Certificate of Vision Impairment: Registered Blind in the UK

In the UK, being "registered blind" means two things have happened: a consultant ophthalmologist has certified you as severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (partially sighted) on a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI), and you have agreed to be added to your local council's register. The certificate comes first; the register is your choice. RNIB describes registration this way: "It's voluntary and is completely confidential and your details won't be shared" (RNIB).

Below: what the certificate is and who signs it, what the two categories mean, the guidelines eye specialists use, what happens after the eye clinic, and what the form is called in each UK nation. Official pages were checked on October 30, 2026. This explains what those pages say; it isn't medical or legal advice. For questions about your own eyes, ask your eye clinic.

Key points

• Two categories. Sight impaired was "previously referred to as partially sighted," and severely sight impaired was "previously referred to as blind" (GOV.UK Explanatory Notes).
• A consultant ophthalmologist decides. The sight guidelines are "used for guidance purposes only."
• The certificate is not the register. The form says: "You can choose whether or not to be registered" (CVI form).
• Severely sight impaired doesn't mean seeing nothing. It "does not necessarily mean that you are totally without sight" (nidirect).
• Each nation has its own form. CVI in England and Wales, CVI (Scotland) since April 2018, and in Northern Ireland a form RNIB calls the A655.
• It isn't the US legal blindness test. See what is legally blind?

The CVI at a glance

What is the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI)?

The CVI is a form, published for England by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its full title names both categories: sight impaired (partially sighted) and severely sight impaired (blind). The current version dates from August 2017, and GOV.UK offers it in several formats, including plain text and large font (GOV.UK). Many people search for it as the "certificate of visual impairment"; the nidirect page for Northern Ireland uses that wording in its title too.

The form's information sheet says the certificate "has three main functions" (CVI form):

1. It qualifies you to be registered with your local council.
2. It tells your council about your sight loss, so they can offer registration and ask what help you might need.
3. It records the causes of sight loss, which is used to plan NHS eye care and research.

Who fills it in

The path usually starts on the high street. RNIB's steps: a check with an optician (optometrist) or your GP, then a referral to a hospital eye clinic, where an ophthalmologist examines your eyes (RNIB).

If the specialist judges that you can be certified, the form has one box for each category: "This person is sight impaired (partially sighted)" or "This person is severely sight impaired (blind)." The consultant ophthalmologist ticks one, fills in the medical sections and signs. Eye clinic staff, such as an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO), can help with other parts, and the notes say "The patient should be actively involved in completing the form" (GOV.UK Explanatory Notes).

You also sign a consent section. It lets the clinic send copies to your GP, your local council and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' Certifications Office, which collects information about eye conditions. You don't have to consent to any of these, and the form says you can withdraw consent at any point.

Sight impaired and severely sight impaired: what the words mean

These are the official terms on the certificate, and they replaced older ones:

• Sight impaired is what used to be called partially sighted. The form still prints the old term in brackets.
• Severely sight impaired is what used to be called blind, again in brackets on the form.

Both are categories for a certificate, not descriptions of what a person sees. Many people with either certificate still see something: light, shapes, colors or part of the visual field. That is why Northern Ireland's sheet says the stricter category doesn't necessarily mean being without sight. For what people with sight loss describe in their own words, see what do blind people see?

"Partially sighted" is still common in everyday speech and in the names of services, so you will meet both sets of words.

The criteria for certification

The guidelines for England are in the Explanatory Notes for consultant ophthalmologists (GOV.UK, August 2017). They use two measurements: visual acuity, how much detail you see at a distance, read from a Snellen eye chart with your glasses or contact lenses on; and visual field, how much you see around the edges while looking straight ahead. RNIB explains the notation: 6/60 means you see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision sees from 60 metres (RNIB).

The notes group people like this. They apply to the better-seeing eye:

Three things the notes and RNIB add:

• The groups are guidelines. The notes say they are "used for guidance purposes only," and that the decision is "ultimately a matter of professional judgement." A person whose sight failed recently may find it harder to adapt, and the notes ask the specialist to take that into account.
• Both eyes count. "You need sight loss in both eyes to be considered for a certificate," says RNIB.
• The specialist may wait. RNIB lists reasons a specialist may not certify you yet: the guidelines aren't met, the sight loss may not be permanent, or a treatment that could help is still under way. If you disagree, RNIB suggests asking your GP about a second specialist, who follows the same rules.

For children and young people, the notes say certification uses the vision of both eyes together.

After the eye clinic: the council and the register

If you agree, the clinic sends the certificate to your local council within 5 working days, according to the form. Its information sheet adds: "They should contact you within two weeks to offer registration." The easy read letter tells you who to contact if you don't hear from your council in that time (GOV.UK).

Councils have to keep the register. In England, the Care Act 2014 says a local authority "must establish and maintain a register of sight-impaired and severely sight-impaired adults" (Care Act 2014, section 77).

Being on it is up to you. In the consent section, you sign that you know "I do not have to accept any help, or be registered at that time." RNIB adds that if you choose not to register, "you can still get support from social services." If you do register, the council should offer you a card that confirms it. The form says registration can make it easier to prove your sight loss and your "eligibility for certain concessions"; RNIB's registration page explains which ones.

The council should also talk to you about support. For adults, the form names vision rehabilitation: "support or training to help you to maximise your independence," such as moving around your home and getting out safely. RNIB's CVI page says rehabilitation services provide equipment, home adaptations, and training for daily living and mobility (RNIB). For what that training usually covers, see our guide to vision rehabilitation (written for the US, but the skills are the same).

Two more things the official papers say:

• Driving. The England form tells people certified in either category: "you must not drive and you must inform the DVLA." Northern Ireland's sheet says the DVLA "will consider each case on an individual basis."
• If your sight improves. The notes say the ophthalmologist writes to your GP and the council, and the council takes you off the register.

Children and young people

For a child, the notes say the CVI can act as a referral to children's social services, but it is not the route to special educational support: that comes from the council's specialist education vision impairment service. The form is clear: "You do not need to be certified or registered to receive this support." In Scotland, children under 16 are not certified on the CVI at all (see below).

CVI, CVI (Scotland) and A655: the names in each UK nation

Scotland. RNIB says the Scottish Government introduced the CVI (Scotland) form on 1 April 2018: "This replaces the BP1 form" (RNIB). NHS Scotland's network for children with sight loss also dates it to April 2018 (VINCYP). The explanatory notes open with the age limit: "This form is not to be used for those aged under 16 years"; children go to the Visual Impairment Network for Children and Young People (VINCYP) instead (NHS Scotland). Registration in Scotland is voluntary too. You may still see "BP1" on older pages, including some of RNIB's.

Northern Ireland. The information sheet on nidirect says the certificate lets your local Health and Social Care Trust know about your sight loss, and the Trust has "a duty to contact you" about help with day-to-day tasks (nidirect).

Registered blind in the UK and legally blind in the US

The two systems answer different questions, and the lines don't match. In the US, legal blindness is a fixed test: 20/200 or worse in the better eye with correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. We explain it in what is legally blind?

In the UK, a specialist certifies one of two categories, using guideline groups and judgment. On the groups alone, someone at 6/60 with a full field would fall under sight impaired, not severely sight impaired. 6/60 is the same ratio as 20/200: one tenth of the distance. So the UK's "blind" category is narrower than the US one.

Reading and getting around after a CVI

A certificate often comes with new questions about reading, phones and getting out. People with sight loss read in different ways: large print and magnification, audio, a screen reader, braille, or a mix. Our guide to how blind people read covers each one, and low vision aids explains magnifiers and other tools.

If you start with a cane, you may meet the UK's short symbol cane, which signals low vision rather than finding obstacles: see white canes. For braille, RNIB runs courses for adults, listed in learning braille as an adult.

Where Braillito fits

Braillito, our app, teaches braille. It teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. The English lessons are uncontracted braille (grade 1); they don't teach contracted braille or transcription, and Braillito isn't a braille transcriber.

Braillito has nothing to do with certification or registration, and it doesn't replace vision rehabilitation or a braille teacher. If you or someone in your family has just been certified and wants to try braille, the cells are where it starts, at your own pace and alongside whatever else works for you. The translator on braillito.com shows how a word or short phrase looks in UEB, but it only applies the rules a program can apply, so it doesn't replace a transcriber. Without paying, the braille translator works in any browser.

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

What does registered blind mean?

In the UK, it means a consultant ophthalmologist has certified you as severely sight impaired (blind) on a Certificate of Vision Impairment, and you have agreed to be on your local council's register. Registered partially sighted works the same way for the sight impaired category.

What does partially sighted mean?

It is the older name for sight impaired, the less severe of the two categories on the certificate. The form still prints it in brackets next to the new term.

Who can issue a Certificate of Vision Impairment?

A consultant ophthalmologist, usually at a hospital eye clinic. An optician or GP can refer you there, but they don't sign the certificate.

Is registering as sight impaired compulsory?

No. The certificate lets your council contact you, and you decide whether to be added to the register. You can still get support from social services if you say no.

What is the difference between sight impaired and severely sight impaired?

They are the two categories on the certificate, set by guideline groups of visual acuity and field of vision and by the specialist's judgment. Severely sight impaired is the more serious one, but it doesn't necessarily mean a person sees nothing.

Is the CVI the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Each nation has its own form. Scotland uses the CVI (Scotland), which replaced the BP1 in April 2018 and is for people aged 16 and over. In Northern Ireland, RNIB calls the form A655, and the nidirect information sheet calls it a CVI.