Visibility’s neuro vision training and rehabilitation project ‘Sealladh’
Nominated category: Innovation in Service Development
Many veterans who have sustained a traumatic brain injury in combat suffer, along with other symptoms, neurological sight loss. Given the often complex needs of such patients, sight loss may be a lower priority and can sometimes be overlooked. This can result in many patients not being aware that their clumsiness or physical difficulties are due to visual dysfunctions and not other brain damage. These visual dysfunctions can take the form of hemianopia (blindness in one half of the visual field), quadranopia (blindness in one quarter of the visual field), or visual neglect (a decreased awareness of part of the visual field).
Neuro Vision Technology is an assessment and training package designed to train someone with neurological vision impairment to maximise the use of their remaining vision and to become as independent as possible. NVT has been used successfully as a vision rehabilitation tool for combat veterans with traumatic brain injury in the USA and in Australia, but there were no plans to develop such a treatment in the UK. Visibility – a west of Scotland charity that works with people affected by blindness, decided to start a pilot programme, which combined intensive NVT training with rehabilitation.
The biggest challenge faced by the visibility team was to convince health professionals in the UK that the NVT programme was going to work. Although it is widely used in other countries, very little is known about it in the UK. To convince these professionals the team gathered evidence and statistics from established NVT centres in the USA and Australia. The team also gathered very convincing evidence from case studies of the first two patients in Glasgow. Once they had demonstrated that the technique really did work, there were much higher levels of interest which, combined with a series of awareness raising talks to health groups throughout the west of Scotland, resulted in an immediate increase in referrals.
So far, 20 veterans aged from 26 to 76 have taken part in this project, and the changes to their lives have been dramatic. The project has demonstrated that intensive training can maximise the use of remaining vision, promote visual memory and spatial reasoning, and improve saccadic and pursuit movements. Ultimately it gives the patient back a degree of independence. The most dramatic recoveries resulting from NVT training are two veterans who have been able return to work.
Project Coordinator, David Logan describes this as the most rewarding part of the job; “The most rewarding experience is watching those in our care regain confidence and independence throughout all aspects of their lives, especially those able to return to full-time work.”
Fiona Sandford, Chief Executive of Visibility stresses the importance of the NVT project in Scotland: “If this project did not exist many of our clients would still be undiagnosed and be unaware that their clumsiness and lack of coordination was due to sight loss.”
David Logan said finally: “We at Visibility are honoured to be nominated for this award. It came as a great surprise and we’re delighted that the important work we’re carrying has been recognised and appreciated. I would personally like to commend the team’s work here at Visibility and say an especially large thank you to our visual rehab practitioner, Laura Campbell who has been central to our success.”