{"id":345,"date":"2010-12-01T14:27:16","date_gmt":"2010-12-01T14:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stroke4carers.org\/?p=345"},"modified":"2024-08-28T16:15:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T15:15:43","slug":"7-registering-as-blind-or-partially-sighted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stroke4carers.org\/?p=345","title":{"rendered":"What to do if you think there is a visual problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIf the person is still in hospital ask the doctor to do an eye examination. They may be able to see a problem immediately or they could ask for an eye\u00a0specialist\u00a0to examine the eyes in more detail.<\/p>\n

If the person is at home ask your GP to make a referral or see your optician who may also be able to recommend what to do next. A stroke nurse or occupational therapist may be able to give you advice about small changes to your home surroundings which would make living with a visual problem a little easier. They may also be able to give you ideas to improve vision by using compensation strategies such as scanning to the affected side.<\/p>\n

If the persons eyesight has been significantly affected it may be possible to become Registered as blind or\u00a0partially sighted. <\/strong>This has to be done by a referral by your GP or hospital doctor to a specialist ophthalmologist. If the person is registered as blind or partially sighted they will be given a certificate of visual impairment<\/strong> stating the level of sight they have. They can then register with the local authority to be assessed for services and placed on a confidential register. The local authority may have travel concessions, blue badge scheme etc. They may also be eligible for tax allowances, discounted television licence and a disabled person\u2019s railcard.<\/p>\n

For more information:<\/p>\n