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Vision Australia

Vision Australia is a leading national provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia. They are a not-for-profit organisation who work in partnership with Australians who are blind or have low vision to help achieve the possibilities they choose in life.

They support more than 25,500 people of all ages, life stages and circumstances through 35 Vision Australia centres in VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD, SA and WA and through outreach programs in the NT and TAS.

Mission

To support people who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose.

How Vision Australia can help

You can turn to Vision Australia for help with everything involved with adjusting to vision loss, including:

understanding your eye condition and how to make the most of your existing vision
ideas, strategies and support by connecting with people who have similar experiences
learning different ways to do daily tasks at home
getting out and about confidently, including catching public transport
reading in handy formats such as audio books
continuing to enjoy entertainment including television and live performances through audio description.

Information / help line

Call 1300 84 74 66 for help, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm AEST

Programs, apps and tools

Recommended links

Last reviewed: August 2020

Information from this partner

Found 21 results

Understanding eye conditions | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

From symptoms to treatments, find out about a range of common eye conditions.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Stroke | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is it? A stroke happens when the supply of blood to your brain is disrupted, meaning it doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it depends on. In some cases, blood vessels spontaneously burst, causing a haemorrhage or bleeding on the brain. In addition to the key physical issues associated with a stroke, one third of stroke victims have some form of vision loss.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Glaucoma | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is it? A family of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. It leads to the gradual loss of sight, beginning with peripheral vision. There is often no pain or discomfort associated with vision loss from glaucoma. Glaucoma has two main categories – open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. All forms of the disease lead to intraocular pressure that can damage the optic nerves. Problems with drainage can also cause glaucoma. This is because our eyes produce a liquid to clean the eye, nourish it and keep it in shape.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Albinism | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is it? A genetic condition that affects the body’s ability to produce melanin. Albinism comes in two forms: oculocutaneous and ocular. Oculocutaneous albinism affects both skin and eyes, giving people fair skin, white or red hair and pale eyes. Ocular albinism affects the eyes only. Both forms of albinism can cause low vision.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Seeing Eye Dogs | Seeing Eye Dogs Australia

Seeing Eye Dogs, a division of Vision Australia, is the only national breeder, trainer and supplier of Seeing Eye Dogs. What is a Seeing Eye Dog? A Seeing Eye Dog provides someone who is blind or has low vision with the confidence to get around safely and be truly independent. It takes two years and a large investment to graduate a puppy to a Seeing Eye Dog. From around 12 months of age, a Seeing Eye Dog undergoes six months of advanced training.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Blindness and vision loss | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is legal blindness? A person is considered legally blind if they cannot see at six metres what someone with normal vision can see at 60 metres or if their field of vision is less than 20 degrees in diameter. Government departments use the term 'legally blind' to define a person whose degree of sight loss entitles them to special benefits.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Optic Atrophy | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is optic atrophy? Optic Atrophy is the result of degeneration or damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve transports visual information from the eye, to an area of the brain where it is processed. Click below to download the full Accessible Fact Sheets for Optic Atrophy: Accessible Word version (Word, 118KB) - Optic Atrophy

Read more on Vision Australia website

Stargadt's Disease | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is Stargardt's disease? Stargardt's disease is a type of macular degeneration that typically surfaces before the age of 20. It causes a progressive loss of central vision of both eyes, but does not affect peripheral vision.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Cataracts | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is it? One of the most common eye conditions impacting older Australians. A cataract is the clouding of the clear lens in the eye and can be in one or both eyes. It can occur due to ageing but can also affect younger people and babies can be born with cataracts.

Read more on Vision Australia website

Nystagmus | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services

What is it? Rapid, involuntary eye movements that cause the eyes to flicker. The flickering of the eyes can be in any direction, and can be large, small, fast or slow. Abnormal function in areas of the brain that control eye movement causes nystagmus. People with nystagmus do not see their vision shaking in constant movement. Nystagmus can be present at birth or develop later in life.

Read more on Vision Australia website

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