Registering as sight impaired starts at the hospital eye clinic, where a consultant ophthalmologist can sign a Certificate of Vision Impairment, known as a CVI. With your agreement, a copy goes to Hertfordshire County Council, which should then contact you to offer registration and support.
To talk anything through with someone local, our Potters Bar team is on 01707 714 000.
What does registering as sight impaired actually mean?
There are two levels. "Sight impaired" used to be called partially sighted. "Severely sight impaired" used to be called blind. The consultant decides which applies, based on how well the better eye sees and how wide its field of vision is.
Registration itself is voluntary. It is simply your name on the council's sight register. It takes nothing away, and it can open the door to sensory impairment care and support at home.
If a parent is already struggling with post, steps or the cooker, our article on helping a parent whose sight is failing covers the everyday safety side first.
How does the certificate work?
The CVI is a form completed at the eye clinic. The consultant fills in the medical sections and signs it. Clinic staff, such as an eye clinic liaison officer, may help with the rest.
You do not have to wait until treatment has finished. NICE's quality standard on serious eye disorders says adults should be offered a CVI as soon as they are eligible. You can also choose not to have one.
Consent matters at every step. With your agreement, copies go to your GP and to the council. You also receive your own copy in a format you can read.
What if nobody has mentioned it?
Ask at the next eye clinic appointment: "Would I qualify for a CVI?" If appointments are tiring, write the question down beforehand.
What happens after the council receives the CVI?
The council should contact you within about two weeks. Sometimes another organisation calls on the council's behalf. If six weeks pass with no word, RNIB advises contacting the council's sensory team directly.
In Hertfordshire, that is the county council's Sensory Services Team, on 0300 123 4042. They will explain registration and ask whether you want to be added.
The CVI also works as a referral for a needs assessment. So the call can be the start of practical help, not only paperwork.
What can registering as sight impaired unlock?
The biggest benefit is often the council's own support. Hertfordshire County Council's sensory services describe vision rehabilitation, mobility and white cane training, and equipment with help to use it. Staff can also check that lighting and layout at home suit the person's sight.
Registration can also support claims and concessions. The Macular Society lists, for example:
- help with travel, such as a Disabled Persons Railcard, a bus pass and Blue Badge parking
- Blind Person's Allowance, an extra amount of tax-free income
- a TV licence concession, depending on the level of sight loss
- free postage for some items through Articles for the Blind
- library services in audio, large print and braille
Some of these depend on the level. For example, Blind Person's Allowance needs registration as severely sight impaired. The half-price TV licence is also for severely sight impaired people only.
Do you have to be registered to get help?
No. Under the Care Act 2014, the council must assess care and support needs whether or not someone chooses to register.
Who else can help locally?
Herts Vision Loss is a Hertfordshire charity supporting blind and visually impaired people. It supports patients at low vision hospital eye clinics across Hertfordshire, and offers home visits, befriending and counselling. Its number is 01707 324680, and the council's own page points families to it for help with the CVI.
Around Potters Bar, Cuffley and South Mimms, these services work alongside the GP and the eye clinic.
A carer can help put rehabilitation advice into daily practice. For example, keeping things in the same places, reading letters aloud and walking a familiar route together. Our sight loss care at home can include this kind of everyday support.
How does this fit with care at home?
Registering as sight impaired and arranging care are separate steps, so you can do either first. Neither depends on the other, and both can run at the same time.
Any care at home should start with a written care plan. It records how your parent likes things done, what they can manage and where help is needed. Our guide to what a care plan contains explains this in plain terms.
Where sight loss sits alongside hearing loss, the support needs to cover both. Our piece on dual sensory loss in later life looks at that combination.
Frequently asked questions
Does Starling Homecare provide sensory impairment care in Hertfordshire?
Yes. Starling Homecare is an independent, family run provider based in St Albans and registered with the Care Quality Commission. We provide sensory impairment care at home in Hertfordshire, through visiting care and live-in care. You can read more on our sensory impairment care page.
Can my mum register if she is still having eye injections?
Yes, if she meets the criteria. NICE says a CVI should be offered as soon as someone is eligible, even during treatment. Ask the consultant or the eye clinic liaison officer at her next appointment.
Will registering mean my dad loses his independence?
No. The register is a record held by the council, and joining it is his choice. The support it opens, such as vision rehabilitation, is aimed at helping him keep doing things for himself.
Can someone come off the register later?
Registration is voluntary. If sight improves so that a person no longer qualifies, the consultant should tell the GP and the council, and the council should arrange to take them off the register. A call to the Sensory Services Team is the place to start.
Is registering as sight impaired the same as claiming benefits?
No. Benefits such as Attendance Allowance are claimed separately and are based on care needs. Registration does not replace a claim, so it is worth looking at both.
Starling Homecare is an independent, family run home care provider registered with the Care Quality Commission. Our Potters Bar team visits homes across EN6, including Cuffley and South Mimms, from 30 minute visits upwards. You can read more about our home care in Potters Bar, and we are glad to talk through what regular visits could look like.
Figures and guidance checked on 8 November 2026 against the Department of Health and Social Care CVI guidance, Hertfordshire County Council, RNIB and GOV.UK.
Arranging Care Is Simple
Starting care can feel like a big step. We keep it calm and straightforward, and we are here to guide you from your very first call.
1. Talk to us
Get in touch by phone or request a callback. We will listen, answer your questions and help you understand the options, so you can decide what feels right in your own time.
2. A home visit and initial consultation
We arrange a visit to understand your routines, your home and what matters most to you. Together we agree an initial consultation and shape the support that feels right.
3. Your care begins
A small, familiar team starts your care, arriving at the agreed times and staying involved as your needs change. We remain your trusted adviser throughout.
Whenever you are ready, we are here to help.