Fighting Blindness creates new eye guide for patients

THE Irish sight loss charity, Fighting Blindness, has launched a new patient handbook to assist people diagnosed with a range of retinal conditions.

With almost 59,000 people living with a severe vision impairment in Dublin city and county,

‘A Guide to Conditions of the Retina’ supported by Bayer Healthcare, aims to cut through the science and medical jargon to set out information in a way that is easy to understand and simple to navigate.

Carol Brill, from Dundrum, who has a vision impairment, believes that access to information for those newly-diagnosed is vital in helping people to come to terms with a new reality.

“When a person is diagnosed with a condition causing sight loss, it throws up lots of challenging and difficult questions,

? she said.

“That is why the development of this comprehensive handbook on a range of eye conditions is invaluable and will not only be of great support to people affected by retinal conditions, but also to their families and friends.

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Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor added:

“This fantastic resource will be of huge value to people and families affected by sight loss, particularly after an initial diagnosis when they are learning about a new condition and trying to make sense of what it means for them.

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Copies of the guide can also be downloaded at www.fightingblindness.ie or, alternatively, printed copies can be requested by emailing [email protected] or by contacting 01 6789004.