We are thrilled to announce that Seescape has won the prestigious Community Impact Award at the Visionary Conference in Birmingham! Sponsored by Specsavers, this UK-wide awards ceremony recognises outstanding achievements in the sight loss sector. We are incredibly proud to be the only organisation in Scotland to receive this honour, and the first Scottish charity to win in several years. This is a monumental win for us!
The award acknowledges our significant contributions to improving eye health in our local community. We have been commended for our use of local expertise, voice and contacts to bring about positive change. Our case study, centred around a client supported by both Steven (via the glaucoma clinic) and Sight Support, highlighted our exemplary practices in partnership working, client-centred services and relationships with the NHS and other key partners. We are grateful to all the staff involved in this achievement and extend special thanks to Steven for his invaluable case study and dedication to the client.
Case Study submitted to Visionary:
Deborah is a 22 year old client was diagnosed with retinal dystrophy in 2021 by her optometrist. Her vision slowly deteriorated and she was registered as severely sight impaired. Deborah was referred to our low vision clinic where we provided her with information, advice and a range of aids to try. Although she was initially given low vision filters, as a young woman she felt very conscious about using them as she didn’t want to look different from her peers, so we therefore referred her to a specialist contact lens service for a trial of transition contact lenses. She got on very well with these and her light sensitivity was much improved. She also felt much less self conscious as she felt the low vision filters drew attention to her sight loss.
Following the support Deborah received from our low vision clinic, she was referred to Seescape’s Sight Support and Accessible Technology teams. As well as providing emotional support to help her come to terms with losing her sight, we provided Deborah with ZoomText (magnification and reading software), including support in how to use it. We also provided rehabilitation support to help Deborah regain her mobility. Deborah was delighted with the support she received, and is feeling much more self-confident and hopeful about the future. She is also working towards regaining her independence and looking forward to the next chapter of her life with confidence!