Rehabilitation of low vision in adults with intellectual disabilities: The influence of staff

Background: We explored to what extent carers act on treatment and rehabilitation advice for low vision in intellectual disability (ID) services and how this relates to their familiarity with and appreciation of the advice. Methods: We followed prospectively 60 adults with a recent diagnosis of low vision during 12 months after their individual intervention advice. Questionnaire scores of carers' familiarity with and appreciation of the advice and the quality of implementation were analysed using Spearman's correlation. Results: Familiarity with the advice was reasonable or good in 41/60, appreciation was positive in 34/60, and implementation was reasonable to complete in 20/60 cases. Familiarity, appreciation and implementation were not significantly related to severity of ID or severity of visual impairment. Implementation was positively correlated with familiarity (Spearman's ρ = 0.602, P < 0.001) but not with appreciation (Spearman's ρ = 0.224; P = 0.086). Conclusion: It is important to keep professional carers knowledgeable and informed to improve the quality of low vision rehabilitation. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.