NCBI supports 21,000 people in Ireland who are blind or vision impaired
NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) is Ireland’s national sight loss agency. Our mission is to support blind and vision impaired people to overcome the barriers that impede their participation in society. At NCBI, we believe people who are blind or vision impaired should have the same opportunities, rights and choices as others to fully participate in society.
NCBI is also home to Vision Sports Ireland, the national governing body for sport for blind and vision impaired people. According to Census figures (2016), there are currently 54,810 people with sight loss in Ireland. This is a figure we know to be on the rise, from the increase in demand we have witnessed for our own services in the past five years.
In 2022, the number of unique service users who required support and services from NCBI was 7,424 (up 7% on 2021.) Of this figure, those aged under 23 were 1,281, 23-65 years were 1,923 and 65+ equalled 4,220.
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“No person should go through a diagnosis alone. A diagnosis of sight loss is life changing for people as it can impact on quality of life, independence and general wellbeing”
In 2019, the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) service was introduced by NCBI and presently operates across five major ophthalmic sites. The ECLO liaises with clinical staff to address this vital emotional support need while also providing a wraparound service with essential information, ongoing support and signposting to required rehabilitation support in the community. The ECLO service has supported 3,000 families to date.
Funding for this service is due to run out in Q4 2023 which poses a challenge for the continuity of care and support to ophthalmic patients across the country.