History of RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officers

Join us as we reflect on 30 years of ECLOs and the life-changing support they provide – and as we look towards their bright future.

ECLOs work in hospital eye clinics and communities and provide practical and emotional support to people with sight loss or an eye condition, helping them to understand their diagnosis, move forward with confidence and be as independent as they want to be. They bridge the gap between people and health and social services.

Before our ECLO service was created, we often heard from people diagnosed with an eye condition that – while they had received excellent medical care – they hadn’t been told about all the support available outside the hospital. This includes emotional support, practical advice and connecting with the many organisations offering support and services, including RNIB.

Often, people had found out about support by accident, or heard about it from someone else. Others had gone for a long time, unaware of what was out there and how it could help them live life the life they wanted and be independent.

RNIB decided to change this, and make that support available in the hospital, right at the point where people find out about their eye condition or something that might affect their sight. In 1994 we employed our first ECLO at Rotherham District General Hospital, and the service continues to support people with sight loss at the hospital’s eye clinic today.

Stevie Johnson, ECLO Clinical Lead at RNIB, was an Orthoptist at the eye clinic in 1994 and recalls the arrival of the first ECLO:

“I remember quickly realizing what a difference this new service made to my patients with low vision, as well as how little I knew as a Health Professional about the wide range of support services available, beyond the clinic door. It worked well very quickly, I could see how my patients benefitted, and appreciated the support, and the doors it opened for them. It also gave me a greater understanding of the needs of my patients and felt so good to be able to offer it to them.”

30 years on, the impact of an ECLOs support remains vital - from providing a listening ear for those going through a diagnosis, to helping people move forward with their lives with confidence. The current ECLO at Rotherham, Gabrielle Bower, said:

"It's a great pleasure to have picked up the 'ECLO baton' at Rotherham. It's such an important role, and one that is very close to my heart. There's no better feeling than knowing you have made a difference to someone's life. For me, one of the best parts of the job is giving patients emotional and practical support and making them aware of all the fantastic help that's out there.

On a personal note, RNIB were there for my family when we needed them and I love being able to give that support back to anyone coping with sight loss and their families. Rotherham Eye Clinic is a fantastic department to be a part of and to this day remains a busy and very positive environment."

By 2007, that number had grown to nine ECLOs – each providing vital support to people when they need it most. Cathie Burke, RNIB Practice Lead – Eye Care Support, reflects on those first years:

“I first started offering practical and emotional support at Sunderland Eye Infirmary in 1999 but working with a different job title and without any specific training for the role. The development of the RNIB Eye Care Support Studies Course and the ECLO Quality Framework Practice Guidelines came in the years after that. This was a real milestone, ensuring the opportunity to define, train and share best practice which has led to a core offer of support for all wherever you meet an ECLO. I now have the privilege of delivering some of this training – equipping the ECLOs of the future to deliver much needed support that makes a real difference for people.”

As our ECLO service grew, the next key step came in 2017, when we identified the top 100 eye departments in the UK and set a target to see an ECLO service in all of them, whether delivered by RNIB, the NHS or a charity partner.

RNIB is not the only provider of ECLO services, and there are currently 61 ECLOs employed by local sight loss charities in the UK, as well as a small number employed directly by the NHS.

In addition, RNIB delivers a university-accredited training course for ECLOs. It’s available to all ECLOs, from all organisations, across the UK.

In 2021, we revisited Rotherham to create a short film on the impact and value the ECLO service has within the local community. It features Michelle Swan, RNIB ECLO at Rotherham Hospital, and Andy, her patient.

Watch our short film to find out more about what ECLOs do

In 2022, we celebrated the appointment of our 100th ECLO. This was a significant milestone in the provision of emotional and practical support for people diagnosed with sight loss.

Our 100th ECLO, Renu Walia, is based in Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, North London and provides support to patients in Barnet Hospital and Edgware Community Hospital. Renu, who is severely sight impaired, is passionate about providing emotional and practical support to people with sight loss. Click here to find out more.

Approximately 50 percent of RNIB ECLOs have sight loss, and their lived experience is invaluable in supporting people going through a diagnosis and beyond. All ECLOs have a deep understanding of the emotional impact of sight loss. In addition to practical help and information, they offer a safe space for people to talk, listen and share their feelings about their diagnosis.

Jenny Molineux, Support Officer in our Children, Young People and Families team, was an ECLO and has Reverse RP. RNIB also supported Jenny through the emotional rollercoaster of her diagnosis. Talking about her time as an ECLO performing the vital role of supporting other people with visual impairments to thrive, she said:

“ECLOs provide such a vital role in breaking down barriers for people with visual impairments. A huge barrier is fear. It’s a feeling I personally know well: fear of the unknown; panic about what the future holds for you after your diagnosis.”

Being told you have sight loss, or an eye condition, can be devastating. The support of an understanding, knowledgeable ECLO can make all the difference in how people are able to move forward with their lives and do the things they want and need to do confidently.

Nobody should have to go through a diagnosis of sight loss alone, and ECLOs offer much needed support every step of the way. They give people space to listen and answer questions, and provide practical advice on helpful changes at home, ways to keep up with hobbies and socialise, registration for certification, accessing social services and onward signposting for further help.

RNIB has gradually increased its funding for these vital roles since our first ECLO. Today, we’re proud to employ 130 ECLOs supporting people in 130 hospital eye departments across the UK and reaching over 100 community hospital sites and 24 private eye clinics.

One of our newest ECLOs, Holly Muncey, is based at Broomfield Hospital and Orsett Hospital in Essex. The service is a first for both hospitals, and Holly has been in post for 5 months supporting people in the local community with sight loss.

Talking about what the ECLO service might look like in the future, Holly was optimistic about the role of technology in supporting blind and partially sighted people to live the lives they want. They said:

“Technology is going to be the way forward, in the way that we have Echo shows now and technology that you can point at an item and it can describe it to you, or read it to you, I feel training on that will be amazing for blind and partially sighted people”.

Holly Muncey, RNIB ECLO

RNIB’s ECLO service is aligned with the wider NHS Transformation, as we continuously shape the service to ensure that nobody goes through a sight loss diagnosis alone. This includes remote support and an increased use of digital technology, so that ECLOs can reach more people than ever before.

ECLOs are also at the heart of RNIB’s recently launched Eye Care Support Pathway. The pathway is a framework, developed by RNIB and partners across the sector, for the NHS, social care organisations, the third sector and the public to use to support the transformation of eye care and eye services.

Split into four stages, it supports patients on what to expect on every stage of their eye care journey and considers the impact of sight loss and how to link individuals to the support they want, from emotional support through to rehabilitation. ECLOs play a vital role in delivering the pathway, providing support when patients need it most.