Peter Grant MP met with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) at a parliamentary reception in Westminster to hear about the charity’s Sight Loss Advice Service and the vital work that its Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLOs) carry out.
Statistics show that calls to RNIB focused on emotional support are set to triple, increasing from 2,021 calls in 2016 to a projected 7,000 calls in 2019. Questions around emotional support are one of the top three reasons why people spoke to the advice line in 2018 and is expected to remain in the top three for 2019.
Eye Clinic Liaison Officers work alongside health professionals in eye clinics to offer support and advice to blind and partially sighted people on a range of areas. They are an important part of RNIB’s Sight Loss Advice Service, which provides practical advice and emotional support over the phone, as well as face to face in eye clinics, for anyone affected by sight loss.
Mr Grant said: "I am supporting RNIB's drive to raise awareness of the importance of practical and emotional advice for blind and partially sighted people.
"I’ve heard about the fantastic work that ECLOs carry out and the benefits to the people living with sight loss in my constituency.
"Although areas such as health and social care are now devolved to the Scottish Parliament, some of my constituents will be blind or partially sighted and I am glad to be able to support RNIB's work in support of them."