Boccia is a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and petanque. The name 'boccia' is derived from the Latin word for 'boss' - bottia. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes with severe physical
disabilities.
Certification is the pre-requisite to registration with a
vision impairment. The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) 2014 Act requires local authorities to establish and maintain a register of people who are ordinarily resident in the local authority's area and who are sight-impaired, hearing-impaired or who suffer from sight and hearing impairments which, in combination, have a significant effect on their day to day lives.
A
designated person responsible for the development of a clinical service, ensuring the quality of care is good and best practice is maintained and upheld.
Clinical audit involves improving the quality of patient care by looking at current practice and modifying it where necessary.
Depression is a low mood that lasts for
a long time, and affects your everyday life.
In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn't stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal.
The
Diabetic Eye Screening Wales service checks for eye problems caused by having
diabetes. Eye screening looks for damage to the back of the eye (diabetic retinopathy) which can lead to permanent sight loss. Making changes to your diabetes management, or having specialist treatment can slow or reverse changes caused by diabetic retinopathy. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, and are aged 12 or over, you will be invited to attend a screening appointment.
The core role of a
optician">dispensing optician is to advise on, fit and supply the spectacle frames and lenses most appropriate for each patient's visual, lifestyle and vocational needs. This includes advising on and dispensing: frames and lenses for driving, occupational use, hobbies, and activities.
ECLOs work closely with
medical and nursing staff in the eye clinic, as well as the sensory team in social services, to connect you with the practical and emotional support you need to understand your diagnosis, deal with your sight loss and maintain your independence.
EHEW is one of the Wales Eye Care Services. It enable patients with sudden onset eye problems and those in at-risk categories for developing eye disease or those who would find losing their sight particularly difficult, to obtain a free eye examination from an accredited
optometrist in the community.
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27 is implicated in certain eye disorders such as acute anterior
uveitis and iritis, psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative colitis associated spondyloarthritis.
The overall function of a Welsh
Local Health Board is to improve the health of the responsible population, develop primary health services, and commission community and secondary care services. A Welsh Local Health Board will, if it so wishes and is capable of doing so, be able to provide directly a range of
community health services, creating new opportunities to integrate primary and community health services as well as health and
social care provision.
If you already have a
vision impairment or low vision, an
optometrist can help you make the best use of the sight you have. They start by carrying out a low vision
assessment. This assessment could, for instance, show that magnifiers or better lighting at home would help you. They can also advise you about other people and organisations who may be able to help you with
transport, benefits or simple things to make life easier around the house.
Certain magnifiers and low vision aids (LVAs) are provided by the Wales General Opthalmic Service for Low Vision and paid for by the
Welsh Government. So they won’t cost you a penny.
Of or pertaining to the practice of medicine. The
medical model of
Disability focuses on impairments rather than social and attitudinal barriers cf.
Social Model of Disability.
Serious
mental illness includes diagnoses which typically involve psychosis (losing touch with reality or experiencing delusions) or high levels of care, and which may require hospital treatment. Two of the most common severe mental illnesses are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (or manic
depression).
NHS Wales:Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol Cymru is the publicly funded healthcare system of Wales and is the responsibility of the
Welsh Government. It provides emergency services and a range of
primary care, secondary care and specialist tertiary care services
The
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership is a dedicated Shared Services organisation which shares common operating standards in line with best practice, has sufficient scale to optimise economies of scale and purchasing power and has an excellent customer care ethos and focus on service quality. They support the statutory
Health Boards and NHS Trusts in Wales and provide professional
advice and support to
Welsh Government.
A nurse who has the education and expertise to provide
holistic nursing care for people with a
visual impairment or related conditions, temporary or permanent, wherever they may be.
Ophthalmologists are doctors who care for patients with eye conditions. They diagnose, treat and prevent disorders of the eyes and visual system, using
medical and surgical skills.
A clinic where treatments and surgery are carried out by trained
ophthalmologists. They are often located in large hospitals but there are also smaller clinics in the community. They can be NHS-funded or private clinics.
Opticians or
Dispensing Opticians are regulated by the General Optical Council (GOC). A dispensing optician advises on, fits and supplies the most appropriate spectacles after taking account of each patient's visual, lifestyle and vocational needs. Dispensing opticians also
play an important role in fitting contact lenses and advising and dispensing low vision aids to those who are partially sighted and in advising on and dispensing to
children where appropriate.
Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. Since 2009, optometrists in the UK have been able to undertake additional postgraduate
training and qualifications that allow them to prescribe medications to treat and manage eye conditions.
Optometry Wales is the professional umbrella organisation for all community optometrists,
opticians and
dispensing opticians in Wales. It represents the profession in lobbying and negotiation with
Welsh Government, responding to consultations and ensuring the profession is represented at all levels in Wales
An
orthoptist diagnoses and treats eye movement disorders, as well as
visual impairments related to the way the eyes interact with the brain. They’ll also spot serious neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
A process of financial audit of NHS claims. PPV is carried out by the
Shared Services Partnership (SSP) in-line with an agreed protocol. The SSP is entitled to inspect records relating to NHS patients, including mixed NHS and private records relating to a patient.
An eye examination for patients with an eye problem requiring urgent attention that was available from the community
optometrist free of
charge to the patient. This service was available from 2003-2012 but has been superseded by the
EHEW.
Visual impairment, vision impairment, or low vision is a severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and reduces a person's ability to function at certain or all tasks.
WOPEC is the first postgraduate education centre for
optometry in the world and is dedicated to excellence in eye care education through quality and independence. WOPEC provides short courses for optometrists and eye care professionals as well as certified postgraduate courses and helps to facilitate
training and accreditation for the WECS. It is located in the School of Optometry in Cardiff University.
The
Welsh Government is the devolved Government for Wales. It has legislative powers in key areas of public life such as health, education and the environment.
WOC is a statutory advisory committee to the
Welsh Government, consisting of and representing optometric professionals across primary and secondary care and providing expert
advice on all matters relating to eye health care in Wales. Its voting membership is made of a range of
Optometrists,
optician">Dispensing Opticians, and Contact Lens Opticians, drawn from the three Regional Optical Committees. WOC observers include all optical
stakeholders within Wales including:
Optometry Wales; HEIW; National Clinical Leads; Head of School at Cardiff University School of Optometry; Welsh Government; General Optical Council; College of Optometrists; and Royal College of
Ophthalmologists. More at:
Welsh Government pages.
