Managing your health and well-being with sight loss

Published on 9 Aug 2022

Our Rehabilitation Officers for People with Vision Impairment (ROVIs) work directly with blind veterans, helping them rebuild their lives with practical, technical and emotional support.

Here are some of their top tips for health and well-being when living with a vision impairment.

Taking medication

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your prescription tablets can be put in a blister pack, split into your daily doses, so that your pills are easier to take.
When popping tablets out from blister packs, keep a bowl underneath to catch any tablets that fall.

A photo of a daily medication sorter — A daily medication sorter

Opticians

It is important that you have an annual eye health check at your opticians or eye hospital. This is recommended even for people with long-standing eye conditions. It will ensure that any changes in your sight or other health conditions are detected early.

Motivation/making a change

If you’re struggling to do something or to make a positive change in your life, try the five-second rule. Take a moment, count back from five to one and give it a go. Taking a few seconds to reset can give you that push you need to get going.

An icon of a person talking on a smartphone — We made 12,441 befriending telephone calls in the past year

Sight loss resources

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.

Photo of blind veterans Ken, left, and Richard, right, gardening

Sight loss resources