'Part time partial sight'

[Charlottes mum]

Ahhh! Now I've re read this thread properly I understand the nature............yes I think the term "variable" would be a good description too!

[tneedham]

My 'variability' has dropped to a new low, and its not vision variability;
Pshychologically, which is just, if not as more important

[Andrew MacLean]

There is no legal definition of partial sight but a person is legally blind if their sight has dropped below 1/10 normal sight. Do not be distracted by discussions of the variation of visual acuity among people who are legally blind: at less than 1/10 (6/60) you have no useful sight.

Only a consultant ophthalmologist can register a patient blind and only then with the patient's permission.

Andrew

[Loopy-Lou]

well this is part of the problem, registration is based on 'corrected' vision [lenses/glasses] but what if your condition, treatment, or mental state prevents you from using correction? I spent 2 years partially sighted before my first transplant because although they could have fitted a lens to one eye for some of that time I couldn't have used it because I become phobic of using lenses after numerous allergic reactions to solutions.
There's a lot of grey area in between all out black blindness, official partial sight [with correction] and 20/20 vision.

[Andrew MacLean]

Lou

In your place I think I'd have gone to my ophthalmologist and explained that I could not wear lenses. An understanding ophthalmologist may have decided to offer registration.

Andrew

[Loopy-Lou]

Problem was Andrew that consultant [no one at Moorfields I hasten to add, different city and now retired], was the consultant who didn't care for anyone with mental health difficulties. He referred to me as "that girl" never by my name and didn't want to do a graft despite me fitting the criteria but never had a conversation about this with me, my GP or a mental health worker. I knew the score from someone within optometry who became a personal friend.
He knew I was so depressed and injuring my arm to the bone with impaired vision, the person who pointed that out to him finally jogged something in him to bother seeing me and put me on the list. This was the consultant who barked at the optometrist and lens nurse for being creative in finally being able to use a lens in one eye by initially using local anaesthetic drops to help me get over the phobia of putting a lens in. They worked out that if I could experience success a few times with insertion and removal that I would regain the confidence and they were right, it bloody well worked. He went mad at them for doing that, but they saved my life. You can see how I could never have approached him about registration, besides I couldn't even speak of the condition and my sight at that time, I was so ashamed I would pretend I could read when I couldn't. However, because it was so hard for me to speak of and explain registration would helped, it would have 'legitimised' my difficulties and maybe it would even have opened up a conversation between me and mental health workers 99% of whom never knew. I wish I had some badge and some formal acknowledgement then, it could have helped in so many ways.

Optometrists should have the power to register patients because I'm of the view that optometrists tend to have a better grasp of the day to day functioning than ophthalmologists who don't see us as much and don't have the deep appreciation of lens trauma's and visual variations.

[Andrew MacLean]

I know that I sometimes imagine that everybody else's experience of the world is the same as mine. Sorry, Lou.

To be realistic, given the way in which registration gives access to benefits, I don't imagine they are going to pass over the key from ophthalmologist to optometrist.

Andrew