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. 1999 Apr;83(4):470–477. doi: 10.1136/bjo.83.4.470

Ophthalmic and visual profile of guide dog owners in Scotland

K Refson 1, A Jackson 1, A Dusoir 1, D Archer 1
PMCID: PMC1722993  PMID: 10434873

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS—Out of an estimated 90 000 visually impaired people in Scotland, 509 make use of a guide dog. Initial research in Northern Ireland suggests that the ophthalmic profile of guide dog owners (GDOs) is highly specific. The aim of this study was to compare the ophthalmic and visual characteristics of Scottish GDOs with other groups of visually impaired people.
METHODS—A random sample of GDOs from central and northern Scotland (n=82) underwent a detailed assessment of residual vision (distance and near acuity, visual fields, contrast, and glare sensitivity). Comparative data were obtained from two populations of visually impaired non-GDOs—one group attending hospital ophthalmic and low vision clinics (n=50) the other social services rehabilitation clients (n=35). All participants completed a questionnaire to elicit ophthalmic history, age, and registration details.
RESULTS—GDOs were found to be significantly younger and more profoundly visually impaired than non-GDOs. The main causes of visual impairment were retinitis pigmentosa (23%), optic atrophy (15%), and retinopathy of prematurity (7%). Ninety nine per cent of GDOs were registered blind and had been visually impaired for an average of 39 years. Only 31% were totally blind.
CONCLUSION—GDOs represent a unique minority of the visually impaired population. Epidemiological registration trends would suggest that the numbers of young profoundly visually impaired people are unlikely to increase relative to their elderly counterparts. This has implications on the future demand for guide dog ownership.

 Keywords: ophthalmic profile; visual profile; guide dog owners; Scotland

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Schematic plot of the age distribution of the three groups. The schematic plot conventions were as follows: the box vertical edges give the lower quartile, median, and upper quartile; "outliers" are plotted individually, as a dot if they lie between 11/2 and 3 interquartile ranges outside the quartiles, as a star if they lie more than 3 interquartile ranges outside the quartiles; the whiskers go out to the most extreme non-outlying observations.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Age at onset of visual impairment.

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Distance visual acuity, decimal notation.

Figure 4  .

Figure 4  

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Visual field gradings. 1= full field, 5= profound field loss. 6 = no measurable field.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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