Table 3.

 Study limitations

(1) Biased sample

(a) the youngest age group is poorly represented and may be particularly vulnerable to emotional suffering;

(b) the majority of this sample self identified as visually impaired and represents a white, well educated, middle upper class population and may not represent the experiences of those in other visual function or demographic groups.

(2) An inherent limitation of focus groups is the tendency for more vocal participants to dominate the discussion, making their views seem like the most important ones.

(3) While participants were asked to comment on their prediagnostic experiences, undoubtedly an influence on their adjustment process, this model begins with the diagnostic experience itself as the formal starting point of the adjustment process described.

(4) Given the uniquely predictable course of progression of RP,34 the generalisability of these findings to other populations of patients with progressive vision loss is limited.