Today on The Eye Care Advocate, I am honoured to feature another powerful and essential guest post from Dan Morgan-Williams of Visualise Training and Consultancy. He challenges the entire eye care sector to look beyond the clinical diagnosis and confront a critical question: are we doing enough to support patients when their world is turned upside down? This is a vital read and a powerful call to action for us all to do better – and ensure there is support for a sight loss diagnosis.

Why Eye Care Beyond the Diagnosis Must Evolve in 2025

Losing your vision is life-changing — so why are we still doing so little to support people through it?

In 2025, we live in an age of AI, virtual reality, and digital health solutions — yet the experience of being diagnosed with a visual impairment remains, for many, stuck in the past.

Too often, patients walk out of eye clinics and hospital appointments with nothing more than a diagnosis on paper. No follow-up call. No emotional support. No information about practical adjustments or where to turn for help. For many, it’s not just shocking — it’s devastating.

Where is the support for a sight loss diagnosis?

A diagnosis is not the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.

Sight loss can have a profound impact, not only on the individual but also on their family, partner, siblings, and friends. It touches every part of life — from navigating a kitchen, to reading a bedtime story. From keeping a job to safely walking down the street.

And yet, the system consistently fails to provide meaningful support for a sight loss diagnosis.

• Letters from the hospital often arrive in inaccessible formats.
  
• Appointments rarely consider communication needs.
  
• Wayfinding in hospitals is complex, overwhelming, and designed for sighted people.
  
• Emotional wellbeing is barely mentioned — let alone supported.

So What Needs to Change to Provide Better Support for A Sight Loss Diagnosis?

There are several ways that the system could provide better support for those receiving a sight loss diagnosis.

1) Holistic Support at the Point of Diagnosis

Every ophthalmology, optometry, or optician appointment where someone receives a life-changing diagnosis should automatically include:

• A referral to an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) or equivalent.
  
• Immediate access to emotional support and counselling.
  
• Clear, accessible signposting to support groups, social services, benefits advice, and mobility training.

2) Accessible Information – Always!

Letters, test results, and appointment confirmations must be sent in accessible formats — whether that’s braille, large print, audio, or email. It’s not a luxury when providing support for a sight loss diagnosis. It’s a legal right.

3) Design With Empathy

Hospital layouts, signage, check-in desks, and waiting areas should be intuitive and safe for blind and partially sighted people. This includes tactile floor indicators, audible announcements, and accessible public toilets.

4) Introduce a Cultural Shift in Clinical Practice

Eye care professionals need disability awareness training. Compassionate communication, inclusive practice, and an understanding of the emotional impact of vision loss must become standard — not optional.

“I wish someone had just said, ‘It’s okay — we’re going to help you through this.’”

Daniel Williams – Founder of Visualise Training and Consultancy Ltd

This is a quote that we hear (at Visualise Training and Consultancy Ltd) time and time again from people who’ve lost their vision. Not being able to see is scary enough. Being left to figure it out alone is even worse.

In 2025, we have the tools, technology, and insight to do better. So let’s do better — not just for the person losing their sight, but for everyone who loves them too.

Want to Make a Change?

Whether you’re a professional, a policymaker, or someone personally affected by vision loss, you can be part of the solution:

• Share this blog (sharing icons are available at the end of the article).
  
• Invite speakers with lived experience of sight loss to your workplace or conference.
  
• Review your clinic or organisation’s accessibility policies.
  
• Push for ECLOs and support services to be embedded into every eye care setting.
  
• Listen to people with lived experience — and act on what they say.

I am available to speak at conferences and deliver training on visual impairment to your teams.

Please email me at daniel@visualisetrainingandconsultancy.co.uk or visit www.visualisetrainingandconsultancy.co.uk

About the Author

Visualise Training and Consultancy Ltd was established in 2014 by Daniel Williams, who founded the company despite experiencing gradual vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa.

What began as a focused approach centred on sight loss and its associated challenges has since grown to encompass all forms of sensory loss. To see how Daniel can help you, or your team, support integrating accessibility and inclusion into your lives, you can visit his website: https://visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com

A Final Word from The Eye Care Advocate

I want to extend my sincere and personal thanks to Daniel for sharing such a powerful and necessary article with us. Daniel brings a unique and vital perspective to this conversation, speaking not only as a professional who advocates tirelessly for a more inclusive and accessible world, but also as someone with personal, lived experience of vision loss.

We are incredibly lucky to have voices like Daniel’s leading this charge, and it is a genuine pleasure to learn from him and to host his vital content on this platform. His call to action aligns perfectly with my own mission: to advocate for excellence in all aspects of eye care, which must include compassionate, comprehensive support for every patient.

Daniel has requested that we share this blog with our peers – so please do share to the social media network of your choice; or share the link via WhatsApp or email – every share helps The Eye Care Advocate’s (as well as those advocating for great eye care) voice be heard.