registering visually impaired

[james mckinlay]

i was at the clinic at gartnavel general in glasgow on tuesday and they have registered me as visually impaired (finally)

now i have to be assessed by all kinds of visual impairment officers and other people.

im 24 and had 2 grafts one in each eye but my vision has got worse over the past year and now they say they will be able to stabalise my vision but it wont be good.

so now ive had to give up my job i used to work with disabled people and visually impaired, but now im going to have to get the help, (freaky)

but does anyone know if i can get a disabled badge for my dads car as im always in it when he drives and he is like my main carer.

also does anyone know anywhere to get wraparound glasses to stop glare i asked my optician but they tell me its gonna cost me £300 because of my lenses i hate it but i cant waer contact lenses my eye wont settle with them in.

so anyone can help please do so

cheers james

and dont ever let k.c beat you always live life around it not through it.

[GarethB]

Dark good quality, scratch resistent, UVA and B protection, dark, anti glare wrap round for about £10, I use them every day and when I can see through both eyes I am safe to use them in the laboratory!

http://www.northsafety.com/euo/en/bs_pr ... ml?GID=909

Hope this helps

Gareth

[rosemary johnson]

Hallo James,
Sorry to hear about your vision getting worse, and quitting the job.

yes, you can have a "blue badge" to go in someone else's car when they are driving you. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't have a blue badge if you can't drive - that's not the case. My aunt has one she keeps in her handbag in case anyone offers her a lift.

I have pairs of the sunglasses with the fold-out side pieces.
You can get them from the RNIB - either from a showroom shop if there is an office near you, or else by mail order. Or there is a firm called Cobolt who do lots of adapted equipment by mail order.
I went into the RNIB shop in central London, and asked for the sunglasses with the shaded fold out sides with polarising "lenses" as I find that helpful to reduce glare, eg from wet roads. They didn't have any in stock so gave me a Cobolt catalogue.
I think they were about 17 pounds each - you get them without the VAT if you fill your registration number in on the order form.

Don't forget you can now also get your bus pass and a Disabled Person's Railcard.
If you are blind (rather than PS) you can also get a half-price TV licence and an extra tax allowance.

As regards being assessed - you don't *have* to be assessed. You are "entitled" to be assessed if you want to be, and lots of social services departments will try to strong arm you into having assessments left right and centre because they get government money for it, but it isn't compulsory. So it's up to you to tell them to go awayif you don't find them helpful.
Good luck with it all.
Rosemary

[james mckinlay]

thanks for the information everyone i really appreciate it.

ist not about losing sight its about gaining from what sight you have and adapting to cope with it.

as for leaving my job i kinda had no choice so its ok, and im only 24 so there are loads of things i can do to make a difference.

i will look into the glasses thats great because im extremely photophobic and its so annoying.

when i get those it should help its just i need 2 wear my spectacles or i cant see anything clearly well not that i see clear anyway lol

[Lynn White]

Errr..


I think James means he needs these wrap rounds with prescription which would account for the high cost. Getting the necessary curvature on prescription lenses is very costly compared to mass produced sunglass lenses with no power.

However, you may be able to get help through your hospital clinic. They can issue prescriptions with special requirements that either the hospital dispensary can supply or a high street optician can claim back. This often depends on area but it is definitely worth enquiring about.

Lynn

[rosemary johnson]

About the sunglasses:
I wasn't clear about this. tinted/polarised *prescription* glasses cost the earth, it is true.
The sunglasses I have, with the wide fold-out sides to reduce glare from the side, can be worn *over* regular glasses.
They are very large boxy-type things with space underneath to wear your ordinary prescription glasses inside the shaded, polarising sunglasses part.
how comfortable they are with both together depends on the type/size of the other glasses, of course, but I've actually worn them over my other pair of sunglasses (polarising but non-prescription) in very bright light.
So James wouldn't need to pay the earth for sunglasses-type prescription specs, just put a pair of these over the top when he goes outside.
Hope this helps.
Rosemary

[Lynn White]

Yes I do agree!

Wearing them over your own prescription is the best and cheapest way - after all keratoconics' prescriptions change a lot anyway, so its an ongoing expense!

There are really hardly any proper "ophthalmic" frames anyway that wrap round sufficiently to block out the light as that is not their function.

Lynn