Hannah Dunbar

Key Words age-related macular degeneration visual function visual dysfunction Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of severe sight impairment globally affecting 196 million people, projected to rise to 288 million by 2040[1]. The progressive stages of AMD, referred to as early, intermediate and late disease are identified based on structural features present in colour fundus photography[2].

ABSTRACT Eccentric viewing training for macular disease has been performed for more than 40 years, but no large studies including control groups have assessed the benefits of this training. The EFFECT (Eccentric Fixation From Enhanced Clinical Training) study is a large randomised controlled trial of two types of eccentric viewing training.

Introduction When the United Kingdom was locked down in March 2020 to combat the spread of novel coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2, the UK’s Royal College of Ophthalmologists recommended that ‘all face‐to‐face outpatient activity should be postponed unless patients are at high risk of rapid, significant harm if their appointment is delayed’.1 Consequently, most face‐to‐face low vision assessments at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London were converted to telephone assessments.