Psychological Aspects of Vision Loss
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The psychological impact of long-term visual impairment: Understanding strengths and difficulties in coping with vision loss.
IRAS ID
238386
Contact name
Anne E. Ferrey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Vision loss is a life-changing experience that can affect emotional functioning and mental health. Vision loss interferes with a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks, but also affects their sense of independence and their interactions with other people. This can lead to negative effects on their psychological functioning and even mental health problems. People who have experienced vision loss show higher levels of depression than the sighted population, but very little research has looked at the full impact of vision loss on a person’s mental health and psychological functioning.. This project aims to better understand patients’ experiences of vision loss and its psychological effects. We will conduct interviews with patients to hear about their experiences and use questionnaire measures to understand their current physical and mental health. This will provide an understanding of patient experiences, which may help us later design a psychological intervention to help people come to terms with vision loss.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SW/0124
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion