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Being registered partially sighted

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Flower

Flower

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Is anyone on here registered partially sighted? If so what are the benefits? - not financial benefits - but what does it actually mean. I've read the information about it and I suppose I see the benefit of being on a Local Authority/Social Services list and maybe for my future that might be useful but I'm just not sure.

I've been told a few times I should be registered and I've turned it down as I don't want it to happen - today for some reason when my sight was checked I had a fields test ,I'm blind in one eye from proliferative retinopathy and only have central vision in the other so the outcome was not unexpected. I only saw 4 of the light flashes in the whole test and sat there waiting for it to finish. It upsets me so much to go through things like that although I'm well aware of my sight limitations.

The outcome was the suggestion to be registered partially sighted due to my lack of peripheral vision and poor central vision. There's still a big part of me that just says no way, my sight's not that bad (well it obviously is) but I just wondered if anyone else is or if you'd mind telling me just to do it and get on with it! Just feeling a bit down about bl@@dy diabetes at present. Thanks 🙂
 
Hello Flower,
This must all be very difficult to come to terms with, and I hope you are getting some empathy and help.
I helped my mother when she had similar problems, and she did register as partially sighted, that was a few years ago. She did get the benefit of lots of advice plus some physical aids to help her.
 
Flower my heart goes out to you. Do they need to see you so often? My health situation is nowhere like yours but I know how stressed it is for me going to eye and neurologist appointments....I’m still recovering from the stress of Tuesday’s neurology appointment so I sort of know where you’re coming from. Sometimes I just want to cancel all of my appointments, I don’t but I flipping well want to and I wouldn’t be surprised if you feel the same.
You’ve probably already got these but being registered severely sight impaired should easily get you a Blue Badge (obviously not for your driving 🙂) a disabled bus pass and for £20 a disabled train pass. As I’ve said you’ve probably already got all of these but if you haven’t they are really useful, as I’ve been finding out recently xx
 
Thanks both 🙂, Amanda you're right. I do feel like cancelling the whole flipping lot and swearing loudly at the kitchen wall - not at the amazing NHS and all the dedicated, brilliant clinicians who help me out but just at the situation and mess I'm in and really don't want to be in.

I do have a Blue Badge that I use when out with my family in their cars and a disabled bus pass. I didn't know about the help for a disabled persons railcard but I've just renewed mine for 5 years. It makes me laugh that I get letters about a Motability car when my driving licence was revoked years ago - if only! 🙄

Thanks @Toucan, I lost my sight in both eyes about 20 years back and an amazing surgeon managed to salvage my right eye central vision which has been the best thing to happen to me, that feeling has kept me positive (mainly)! for many years but sometimes things just smack me in the face and scare the h@ll out of me - like today.

I'll think on for a few more days and decide what to do. 🙂
 
Really sorry to read this @Flower. I don’t have any pearls of wisdom I’m afraid, but just wanted to say how awesome you are for the way you deal with your challenges. I guess only you can know whether registration is right for you and how you feel about that as a person, but registered or not absolutely does not define or limit who you are, and what a feisty, lively, funny, determined woman you are every day - even when you are in the midst of stuff that would floor most people.
 
No advice to give I'm afraid Flower, just want to send you a virtual hug.
 
My wife is registered blind, not through diabetes, but through optic atrophy. She would and has advised you to register, not for monetary gain, though it will make that easier, if in the future you need benefits etc., ( after all who knows the future, or our future needs? ) but the very real help you can get. If you register with the council they should offer you the services of a rehabilitation officer, whose only aim is to keep you independent, give you tips and real practical help with day to day things. My wife was also stubborn at first, in total denial, ( how many times have I heard that about other things on this forum? 🙄 ) but with hindsight wishes she had accessed the help earlier. My wife says: Just bloody do it, stop messing about as there is no down side! :D

She also says, that if you have any other questions, just ask and through me, she will offer links and what help she can. There are also several forums out there specifically for this sort of thing, but I am afraid you will have to venture onto that evil that is Facebook for that... :(

Lastly, you are not alone, both with this forum and elsewhere. 🙂
{{{Hugs}}}
 
My mum is in a similar position with her eyesight and we have been offered a session with someone for physical aids and tips, such as using coloured plates for food to help see the food on the plate. We had one booked but then my mum was in hospital so I need to get it rebooked.
There is also counselling help I believe or advice about managing however you feel about it.

Registering and accepting help is not succumbing to it, no, it is being assisted in ways to find practical solutions.
 
I was reluctant to be registered partially sighted as I felt I’d not get any help but I finally agreed in January 2019, so a year now.

There is a lot of help out there. Your eye clinic liaison officer at the hospital may contact you to discuss things, you should get a copy of the certificate of visual impairment too.

I had a sensory assessment, followed by a rehabilitation officer home visit and a mobility assessment which were great as they identified everything I needed help with, I got various aids to start using, magnifiers were great.

Adult social care team can do referrals too, I was referred to two organisations, which again have been great.

One of those organisations helped me apply for a grant from the RNIB for some technology equipment too that I needed and just had that approved.

As already mentioned, blue badge, rail card, disability bus pass.

You could apply for PIP too if you are impacted day to day.

Do you work? You could ask for an assessment from the access to work team at the DWP to see what assistance they can offer.

You can be placed on the priority register with your energy suppliers and water suppliers.

If you need it you can ask places to send letters and statements in large print, for example banks, GP, utilities etc.

Check out RNIB!
 
Hi Flower
I was registered sight impaired last September and was amazed how quickly different organisations started contacting me and letters popping through my letter box. I am on the waiting list for sensory team and rehabilitation team to visit my home and also RNIB counselling team to support me over the phone with coming to terms with sight loss. I have applied for a bus pass which I've received and used. I've bought a symbol cane off RNIB and this has been invaluable when out with my family or friends in public making them aware of my sight loss. The low vision clinic have supplied sunglasses and magnifying glasses which has helped with my everyday life. I have to have both eyes injected at the moment due retinopathy my right eye much worse than my left. I'm here if you want to ask anything and happy to answer questions and support with this debilitating condition. kind regards Tina
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Really sorry to read this @Flower. I don’t have any pearls of wisdom I’m afraid, but just wanted to say how awesome you are for the way you deal with your challenges. I guess only you can know whether registration is right for you and how you feel about that as a person, but registered or not absolutely does not define or limit who you are, and what a feisty, lively, funny, determined woman you are every day - even when you are in the midst of stuff that would floor most people.
Click to expand...
Here here! You’re hilarious @Flower.😛 And super-courageous.🙂
 
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