Working Together Across London for People with a Visual Impairment

‘working together across London for people with a visual impairment’

LVIF E-Bulletin: 22nd May 2017

This Bulletin is also available on our website: http://lvif.co.uk/category/news-bulletins/

2017 meeting dates can be downloaded here:

http://lvif.co.uk/2016/10/lvif-meeting-dates-2017/

Please send articles for inclusion to:

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this bulletin are those of the contributors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the LVIF or its members as a whole.

Introduction

Welcome to the latest edition of the LVIF Bulletin! This edition contains several technology updates, such as the first ever Braille smartwatch and the Echo Look. There’s also a useful guide to voting in the General Election written by RNIB and a summary of recent developments in eye surgery. As always any feedback is welcome, good or not so good!

NEWS

Item1: Lord Low appointed Patron of eye research charity Fight for Sight

Item2: AOP launches new optical Peer Support Line

Item3: Effective communication from doctors could reduce anxiety for wet AMD patients

Item4: New tool could help prevent AMD

Item5: Echo Look: Hands-Free Camera and Style Assistant

Item6: The technological developments leading new advances in eye surgery

Item7: RNIB: Voting and elections

Item8: The Royal College of Ophthalmologists – Manifesto 2017

Item9: Minicab driver prosecuted for refusing to carry assistance dog

Item10: TEDx Talk

Item11: The world’s first Braille smartwatch

Item12: Opportunity to share your experience of health and social care services

Item13: VISION 2020 UK Dementia and Sight Loss Committee Spark Design Project Survey

Item14: Feedback needed for ‘The American Dream: pop to the present’ audio description

EVENTS

Event 1: Diabetes Awareness Week 2017

Event 2: VI Yoga

Event 3: Sight and Hearing Loss Information Day

Event 4: Gestures Exhibition

Event 5: World Orthoptic Day

Event 6: London Vision Working Age Forum

And finally…

NEWS

Item1: Lord Low appointed Patron of eye research charity Fight for Sight

Lord Colin Low of Dalston CBE has been appointed Patron of the UK’s leading eye research charity Fight for Sight. His new role will involve raising awareness of the need for eye research and supporting the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Lord Low, who has been blind since the age of three, has been a lifelong campaigner for the rights of blind and disabled people for which he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000. He served as Chair of RNIB from 2000 to 2009 and has been a crossbench member of the House of Lords since June 2006 when he was created a life peer as Baron Low of Dalston.

Michele Acton, CEO of Fight for Sight, said: “We are delighted that Lord Low has agreed to become a Patron and support us in our efforts to stop sight loss. With real progress being made in the development of potential gene, stem cell and drug therapies and the use of new technologies to diagnose and treat eye disease, the pace of change has never been so rapid.

“With Lord Low’s support, we look forward to building on developments by raising the profile of the need for eye research and campaigning for greater financial support.”

Lord Low added: “I am very proud of my new role as Patron of Fight for Sight. Millions of people in the UK and around the world lose their sight as a result of eye diseases and conditions that we can’t prevent or treat. The only hope is through investment in medical research. Sadly, eye research is woefully underfunded which is why I want to do all I can to support Fight for Sight in their efforts to change this.”

Alongside his role as Patron of Fight for Sight, Lord Low is also Vice-President of RNIB, and has been President of the European Blind Union.

Item2: AOP launches new optical Peer Support Line

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) has launched an important new service which offers peer-to-peer support by phone for those experiencing a difficult situation, stress or anxiety.

The AOP Peer Support Line provides a listening service for individuals at any stage of their career, and is designed specifically for the optical profession.

The service gives callers the opportunity to talk anonymously and in confidence to a fellow optical professional about an issue or stress they may be facing in their work or home life. Callers are not provided with advice but an empathetic peer, who understands the pressures of optical practice, will listen to their concerns and signpost sources of practical advice and information, where appropriate.

Item3: Effective communication from doctors could reduce anxiety for wet AMD patients

A new study has revealed high levels of undiagnosed depression and anxiety among patients undergoing treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The research was conducted at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and published in theAmerican Journal of Ophthalmology.It involved 300 patients receiving anti-VEGF treatment for wet AMD completing standardised questionnaires to quantify clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression.

Manchester researchers say that the study findings demonstrate the value of human interaction between clinician and patient in offering reassurance around the efficacy and safety associated with anti-VEGF injections.The main sources of anxiety were fear of going blind from the injections and concerns about treatment effectiveness, rather than trepidation around pain.

Item4: New tool could help prevent AMD

A new instrument could be used by opticians to determine a patient’s chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Azul Optics is in the process of developing the ophthalmic instrument, which it says will enable the “rapid and cost-effective screening” of patients to determine their susceptibility to AMD.

The device was the idea of Dr Shelby Temple from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Science, and it is hoped that in the future the tool could be used in optical practices as a preventative eye health method in the same way that screening for retinopathy and glaucoma is used today.

Chief executive of Azul Optics, Joseph Cefai, said: “By screening for low macular pigment density, opticians could advise people to make lifestyle changes early that can help prevent the problem developing.”

Mr. Cafai told Optometry Today that a prototype of the instrument has already been developed and evaluated by Dr Temple, with Azul Optics’ aiming to develop the tool and make it commercially available to opticians.

Recognising the instrument’s potential, Azul Optics has invested £310,000 into the development project, while the Bristol Private Equity Club has provided £160,000 and the University of Bristol Enterprise Fund has boosted this further still with £150,000 contribution.

"We hope that with this funding we can bring the device to the market within 18 months," Mr. Cafai added.

Item5: Echo Look: Hands-Free Camera and Style Assistant

Introducing a new product in the line of Echo devices from Amazon. This is a camera that can take full length photos and videos, share them with social media, and get advice on what fashion items make you look your best. The camera has all of the features of a normal Echo product, so you can still ask Alexa anything. Not only can Alexa give you the news, play music, check your calendar, and run third party skills, but she can also control the camera through voice activation. The Amazon Echo is priced at £149.99 and the UK price for the Echo Look is still to be confirmed, You can also get a voice activated camera as part of your Echo platform. Currently, the Echo Look can be obtained by invitation only.

From the Developer:

• Introducing Echo Look—everything you love about Alexa, and now she can help you look your best
• Using just your voice, easily take full-length photos and short videos with a hands-free camera that includes built-in LED lighting, depth-sensing camera, and computer vision-based background blur
• See yourself from every angle with the companion app. Build a personal lookbook and share your photos.
• Get a second opinion on which outfit looks best with Style Check, a new service that combines machine learning algorithms with advice from fashion specialists
• Echo Look helps you discover new brands and styles inspired by your lookbook
• Ask Alexa to read the news and audiobooks, set alarms, get traffic and weather updates, control smart home devices, play music, and more
• Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Starbucks, Fitbit, NPR, and more

Visit the Cool Blind Tech website for more information

Item6: The technological developments leading new advances in eye surgery

From bionic eyes to a robot called R2D2, advances in medicine and technology are combining nicely and having a huge impact on the way eye health is delivered and treated.

It’s very easy to find over-hyped headlines in the press screaming about how ‘Boffins CURE BLINDNESS’ or ‘The NEW EYE that helps people see again’. All too often, these are reports on work that is so small-scale or early in the pipeline that it will be years – if not decades – before it produces results of any note.

And yet not all of it is in fact hype. Around the whole field of sight and vision some startling advances are being made, at a pace that surprises the researchers themselves

Item7: RNIB: Voting and elections

All voters have a right to vote independently and in secret, and local authorities have to ensure that polling stations are accessible to people with sight loss.

Making voting at the polling station accessible:

There are a number of different ways local authorities can make polling booths accessible, including the use of large print ballot forms, a simple tactile aid or allowing someone to help you while in the booth.

Large print ballot form:

By law, every polling station must display a large print copy of the ballot paper for reference. They must also provide a reference copy for you to take into the booth with you. You can use the large print copy to read all the information on the ballot form, but you must still cast your vote on a standard print ballot paper.

Tactile voting device:

If you have difficulty completing the standard print ballot paper, you can use a tactile voting device to help mark your vote in the correct place. Each polling station must provide a tactile device for people with sight loss.

The tactile voting device has a sticky backing, which attaches on top of your ballot paper. It has numbered lift up flaps (the numbers are raised and in braille) directly over the boxes where you mark your vote.

You will need to use the large print ballot form, or ask someone (a companion or polling station staff) to read out the list of candidates to you. The candidates are in alphabetical order. You will need to remember the number of the candidate you wish to vote for, then lift the flap with the same number and mark your cross (X) in the box.

You can then detach the tactile device and fold your ballot paper in half before posting it in the ballot box.

For full information please go to:RNIB voting and elections

Item8: The Royal College of Ophthalmologists – Manifesto 2017

With the looming election on 8 June, it is an opportunity tooutline our key policycalls for the next government to ensure that hospital eye services are adequately resourced.

The two key areas are:

· Investment and recognition that development ofa workforce to deliver high quality and timely care for patients is needed; with more ophthalmologists and the upskilling and expansion of the multidisciplinary eye care team

Funding and support of improvements to make eye services sustainable; ensuring that the innovative models of care that ophthalmologists are leading on are deliverable for the long term.

Item 9: Minicab driver prosecuted for refusing to carry assistance dog

Transport for London (TfL) has successfully prosecuted a minicab driver for refusing to take an assistance dog.

By law private hire drivers must not refuse to carry a passenger because they want to travel with an assistance dog and operators are unable to charge extra on their fare.

Since TfL began prosecuting private hire drivers for not accepting assistance dogs in February 2015, 21 minicab drivers have been successfully prosecuted and fined a total of £7,055.

Sophie Biebuyck, from Brentwood in Essex, was on her way to a wedding reception with her hearing dog Rusty when the driver refused to take her dog unless she paid an additional £45. Sophie refused and arrived late to the reception.

At City of London Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 19 April 65-year-old Ali Ates of, Brooke Road, Clapton was found guilty in his absence of refusing to carry a passenger who wished to be accompanied by an assistance dog, fined £500 and ordered to pay £988 in costs.

Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager of Taxi and Private Hire, said: “We want to ensure that London’s transport network is accessible to all. By law, passengers travelling with assistance dogs must be carried by both taxi and private hire vehicles – at no extra cost. We take a zero tolerance approach to drivers refusing to carry passengers accompanied by assistance dogs and we encourage customers to report any incidents to us, so we can investigate and take the appropriate regulatory action.”

There are nearly 1,000 hearing dogs like Rusty across the country, which are specially trained to alert their deaf owner to important sounds they may not hear, such as alarm clocks, door bells and fire alarms.

Customers to report any problems with private hire journeys online or by calling 0343 222 4000

Item 10: TEDx Talk

Great TEDx talk from the mother of a visually impaired child: “How I learned to see through the eyes of my sons”:

Watch the video

Item 11: The world’s first Braille smartwatch

If you are visually impaired, it can be hard to access many electronic devices. Computers have special equipment to make typing and visiting websites more accessible, but newer technology is often built only for people with full sight.