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Vision impairment
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Cataracts Cataracts

Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic Retinopathy

Glaucoma / RP Glaucoma / RP

Age Related Macular Degeneration Age Related Macular Degeneration

Normal Vision Normal Vision

There are many kinds of vision impairment. The most common causes are:
  • Age-related Macular Degeneration
  • Cataracts
  • Diabetic Retinopathy
  • Glaucoma
  • Retinitis Pigmentosa
  • Neurological Vision Impairment due to a stroke, tumour or brain injury (e.g. homonymous hemianopia)
These conditions can involve loss of central vision or side vision or indeed the whole field of vision. Sometimes people can see both in front and to the sides but their vision is blurry. Other people may see well in daylight but experience great difficulty indoors or at night. There are many combinations of these.

It is important to understand that different people are affected in different ways by their vision changing. Vision impairment can have an impact on a person's functioning in their home, workplace, school and so on.

At Guide Dogs, we provide advice and training in orientation and mobility, enabling people with vision impairment to move around safely and confidently. As well as guide dogs, our broad range of mobility services includes training with mobility aids such as canes, low vision aids or electronic devices.

Our training programs are tailored to people's individual needs. In fact, we travel anywhere in New South Wales and the ACT to ensure that the training occurs in the relevant surroundings - the home, office or any other convenient location. All our services and mobility aids are provided free of charge.

Legal Blindness

The term 'legal blindness' is often used to determine whether a person is eligible for government concessions. It's categorised in three ways:
  • Acuity: When a person's vision is less than 6/60; i.e. when they can't read the top letter of an eye chart with their best corrected vision in either eye.
  • Field of vision: When a person has less than 10 degrees of vision, compared to a 'normal' field of about 180 degrees.
  • Combination: When there is vision impairment in both the central and peripheral fields.

Low Vision

Low vision describes vision impairment that can't be corrected by ordinary glasses.