Clive, 82, has been living with glaucoma for more than 40 years. Throughout that time, he attended regular appointments with his optician to monitor his eye pressure. When his pressures became unstable and his sight began to deteriorate further, he was referred to Frimley Park Hospital for specialist care which included regular eye drops and surgery.
Over time, Clive’s sight continued to decline. Today, he has no sight in his right eye and very limited vision in his left, and has his pressures checked every 3 weeks to ensure he can maintain his remaining sight. He is unable to recognise people’s facial features and has had to adapt to a very different way of life.
One of the most difficult challenges he faced was giving up driving seven years ago. Having always enjoyed the independence of owning and driving a car, he found the transition extremely difficult.
“I felt I’d come down in the world, standing at a bus stop in the cold and rain waiting for an unreliable bus.”
Initially, Clive found the experience depressing, but he knew he had to adjust.
“I had to pull myself together and get on with life.”
Over time, public transport became his route to maintaining independence and staying being part of the world.
Despite his sight loss, Clive remains active. He enjoys walking and attends the gym twice a week, supported by transport provided through a local mobility charity. He uses a long white cane with a rolling ball tip and does not travel anywhere without it.
“It reassures me because people can see I’m visually impaired, and I know I can ask for help if I need it.”
He has found bus drivers particularly helpful and supportive.
Clive was referred to Berkshire Vision by Guide Dogs. One of the first services he accessed was support from a Tech Buddy, who helped him set up the accessibility features on his smartphone.
He later attended Berkshire Vision’s Living Well with Sight Loss course, which he found extremely valuable. Saying “It changed my life, the course gave me lots of useful information.”
One of the most significant outcomes was learning about the Blind Person’s Tax Allowance. Clive applied and received a backdated rebate. As a result, he is now approximately £70 better off each month.
The technology support has also made a huge difference. After the Living Well with Sight Loss Course, Clive had another Tech Buddy visit, who set up his phone with text to speech. His phone now reads out emails, text messages, web pages and news articles, allowing him to access information independently. When he later experienced issues with Audible, a Tech Buddy visited and resolved the problem, enabling him to continue enjoying audiobooks.
“I was delighted to be able to use it again.”
Clive has also received demonstrations of assistive technology from Berkshire Vision’s Sight Loss Support Officer Dom, including Cocoon glasses and Meta smart glasses. He is now considering investing in some of this technology to further support his independence.
At home, Clive continues to enjoy cooking, although he finds it more challenging than before. To help distinguish between kitchen items, he uses utensils in different colours. He also still irons his own clothes, something he takes pride in being able to continue doing independently.
One of his greatest frustrations is no longer being able to carry out small DIY jobs around the house, activities he previously enjoyed and managed without difficulty.
Alongside practical support, Clive has attended Berkshire Vision social groups on several occasions and has enjoyed the opportunity to meet others with shared experiences. He is keen to attend more regularly in the future and is particularly interested in trying tandem cycling.
With the support of Berkshire Vision, Clive has gained practical skills, accessed financial support, embraced assistive technology and maintained an active, independent lifestyle despite significant sight loss. While glaucoma has dramatically changed many aspects of his life, Clive continues to adapt and look positively towards new opportunities.