Sight loss takes many, many forms. Visual impairment is a deeply personal experience and no two cases are the same. Some people don’t see in the dark - others are badly affected by bright sunlight. Some have a restricted field of vision, whether peripherally, centrally or patchy loss, but most experience a loss of contrast. Two people with the same eye condition will cope in different ways with a similar impairment. Sight varies - some days we see far better than on others.

How is visual impairment measured? Partial sight can be hard to judge, there being so many variables. However, put simply, if you cannot read normal newsprint whilst wearing glasses or contact lenses then you could be considered to be partially sighted. Blindness and partial sight are formally defined terms which relate to the quality of vision but blindness does not necessarily mean the absence of sight.