Macular Society Support Group visit Glasgow Caledonian Vision Centre

Vision Science students from Glasgow Caledonian University assessed the eyesight of more than 30 people with low vision during a visit to the campus.

People with various degrees of vision loss from the Bearsden and Milngavie Macular Society Support Group visited the University’s Vision Centre on September 24.

Students assessed their vision, taking retinal images and showed them around the Centre with its state-of-the-art equipment.

Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting 1.5 million people of all ages.

Niall Strang, Professor of Vision Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “The macula is a small area at the back of the eye that is responsible for central vision. If it is damaged, vision may be blurred. People with macular disease can struggle to perform many everyday tasks such as seeing faces and reading.

“Our students conducted tests on the visitors, examining the back of their eyes using a range of imaging equipment, and evaluated their sight using various clinical techniques.

“It was valuable for the students to talk to patients about their sight loss, and hopefully the discussions helped the group members better understand their macular condition.”

Joyce Deans, Chair of the Bearsden and Milngavie Macular Society Support Group, said: “The visit to the Vision Centre was super and very informative. Some of our members have never been to an optician and when they began to have eye problems, went straight from their GP to a hospital appointment.”

Dr Dirk Seidel, Senior Lecturer, Department of Vision Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “This visit was invaluable for the students, as many patients they normally see have good vision. Assessing and spending time with people who experience sight loss provided a highly educational, real-world learning opportunity that cannot be simulated in the classroom.”

Glasgow Caledonian University is the only place in the UK that offers the suite of Vision Sciences undergraduate courses  MOptom (IP) Optometry with Independent Prescribing, BSc Ophthalmic Dispensing and BSc (Hons) Orthoptics. All courses enable students to gain hands-on clinical experience in the Vision Centre.

The Glasgow Caledonian University Vision Centre, in the School of Health and Life Sciences, is open to the public and provides assessments for patients of all ages, from babies upwards.

Photos show Joyce Deans and another member of the Bearsden and Milngavie Macular Society Support Group getting their eyes tested at the Vision Centre.