If you have impaired vision that cannot be improved with spectacles or contact lenses, you will be advised by your consultant Ophthalmologist (eye doctor) whether you are eligible to be registered with your local County Council as either Sight Impaired (Partially Sighted) or Severely Sight Impaired (Blind). If you agree to be registered, your consultant will record this by signing a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI). The form contains information about the results of particular eye tests. It also notes any difficulties that your visual impairment may be causing in your daily life. Classifying your sight in this way does not affect the provision of any medical care, and is not an indication that your vision will get worse.
If you agree to the completion of form CVI, the following will happen
- A copy will be sent to your own doctor (GP) for information.
- A copy will be sent to the County Sensory Team of Suffolk’s Department of Adult and Community Services, who are responsible for local social care to visually impaired people.
- The County Sensory Team will contact you to ask if you wish for your name to be added to the relevant register. They will be able to explain the benefits. Note that you will not be registered until you agree for this to happen.
A further copy of the CVI, with your name and address removed, will be sent to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists to help with research into the patterns of eye disease in England and how these change over time, facts that are important for decisions about the allocation of funding for local services.
Your local County Sensory Team has a legal duty to provide you with advice and information about the range of services, benefits and concessions available to people with impaired vision. They are also required to offer you an assessment of your needs, whether or not you choose to register. To do this they will discuss matters such as how you are coping with daily life, and may be able to offer some specialist advice, training or equipment.
If your Optometrist feels that you would benefit from a referral to the County Sensory Team they will complete a Referral of Visual Impairment (RVI) form and forward it to the Sensory Team on your behalf. This may be useful for people who are not eligible or have declined registration, or who have not yet seen an Ophthalmologist and are struggling with daily life due to their visual impairment.
If you do not need to see an Ophthalmologist but feel that you would benefit from contact with the County Sensory Team, you should obtain a Low Vision Leaflet (LVL) from an Optometrist and send this completed leaflet to the Sensory Team.
If you want independent advice or you are experiencing a delay in being contacted by the County Sensory Team, you can contact East Suffolk Association for the Blind on 01473 611011 who aim to have a Community Worker visit you within two weeks.
Why should I register my visual impairment?
For a number of reasons recently diagnosed people are sometimes cautious of being put on the sight impaired persons’ register. Diagnosis can be a shock and quite enough to cope with on its own. This phase passes more quickly for some than for others. For most people it will pass, eventually. Some fear that registration somehow means that they are more likely to go blind. Registration has no bearing on the outcome of your medical condition. Sometimes people perceive a lack of confidentiality or fear that Big Brother might be watching them. In fact, if you are registered as a sight impaired person, your records will not be released to anyone without your personal permission.
By registering your sight impairment, you help yourself and your family and also other people who are, or who will be registered in Suffolk. Because so many people are not registered, Suffolk Adult and Community Services have an incomplete picture of the number of sight impaired people in the county. For example they have nearly 6,000 Sight Impaired people on their register; while research suggests that there are at least 9,000 people eligible for registration as sight impaired. If the authorities lack the information to assess and support present needs and allocate funds for services today they will certainly be under-resourced in the future.
If you fit the criteria and if you decide to become registered you are helping yourself and your family - here are a few reasons why:
- Registration may be taken into account if you claim benefit.
- There are increased personal income tax allowances for people who are registered sight impaired or severely sight impaired - if you don’t work, allowances can be transferred to a working partner.
- Parking concessions (e.g. a blue badge permitting parking in restricted areas) are available for use by people who are registered as severely sight impaired (blind).
- Anyone who is registered severely sight impaired (blind) can claim a 50% reduction in the cost of their television licence.
If you do have any problems or additional questions, the East Suffolk Association for the Blind is happy to offer any information or advice that you need. Please contact the office on 01473 611011. Alternatively you can contact The County Sensory Team through their Customer First number 0808 800 4005
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