if you have not been registered if you are encountering difficulties with deteriorating vision.

We would normally issue any Low Vision aids, hand magnifiers, Stand magnifiers, spectacle mounted and hand held telescopes that you needed on an extended loan basis (i.e. at no charge to you).

We may contact other agencies regarding your needs if we think it would be helpful e.g. Eye Clinic Liaison and Information Officers (ECLIOs), Rehabilitation Officers, Educational support services etc.

To be seen in the LVA clinic you must be referred by your optometrist, GP, or by an ophthalmologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust or another hospital.

Clinics

Adult low vision aid clinics run on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and Thursday and Friday afternoons in the main eye clinic, level 04, Gledhow wing at St. James’s University hospital.

Paediatric low vision aid clinics run on Monday afternoons, in the main eye clinic, level 04, Gledhow wing at St. James’s University hospital.

We are also now providing LVA telephone triage clinics prior to your initial assessment (where possible) where one of our specialist optometrists telephones you to assess whether we can help without bringing you into the department.

We provided LVA telephone follow ups for those patients who have had an initial face to face assessment.