REGISTRATION EXPLAINED

LVI - Letter of Visual Impairment

If an optician (or optometrist) recognises that your sight cannot be corrected by ordinary spectacles, and that you are finding certain everyday tasks difficult, he or she may give you an LVI.

This is a letter for you to send to your local Social Services department, to ask them for information or support.

We in DAB will also be happy to offer you information and support at this stage, and to make you a member of our Association.

RVI - Referral of Vision Impaired Patient

When you attend a hospital eye clinic, one of the staff may, with your consent, fill in an RVI and ask you to sign it.

This form identifies the fact that changes in your vision are now making daily life difficult, and asks Social Services to assess your need for support.

You may meet one of our DAB volunteers at this point, and again we'll be happy to offer you information and support. It may be that the volunteer you meet also has difficulties caused by changing vision and can speak from experience, although of course every individual's experience is different.

CVI - Certificate of Vision Impairment

If your hospital consultant feels that nothing more can be done to improve your vision, he or she may suggest that you should sign a CVI.

This signifies that you are eligible to be registered with the local Social Services department as sight impaired and will mean that you are registered as disabled, under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Once again, your name will be passed to Social Services for an assessment of your needs.

It is important to remember that this assessment will aim to maximise your independence and to make life easier for you. Your needs may have changed since any earlier assessment.

Registration is voluntary, but if you decline to be registered it may affect your entitlement for some statutory benefits.

The Social Services Department has a legal duty to tell you about the range of services available to you - whether or not you choose to accept formal registration. However, if you decline registration at this stage, you can change your mind later on.

In the meantime, if you would like to talk to someone about your sight loss, please contact:

DAB (Derbyshire Association for the Blind), either in the Eye Clinic you attend or on one of these phone numbers:

• Sightline - 24hr Telephone 07071 881 399
• DAB Derby (01332) 292 262
• DAB Chesterfield (01246) 551 727
• DAB Bolsover (01246) 562 136
• DAB Ilkeston (01159) 440 576
• DAB Swadlincote (01283) 226 000