Abstract
Background: It is known that unmet expectations are a common cause of patient dissatisfaction with health care. The purpose of this study was to determine the expectations of patients attending their first low vision clinic appointment in a specialist ophthalmic hospital and to determine how well their expectations were met by the low vision clinic. Method: Fifteen adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and significant vision loss were recruited. A one-to-one, semistructured interview was performed by a research psychologist to determine the difficulties patients were experiencing and their expectations of the low vision clinic. At a further interview 3 months later patients were again asked what difficulties they were experiencing and to comment on the perceived benefits of the low vision clinic. Results: Ninety-three percent (93%) (14/15) reported difficulty with reading. Other frequently reported problems included shopping (7/15), face recognition (5/15), crossing roads (4/15) and television (4/15). Seven patients (47%) expected to be prescribed new conventional spectacles to overcome these difficulties. Only 4 (27%) expected to receive magnifiers, 2 expected advice and 1 expected to receive a closed-circuit television magnifier. The most frequently reported benefit from the clinic was in extra help with reading or writing (6 participants; 40%). Eight patients would unequivocally recommend the low vision clinic to a friend or family member with similar vision, and only 3 (20%) would not recommend the low vision clinic. Conclusions: Whilst most patients attending a low vision clinic have visual problems amenable to low vision rehabilitation, many have false expectations of the purpose of the clinic. In particular, many expect conventional spectacles to ameliorate their visual disability. Despite this, most patients would recommend a friend with similar vision to attend the low vision clinic.