Medical Social Work with Eye Patients

It should be obvious that none of what has been proposed can be accomplished quickly. Actual visual loss is a shock to the individual experiencing it, productive of much fear and depression which are not relieved at once, no matter how adequate the ability to adjust. Therefore the medical social worker must be prepared to give service on a long-time basis. Her role with eye patients is one of multiple functions. It has been shown that medical interpretation and follow-up comprise part of the service to be offered. This is as it should be, since it is the medical condition that has brought the patient to the hospital and is generally his major concern, especially in the beginning. Explaining the patient's social and emotional needs to the ophthalmologist is also an important responsibility stemming from the social worker's special area of competence. Practical aspects include referral to other agencies for financial assistance, transportation, appliances, employment or rehabilitation. These services are performed as casework functions recognizing the individual's unique needs and reactions in relation to the eye problem, his right to make decisions and participate actively in the treatment recommendations. The primary discipline is medical and the social worker in this setting. must collaborate with the doctor and other hospital staff members toward the best service to the patient. Because the majority of eye difficulties are related to degenerative changes, the number of persons with visual problems will increase as the span of life lengthens. New knowledge about the aging processes will enhance the worker's skills in any eye program. Since half of blindness can now be prevented if full use is made of our current knowledge it is readily apparent that medical and social work efforts in this field must be directed toward early and continuous treatment in order to reduce the appalling amount of unnecessary blindness in this country.