Just been told I'll never get the sight back in one of my eyes.

milliemands

Hi there. Can someone give me some advice please?

I've just been told by the hospital that I'll never regain the sight in my right eye or hearing in my right ear. I have a brain tumor that is pressing on the optic nerves and they are unable to remove it.
They have already taken 96% of it, so it just the 4% that remains. It's benign, Thank God.

What I was wondering, do I register myself as partially blind or deaf. Am not really sure what to do and when I asked the hospital, they were very vague and told me to speak to my GP. Any advise would be great.

Thanks.x

jetta_wales

You can be registered as both but it would depend on the sight in your other eye and presumably the same would apply for hearing also.

I don't use one of my eyes much at all because it's quite rubbish but it doesn't affect me much at all. From others I've spoken to who have lost sight in one eye they do say they it gets a lot easier with time as you adjust to the loss and get used to using the sight you do have so it feels less like a part of your field of sight is 'missing'.

To be registered as partialy sighted or blind you would need a consultant ophthalmologist to fortify that for you but if you have full sight in your other eye then that wouldn't be done.

McKneff

Its amazing how fast you adjust to not having the sight in one eye, my husband, after the initial loss of sight in one of his eyes
successfully spent the next 25 years doing his normal painting and decorating job. You just learn to turn your head a little bit more than usual and pretty soon this is done instinctively.

If you have full sight in the other eye you are not partially sighted. My OH also has problems in his 'good eye' in that he has no peripheral vision but again, his is not classed as partially signted as he can see perfectly well straight ahead.

If you are a driver you should look up the rules and regs of the DVlA, having no sight in one eye is not a problem to driving but they do need to be informed, as do yur insurance company

Invalidation

I lost the sight in my eye at age 9. I wouldnt even know the difference now.
And to correct the last poster, you only need to notify DVLA if it affects your driving. Having one eye in my case doesnt affect me at all, as the consutlant ophthalmologist stated, as Ive had it for so long my head moves more to cover full periferal vision.

McKneff

Just so you know for definite about driving read the DVLA notes about driving with sight only in one eye, then you will be getting it
from the 'horses mouth' so to speak.