How do vision-impaired people view the world?
It can be hard to imagine how things appear to blind or partially sighted people.
Many people suffering from sight loss still have some vision left, but their view may be limited or obscured in certain ways. The videos on this page will give you an idea of what it's like to live with sight loss.
Remember, every vision-impaired person's experience is different. People can lose their sight in a variety of ways, whether it's through injury or illness. Even those with the same condition can have different symptoms. These clips – from the US-based National Eye Institute – are just an example of how things can appear to those with sight loss.
Age-related macular degeneration
This disease causes blurriness or spots in the centre of your vision.
Cataracts
Cataracts cause the lens of your eye to become cloudy. It can feel like you're looking through dirty glass.
Diabetic retinopathy
This condition can cause sight loss in people with diabetes. Those with diabetic retinopathy may have blurry vision and see floaters, which are dark spots that move around in their field of vision.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve at the back of the eye, causing vision loss. One of the first signs of the condition is the loss of peripheral vision, or what you see from the sides of your eyes.
Always ask if you’re unsure of something
There’s no such thing as a silly question. If you are a Blind Veterans UK beneficiary and need more information, call our helpline on 0300 111 22 33.
If you are not yet a Blind Veterans UK beneficiary, you can find more information in our urgent help section.
You can also get advice about sight loss from the RNIB. Contact the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999, email them or say ‘Alexa, call RNIB helpline’ to an Alexa-enabled device.
Highlighted content
Hobbies with low vision: gardening
30 Jan 2024
Gardening is one of the best hobbies for someone with sight loss as it can be as simple or as complex as you like.
Hobbies with low vision: fishing
16 Jan 2024
Fishing is the UK's most popular participation sport - and there’s no need to give it up when you lose your sight.
Safeguarding: Keeping people with sight loss safe from abuse
14 Nov 2023
The most common forms of abuse and what to look out for.
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