Paediatric low vision service evaluation: Sheffield teaching hospitals NHS foundation trust

This retrospective service evaluation was conducted to evaluate the low vision (LV) clinic and its impact for children attending Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH) between 2012 and 2022. The main cause of vision impairment (VI), LV aids used and their impact on distance and near visual acuity (VA), was extracted from medical records. Index of multiple deprivation (IMD) was determined using each child’s postal code. The most common causes of VI were retinal disease (32%), albinism (16%), and nystagmus (12%). One third of children with VI lived in areas of the lowest decile IMD. Two thirds were certified as sight impaired (SI) or severely sight impaired (SSI). LV aids significantly improved near and distance vision (p < .001). Given that the high number of children with VI lived in socioeconomically deprived areas, LV clinic and LV aids should be available for all children with VI regardless of their socioeconomic or registration status.