Eye Care Support

Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO)

Our Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO) works closely with the clinical staff in the eye clinic at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (Treliske) as well as the sensory teams in social services so that they can connect you to all the support you need.

What does an ECLO do?

Our ECLO makes sure you don’t have to face sight loss alone. They can provide you with further information about your eye condition and help you to understand your diagnosis. They will talk you through the support that is available to you from practical solutions such as magnifiers and daily living aids, to emotional support for coming to terms with your condition. They will also refer you into the services that you need from iSightCornwall.

If your eye consultant has suggested that you become registered as Sight Impaired (also referred to as partially sighted) or Severely Sight Impaired (also referred to as blind), our ECLO will explain what this means and support you through the Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) process.

What is a Certificate of Visual Impairment?

A Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) is a document that formally certifies your sight loss and must be completed if you wish to become registered. You must have sight loss in both eyes which cannot be corrected by prescription glasses or contact lenses to qualify, and it must be signed by a consultant ophthalmologist.

Your optician or ophthalmologist will carry out an assessment to measure:

• visual acuity – how well you see detail with your central vision
• visual field – how much you see with your peripheral vision whilst looking directly ahead

Following this assessment the ophthalmologist will determine whether you qualify for a CVI and if so, whether your sight loss should be certified as Sight Impaired or Severely Sight Impaired. They will then refer you to iSightCornwall so that our ECLO can complete the paperwork with you which includes the results of your eye test as well as information about your circumstances. The final step, which we do on your behalf, is getting this paperwork reviewed and signed by a consultant ophthalmologist.

Once the CVI is complete, you will then have the option to register your sight loss.