Living Well with Sight Loss Courses

Lorna had been wearing glasses from a very young age. However, at primary school, she and the teachers noticed that she couldn’t see properly, no matter where in the classroom she was sitting. But it wasn’t until a routine appointment at the age of 10 when concerns about her eye health were raised and referrals to Shrewsbury and Birmingham hospitals resulted in the diagnosis: Macular and cone dystrophy.

“I was told there was no cure. They said there might be one within the next ten years, but then Covid hit.”

Lorna was referred to the Sensory Inclusion Service who helped her participate at school with the help of magnifiers, coloured overlayers and much more.

“School was particularly difficult when the pandemic and my sight loss clashed. Online learning wasn’t great for me. I only had my phone at the time, so we had to buy an iPad.”

Sight loss made it difficult for Lorna to get through college. In addition to her daily struggles, she had an accident, which completely knocked her confidence in going out by herself. The ECLO referred her to a ‘Living Well with Sight Loss’ course with Sight Loss Shropshire.

“There were so many things I didn’t know! The course helped me access cane training and starting the journey towards getting a guide dog.

I know that eventually my eyesight will get worse. But being able to use a cane gives me more confidence going out on my own, I’m happy that it gives people awareness, especially drivers. It makes me feel safer.”

Following the Living Well with Sight Loss course Lorna is also looking at new college course options.

Carolyn started losing her sight in 2019, just before lockdown, when many support services were put on hold. The loss of her driving licence was particularly hard for her.

“I’ve always been extremely confident, but sight loss really made me lose that confidence. My friends noticed that I started to withdraw, and I was reluctant to ask for help.”

Carolyn’s sight degenerated and four years later she was registered severely sight impaired. At a hospital appointment she met the ECLO who introduced her to Sight Loss Shropshire.

“I really enjoyed the ‘Living Well with Sight Loss’ phone course, it was suggested on this call that I should have look into guide dogs. I never thought about it until this point and I never thought I’d qualify, but after the volunteer’s advice of not ruling myself out I contacted The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and got accepted. I am so excited about the independence that this means!”

Carolyn, who used to love writing letters and accessing social media, also took up Sight Loss Shropshire’s Tech Training service and other face-to-face opportunities:

“It’s about more than just information, it’s about meeting likeminded people who share their own experience of sight loss. There is a lot of understanding of how people feel, it’s almost magical. I started meeting sight impaired people through various groups, the positive attitude of some of these people is inspiring!”