Making the most of your vision

Independence skills for people with sight loss

We have put together a series of helpful hints and tips to help you with orientation and mobility (O&M), living skills and developing and maintaining your independence. 

Functional vision: getting the most out of the vision you have

Functional vision is about making the best use of any remaining vision that you do have so that you can carry out everyday tasks, such as, reading, socialising and moving around safely and easily. You might find that using your other senses helps and there are various strategies, adaptations and equipment that you can use too.

The eye condition that you have will affect what functional vision you have. You might have areas of vision missing, have problems seeing detail, your ability to see colour might be affected or you might have issues with bright light or glare – or a combination of these. 

Man smiles whilst in a cafe using his cane

Did you know?

Over 90 per cent of people with sight loss have some degree of residual vision. But many of these people struggle to understand the vision they still have and how to make the best use of it.

FAQs

In this section...

Learn strategies to help you make the most of your remaining vision with advice from Guide Dogs. 

These non-visual techniques, such as using mobility aids, listening skills and technology, can help you retain independence as someone with sight loss. 

If you have central vision damage, learn more about some really useful strategies and tools you can use to make everyday activities easier.

Suggestions on how you can use contrast to help you identify items and using your functional vision effectively.

Learn more about adapting to the light and how it can to help with vision impairment.

Guidance on going out in bright weather when you have a vision impairment, such as using anti-glare glasses or coloured lenses to protect your eyes from the sun's rays. 

Aids to help with viewing things in the distance.

Helpful tips to help you to view and read nearby objects.