Celebrating One Year of Eye Care & You

Date posted: 27th July 2023

“The webinars have been really informative, and I will be looking forward to the next one.” Berni

In July 2023 we celebrated one year of Eye Care & You webinars. The Eye Care & You webinars were developed to provide information in an accessible format, easy to understand and an opportunity for attendees to ask questions which normally they would not get a chance to ask their own consultant. The 14 webinars to date have allowed for attendees to participate either online, or by simply dialling in on their telephone.

“Very interesting. Loved the panel, lots of knowledge and good feedback.” Dean

Past speakers joined in the celebration, including the inaugural speaker on “The Importance of Getting Your Eyes Tested Regularly”, and formed an informative panel of 5 experts. Our panellists shared key points from their areas of expertise and answered questions from the 27-strong audience.

The panellists were:

1. Subhash Suthar, Clinical Applications Specialist (webinars 1 and 7) who shared key messaging on eye drop application at the celebratory event.
2. Jennifer Smith, Working Age & Enrichment Officer at Croydon Vision and Life Coach / Certified Mediator at Anew U. Jennifer delivered webinar 14, “Disability Pride Month’’, on self-confidence and self-advocacy skills, which she then spoke about as a panellist.
3. Molly Randall, Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO) Moorfields Eye Hospital, delivered webinar 13 on the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI). As a panellist, Molly shared information about the importance of having a CVI and the various services that an ECLO provides.
4. Dr Louise Gow, Clinical Lead for Eye Health, Optometry and Low Vision, RNIB, presented webinar 3 “Know your Eyes”, as well as webinar 11 on keeping the eyes protected from UV rays. At the celebration event, Louise talked more about how to protect your eyes and how they work.
5. Dr Beverly Duguid, Author, Researcher, Mindfulness Coach at Insight Minds, delivered webinar 5 on how mental health and stress can affect your eyes. At the celebration event, Beverley spoke about mindfulness and mental health, then closed with a mindfulness session.

 

 

“Different, not what I expected. I got a lot of knowledge, didn’t know there was a correct way to put in eyedrops. The space was open and friendly, everyone warm and welcoming. I did not feel out of place due to my visual impairment” Anonymous.

Some of the questions posed by the audience, which comprised previous webinar attendees, relatives and professionals, included:

• What do you think of patients using eyedrops themselves instead of injections at the clinic for diabetic retinopathy?
• As a visually impaired journalist, I find it hard to give eye contact. Do you have any tips for confidence when communicating with people?
• How can you measure if you can see a car 20m away?
• As a rehab, I meet people who have lost their license but still use a mobility scooter. How do I advise them that this is not safe, as they may not see street furniture, children, etc?

 

The attendees also got an impromptu eye drops application workshop by one of our panellists, Subhash Suthar upon discovering that most of the audience members had not been taught by their consultants, while delivering his presentation.

“All the speakers were interesting. I found the talk from the ECLO good. I enjoyed it, glad I came and got to meet new people” Ray.

“It was nice. The highlight for me was coming face to face, putting faces to voices, networking, catching up” Ashrafia.

 

We want to say a huge congratulations to all the staff members who have made these webinars possible and worked together to put on the event. We would also like to thank all the attendees who have come to the webinars so far, and the expert guest speakers who have made it possible.

“I like how we had tea at the beginning, it made us feel comfortable and at home” Anonymous.

Our next webinar will focus on accessible technology for blind and partially sighted people. In this webinar, you can learn how to use the speech to text and screen reading functions on devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops. We will also share some useful apps for daily living, reading and socialising. Our expert speaker will share the different display settings you can have on a device for ease of use for blind and partially sighted people, and those with low vision.

This webinar will be on Tuesday August 15^th from 7pm to 8pm.

If you would like to attend, please register by sending us an email to London.scene@pocklington-trust.org.uk

All webinars have been recorded and are available on the Thomas Pocklington Trust Youtube channel.