What happens at a low vision appointment

Our low vision service is a free assessment for people in Cornwall who have eye conditions which cannot be improved with surgery or prescription glasses.

If you need more information on how to get an appointment, click here to visit our low vision webpage.

When people are referred to iSightCornwall’s low vision service by their optician or eye consultant, they often don’t know what to expect from their appointment so we’ve put together a useful overview:

Before you get to your appointment

Before you get to your appointment, you will receive a phone call asking you which low vision clinic you would prefer to attend, usually the one closest to you. We have clinics in Camborne, Falmouth, Helston, Penzance, St Austell, Truro and Wadebridge.

Your appointment

Your appointment will last approximately one hour and during that time you will be assessed on your reading vision, distance vision and how glare and light affects your vision. At the end of your appointment you will be given a number of different low vision aids to keep on a free long-term loan.

Assessment

The assessment of reading vision helps us to prescribe the appropriate magnifiers for you. There are three types of magnifiers available: handheld, stand magnifiers, and pocket magnifiers. We look at what type would work best for you (sometimes it can be all three!) as well as hands-free magnifiers where applicable.

To assess your distance vision we use an eye chart in the clinic and set it at the distance of your TV to find out if MaxTV spectacles or MaxTV clips (which fit over your prescription glasses) would offer you more clarity or detail when watching television at home.

We can also investigate other aids to enhance distance vision such as a monocular or binoculars. Glare and light can profoundly affect your vision so we offer a range of filters that can reduce glare and enhance your vision. During your assessment you can try out a range of different colour filters to find out which ones work best for your eye condition.

Finally, we can talk to you about any other services we provide to help with your sight loss.

Questions and support

Our Low Vision advisor will be able to answer any questions you may have during your appointment but if you have any worries or questions before your appointment, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01872 261110.