The purpose of this website is to signpost you to facilities, charities, and organisations which are available to you and may be able to help if you are losing your vision.
If you are worried about your sight, your first action should be to go and see your local optician in the high street.
All optometrists in this country are trained to screen for eye disease and to check whether the only problem might be a need for glasses for distance or near vision.
Note that you may be entitled to a free eye test – click here for more information. Also note that you may be eligible for special offers on glasses from some opticians.
If the optometrist cannot improve your vision, they will guide you to speak to your own GP.
The GP knows about your general health and, if there is a problem with your vision, they can refer you to the hospital eye department, either urgently if they are concerned, or more routinely if they think your problem is long standing and not especially urgent.
If you go to the hospital eye department, you will see a specialist in eye diseases who should be able to diagnose the problem. They will then either give you treatment or maybe recommend surgery which can help.
However, there are eye conditions which do not improve with medical intervention. Do not despair, there are magnifiers which may help or you may need to access charities and social services to help you to do the things you used to take for granted.
Loss of vision can be a tragedy, but many people find a way around this and can learn to adapt so that they are able to do the things they did before, but in a different way. But they can still do these things!
If you can be positive it does help, but it is only human to feel sad and resentful. It can be a huge loss, but it is amazing what resources are out there to help you.
And never forget to talk to your GP. They are extremely helpful in accessing counselling for depression, and will tell you what is available in your area.
This website is an attempt to help you. If there is anything that you think should be included in this website or if you would like to offer your help, please contact us. Also if you found something particularly useful, we would like to hear from you too!
Learn more about your eye conditions
Visit the RNIB Sightline Directory for find services in your area
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