FAQs

You can find out more information regarding your eye condition on our Sight Loss page under Eye Conditions. You will also find useful links to leading organisations and charities supporting individuals with your eye condition.

A Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) is a legal document that formally certifies that someone has sight loss.

To obtain a CVI, you will need to be assessed by an Ophthalmologist. In Northumberland, this will normally be done at the RVI; your optician or GP can refer you.

The Ophthalmologist will carry out an assessment to measure how good you can see detail at a distance (visual acuity) and how much you can see from the side of your eye when looking straight ahead (field of vision). They will then decide if you are eligible for your sight loss to be certified.

If eligible, the Ophthalmologist will complete a CVI to certify you as either severely sight impaired or sight impaired. You will also be asked to sign the form. With your consent, copies of your CVI will be sent to yourself, your GP and Northumberland Sensory Services, the holder of Northumberland County Councils register of blind and partially sighted people.

If you lose your CVI, you can obtain a copy from the Ophthalmology department at the RVI or Northumberland Sensory Services.

‘Registration’ simply means being on the county council’s register of people who are either severely sight impaired or sight impaired. You can only be registered once you have a CVI.

Once the Ophthalmologist has completed your CVI and with your permission, they will send a copy to Northumberland Sensory Services who will contact you to discuss whether you would like to be added to the register. It's voluntary and completely confidential. If you join the register, they will then forward you a registration card.

Registration is completely voluntary, however, there are many advantages of being registered due to sight loss. For someone who is experiencing sight loss there is practical and financial support available to help them. Being registered often makes it easier to get practical help, and you may qualify for certain benefits and concessions.

If you decide not to register with your local council, you can still receive support.

You can contact your local social care services directly, letting them know you have sight loss and would like an assessment of your needs. The assessment will provide social services with a full view of your current capabilities and limitations so they can then decide what help you may need from them and what services they need to provide for you. You can contact Northumberland’s social care services department via Onecall Tel: 01670 536400 or email: onecall@northumberland.gov.uk

Local sight loss charities such as ours will also be able to provide support, advice and guidance. You can search for local support via RNIB’s Sightline Directory.

Rehabilitation is help provided by your local authority to enable you to re-learn some of the essential daily living and mobility skills which have been affected by your sight loss. In Northumberland, this is contracted out to Northumberland Sensory Services - Tel: 01670 293150.

Rehabilitation services can cover orientation, mobility and independent living skills.

If you're severely sight impaired or sight impaired, you may be entitled to certain benefits and concessions. See our Benefits & Concessions page for further information.

ECLOs (Eye Care Liaison Officers) work closely with medical staff in eye clinics and provide practical and emotional support to people who have recently been diagnosed with an eye condition. Eye Clinics will often refer newly diagnosed patients to ECLOs, however you can also contact them directly if you would like support or further information. You can contact the ECLO’s at the RVI on 0191 282 0221.

ECLOS will also make referrals to other organisation like ours for support.

You can download our Clubs & Support Groups leaflet from here. This contains details of local groups offering support within the community. You can also visit our News and Events page and view our events calendar.

Absolutely! Most modern mobile phones have built in accessibility settings so there is no need for adaptations. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, there are lots of apps available to make your life easier.

Vision Northumberland’s ‘Assistive Tech Series’ provides downloadable guides on topics like smartphone accessibility settings and useful apps. You can access these guides via our Tech page.

Definitely. For those with enough vision, large face clocks and watches with bold print and contrasting colours are available. Many of our clients also find talking watches and clocks very easy to use. There are even watches with an open face so a blind or partially sighted person can feel where the hands are in relation to Braille dots at the different hour points. Technology can also be used such as smart phones and smart speakers. Check out our Equipment & Low Vision Aids page for some examples.

Yes, most sports and games can be made accessible to people with sight loss. Find out more information on our Health & Wellbeing page under Sports & Activities.

Blind or partially sighted people can read in several different ways, and it all depends on personal preference.

• Magnifiers - devices that makes print text or pictures look larger.
• Large Print - text printed in a larger font than normal, so it is easier to read. Most libraries carry a selection of books in large print.
• Audio books - recordings of a book being read aloud on CD, USB or digitally.
• PC, tablet, kindle - you can read text on these devices. They have built in magnification and accessibility settings that lets you to adjust features such as text size and contrast.
• Braille - a system of raised dots that can be read with your fingers.

You can find out more information on audio books in our Assistive Tech Series.

Of course. In recent years public transport has become very accessible and a great way to get around. UK train operators even provide travel assistance for people with a disability, although most require advance notice.

If you would like to communicate your visual impairment to others while using public transport, please speak to us about a high visibility lanyard.

If you enjoyed cooking before your sight loss, there’s no reason you can’t still continue. There’s lots of specialist equipment available to make the kitchen accessible for you such as talking scales, microwaves and measuring jugs, bumpons to mark cooker settings and recipes in a variety of formats (LP, braille, audio). See our Equipment & Low Vision Aids page for some examples.

RNIB also provides a downloadable information leaflet full of cooking techniques and other useful resources.

You can come to Vision Northumberland and have your hearing checked or go directly to your GP. If you’re found to have a hearing impairment, we would suggest you book an appointment with your GP for confirmation and to investigate the cause.

Your GP would initially check if you had a blockage due to wax buildup.

WAX

The NHS no longer carry out wax removal. You will need to go to a private company that can do this for you, but you will have to pay. Prices approx. £50.00 - £80.00 per ear. When the wax is gone you need to go to see your GP.

NO WAX

Your GP will refer you to the audiology department at the Freeman Hospital for a hearing test. The Audiologist will carry out tests to determine the cause of your hearing loss and a treatment plan.

If you do not wish to go to your GP, you can also go to a non-NHS company that has their own in-house Audiologist. You would have to pay for this yourself.

Your audiologist will fit your hearing aids for you and set them based on your test results. They will check the volume is correct for you and that they fit.

They will show you how to use your new hearing aids; switching them on and off, putting them in and taking them out, changing the batteries, cleaning and maintaining them and adjusting settings.

Hearing aids can take some time to get used to. It is recommended that you wear them for a short time at home, steadily working up to wearing them full time; the more you wear them, the faster you will get used to them.

RNID provides some great tips on getting used to your new hearing aids.

You can find out more information regarding your condition on our 'Understanding hearing loss' page. You will also find useful links to leading organisations and charities supporting individuals with hearing loss at the bottom of this page.

No, there is no registration for deaf or hard of hearing people in Northumberland.

If you’re deaf or have hearing loss, you may be able to claim disability benefits. To find out what financial support you might be entitled to, visit our 'Benefits & Concessions' page.

You can download our Clubs & Support Groups leaflet from here. This contains details of local groups offering support within the community. You can also visit our News and Events page and view our events calendar.

Yes, you can use both mobile and landline phones. There are many corded and cordless phones that amplify the ringer volume and the ability to hear when using them. Corded phones are best for people with a medium and severe hearing loss.

There are mobile phones that have been designed for the hearing impaired, which are bigger, louder, clearer and easier to use than regular smart phone.

Apple iphones are also great for people who have a hearing loss. They have features such as:

• Bluetooth that can be connected directly to your iPhone compatible hearing aids.
• Sensory alerts so you can choose visual or vibrating alerts for incoming calls, messages, emails and calendar events.
• Sound recognition that, if turned on, notifies you (visible and vibrating notification) when it detects one of 15 different types of sound, including alarms, appliance buzzers, door knocks, car horns etc.
• Subtitles, closed captions, and transcriptions are all available so you can follow along more easily with audio and video.

Sure, most sports and games are accessible for people with hearing loss. Find out more information on our Health & Wellbeing page under Sports & Activities.

Yes, if you have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids you can drive. However, you may not hear clearly if someone else in the car speaks to you as road noise does affect your hearing aids.

Of course. If subtitles aren’t working for you and you don’t want to annoy the neighbours, there are wireless TV listeners, domestic room loops and personal radio aid systems that can make it much easier to hear the TV. Have a look at our 'Equipment and communication aids' page.

You certainly can! There are a range of specialist clocks available that can vibrate (a pad can be placed under your pillow or mattress) and/or flashing strobe lights and some that are very, very loud.

Definitely. Hearing aid users can still hear a smoke alarm during the day but may struggle once they have been removed at night. Smoke alarms are available with vibrating pads which fit under your pillow as well as flashing strobe lights. Find more information on our 'Equipment and communication aids' page.

Absolutely, if you have hearing loss you can know someone is at your door by having a wireless doorbell and carrying the chime unit around with you or having them installed in several rooms. You can get chime units that are very loud and flash so you would never miss someone at the door.

There are also doorbells that flash your room lights when someone rings but these require professional installation.