Advice and guidance Local and national organisations. Expand Cambridge Job Centre Plus Henry Giles House, 73-79 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3BQContact 0845 604 3719 Website Cambridge Citizens Advice Bureau 66 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, CB1 2BLContact 0344 848 7979 Email Website Citizens Advice Rural Cambs Contact 0344 2451292 Website Adult Sensory Services Sensory Services works with adults, and some children, who are deaf-blind, deaf, hard of hearing, registered blind, partially sighted or experiencing visual loss to help them stay as independent as possible. Contact 0345 045 5202 Email Website Children Sensory Services Sensory Services' Visual Impairment team support children who have a medically diagnosed visual impairment, which cannot be corrected by wearing glasses, to receive specialist help with their education and learning. Contact 01480 373434 Email Website RNIB Offers practical help, advice and tips on finance, employment and benefits to support blind and partially sighted people to remain independent.Contact 0303 1239999 Email Website
Common eye conditions A brief overview of the six most common eye conditions. Expand Age-related Macular Degeneration Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a problem with your macula that causes sight distortion or loss to your central vision. It is not painful and it doesn't result in total sight loss. The exact causes are unknown but certain factors are thought to increase your chances of developing AMD such as smoking, sunlight, age and gender. The result of AMD is that when you look directly at something like the TV or photos, it causes a blurry patch in the middle of your vision which over time can become blank. Picture: Example of sight with AMD Diabetic retinopathy Diabetes is a condition where the amount of sugar in your blood is too high. To regulate the amount of sugar in your blood your body relies upon a hormone called insulin. Diabetes occurs when your body either produces very little or none of the hormone insulin (called Type 1 diabetes) or the insulin that is produced does not work properly or there isn’t enough of it (called Type 2 diabetes). Both types of diabetes can cause damage to tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye that supply the retina. This is called diabetic retinopathy. The blood vessels may swell and leak blood or fluid, or larger blood vessels may become blocked causing new, very weak blood vessels to grow in the wrong place on the retina. In very advanced cases, the retina can become detached. Diabetic retinopathy is very varied in severity. If mild and the blood vessels only swell or leak slightly, you may not notice any symptoms at all. If the blood vessels affected are on the macula, your central vision and ability to see detail will be affected. In the more advanced stages or if the diabetes isn’t controlled, blood vessels can bleed more severely and more suddenly obscuring patches of your sight where the bleeds occur. Total sight loss can occur in extreme cases. With diabetic retinopathy vision can change continually and unpredictably, even over the course of a day or within a day. This could mean a deterioration in sight or maybe just a change as the patches of obscurity move around. Picture: Example of sight with diabetic retinopathy Cataracts A cataract is a clouding of part of your eye called the lens. A common myth is that it is a layer of skin that grows over your eye. Many people over 60 have some cataract and the vast majority can be treated successfully. Early cataracts may not affect your sight and do not need treatment. Cataracts can form at any age. The most common type of cataract is age-related cataract and they develop as people get older. In younger people cataracts can result from conditions such as diabetes, certain medications and other longstanding eye problems. Cataracts can also be present at birth. These are called congenital cataracts. Cataracts causes vision to become blurred as the cataract is like a frosted glass interfering with your sight. Picture: Example of sight with cataracts Glaucoma Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions which cause damage to the optic nerve. This damage can be caused by increased pressure in the eye damaging the optic nerve, or by a weakened optic nerve, or often by a combination of the two. This high pressure in the eye is not linked to blood pressure. It is caused when drainage channels in the eye become blocked and there is a build-up of fluid in the eye. There are different types of Glaucoma depending upon the speed at which the drainage channels become blocked or whether another eye condition has caused the Glaucoma. In very rare cases babies can have Glaucoma caused by a malformation of the eye. Glaucoma can develop very slowly and may be symptom-free at first. Left to develop untreated it can cause loss of your side (peripheral) vision leaving you only able to see things directly in front of you (tunnel vision). Picture: Example of sight with glaucoma Retinitis Pigmentosa Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of inherited diseases of the retina that all lead to a gradual progressive reduction in vision. The age at which symptoms start is variable and may vary with the different genetic types. The rate at which vision deteriorates is also variable but is generally very slow with changes occurring over years rather than months. In approximately half of all cases (50 to 60%) there are other family members with RP. Difficulties with night vision and peripheral vision are usually the first things that are noticed. Later, reading vision (detailed vision) and colour vision are usually affected and eventually some people may become blind. Picture: Example of sight with RP Charles Bonnet Syndrome Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) is a common condition among people who have lost their sight. It causes people who have lost a lot of vision to see things that aren't really there, known as visual hallucinations. CBS can be distressing but the hallucinations are usually not permanent. Many people experience hallucinations for a year to eighteen months before they become a lot less frequent.
Cam Sight since 1945 The post-war years saw the Society moving into new ventures as it now worked with other providers to improve the support provided. Expand The post-war years saw the Society moving into new ventures as it now worked with other providers to improve the support provided. Many members of the its community, paid staff, volunteers and those who benefited from their services have left accounts or spoken of their relationships within the community.Their observations and memories have enriched our knowledge of this period. One of the Society’s first measures was to establish a home for elderly blind people. Money came from the Society’s own funds, donations from Cambridge colleges and a grant of £1,100 from the R.N.I.B. Called ‘Blantyre’, it opened in 1946 at 24 Glisson Road. Seven years later, it was enlarged to house six men and twelve women. In 1954, a second establishment, ‘Kendal’ was opened at 35 Glisson Road. This building housed seven women in need of special care. In 1964 and 1978 more properties were purchased nearby. Individuals were expected to pay rent, but shortfalls were made up by the council whilst the Society took on the responsibility of maintaining the properties. By 1992, twenty-seven residents were living in the Society’s Cambridge properties. Photos: Blantyre House (left) and news clipping about closure of 'The Blind Shop' (right) The 1980s brought substantial changes as the blind workers’ shop closed its doors in 1982. The Society refocused on visiting visually impaired people in their homes and providing rehabilitation, training, the provision of special equipment and, as always companionship to all its members. In 1984 it developed a resource centre with funding from the Manpower Services Commission. The Society’s manager and two community workers were joined by dozens of volunteers who dedicated themselves to the growing number of people in need of their services. By the early 1990s, 650 blind and partially-sighted people were being assisted. It was at this point that the name Cam Sight was adopted. Increasing numbers of people needed support and new technologies available meant that the 1990s were years of change for Cam Sight. In 1992, the Glisson Road house was closed and sold and the Society’s headquarters moved briefly to Oakington before settling in its current home in Green End Road in 1996. It opened an office and equipment centre at in Chatteris in 2008, which in 2018 moved to Chapel Road in Wisbech. The work of Cam Sight was supported by the development of a team of specialist Sensory Social Workers. The scope of the Resource Centre also evolved as new kinds of low vision equipment increased the independence of visually impaired people. New forms of technology became available and a Technology Trainer was appointed to teach computer skills. Monthly information sessions were introduced to help newly registered people access support and resources available.
Cam Sight Between the Wars In April 1921 it became a formally registered charity as the Cambridge Society for the Blind and within six months, re-named itself the Cambridgeshire Society for the Blind. Expand With the Blind Persons Act of 1920, it became possible to establish a formal register of local blind people and their care became the responsibility of the state in conjunction with local government and local voluntary organisations.The Cambridge Society was well placed to step in and help. In April 1921 it became a formally registered charity as the Cambridge Society for the Blind and within six months, re-named itself the Cambridgeshire Society for the Blind. It was given the responsibility by the county council for administering the Blind Persons Act and received a grant from the Ministry of Health. How was this money used? Two home teachers were employed who visited clients and taught Braille and handicrafts. In 1923 they made 2,444 visits to the 146 blind people who were on the register. Another activity was the distribution and maintenance of wireless radio sets distributed through the help of volunteers. The Society operated a Holidays Savings Club offering seven shillings for every pound saved by a blind person towards a holiday. The actual arrangement of the holiday, often at the seaside was undertaken by the Society. The work of the Society did not stop there. It bought craft implements for blind people taking up a trade and made money available to people buying a house or needing a housekeeper. Toys and school uniforms were purchased for children. After 1930 however, the grant from central government ceased and funding of the scheme was transferred to the local authority. You can read an example of meeting notes from 1920s, transcribed here. The Depression of the 1930s proved an enormous challenge for Cam Sight. In Parliament there were calls by Labour for the state to take over all responsibility for blind people but the National Government believed this would remove any incentive for blind people to earn a living. Cambridgeshire had an estimated two hundred blind people in the 1930s and the organisation made sure they were supported. Cam Sight collaborated with National Institute for the Blind and the National Library for the Blind to try to maintain the activities on offer. Finally, Cam Sight appealed to the public for funds to make sure visually impaired people did not suffer unduly at a time of deprivation. The only public money Cam Sight received was the grant from Cambridgeshire County Council but this had to be used for administration and training, not for assisting blind people in poverty. However, money raised by the Society through charitable donation was used for their care. In 1936, the Society actively championed the cause of blind people who were unemployed. Cambridgeshire was one of the few counties that looked after visually impaired people through the Victorian Poor Law which was coming to the end of its long life. The ‘dole’ was administered by the local Public Assistance Committee. On behalf of the Society, Mrs Rackham moved at a council meeting that that blind people should be relieved through the Blind Persons Act. Mrs Rackham disputed that the dole was adequate for the needs of blind people. In her view, an extra five shillings a week should be awarded to three blind people in the area who were destitute. Although Alderman Tebbutt for Cambridgeshire County Council resisted her proposal claiming that it was merely ‘sob stuff’, but the Committee came round to the idea and awarded the money. In terms of the services it provided, the Society was active in promoting the use of Braille as well as other skills useful for work. A young girl who was both deaf and blind, was provided with a home teacher by the Society who helped her to converse with others by manipulating the hand with a special code. The Society also assisted a man who lost his sight in middle age. He was helped to find work he could manage and ended up running a lodging house. The Society also developed a close working relationship with Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Cam Sight was organised by a committee of both sexes but is difficult to ignore the contribution of some formidable women, particularly Mrs. Adene. Mrs Adene was the Society’s president in the interwar years and she also chaired the local Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, which sought to prevent blindness in children. Charitable organisations like the Cambridgeshire Society gave women a distinctive social prominence. Mrs. Adene organised sales of goods that, she proudly proclaimed competed in price with goods made by sighted workers. Entertainment was provided through weekly club meetings and summer garden parties. Mrs Adene held a garden party at her home at Babraham Hall, that was attended by blind people from twenty villages in Cambridgeshire. Fund raising activities included local amateur dramatics in which blind members took part. Strong support for the Society’s work at local level came from churches in the Cambridge area. The Society continued to be active in promoting wireless (radio) for blind people and to ensure that sets were made available in many homes. The use of white sticks was an innovation in the 1930s and the Society received a grant for their purchase. The Society also helped to educate the public by arranging for a feature in the local press, which commented that the sticks should encourage sighted people to offer assistance and to allow the blind to ‘walk in the streets in safety and comfort’. It warranted the publication of a photograph of four blind people with their new sticks so that motorists and pedestrians would be aware of its meaning. During the Second World War, the Society played an active part by looking after forty five blind evacuee children. Change came with the end of the war when the county council took over many of its activities. After the war, Cambridgeshire Council took over all responsibility for the care of blind people and brought the Society’s home teachers under its control. The Society retained its shop however and its weekly Friday club for members. The Society became a limited company in 1950.
The Origins of Cam Sight Two Cambridge ladies, Mrs Stace and Mrs Lilley, enjoyed the friendship of a blind neighbour, Mrs. Chandler. It was Mrs Chandler who suggested that a space should be made available for local blind people to come together for recreation and support. Expand Two Cambridge ladies, Mrs Stace and Mrs Lilley, enjoyed the friendship of a blind neighbour, Mrs. Chandler. It was Mrs Chandler who suggested that a space should be made available for local blind people to come together for recreation and support. Photos: Mrs Lilley (left) and Mrs Stace (right) Mrs Stace rented a parish room at St Andrew’s Church for the afternoon of 28thOctober 1912. They planned a programme which began with a reading, then provided a class in basket weaving. This was followed by an entertainment and finally, tea. From that time Friday afternoons offered a time when blind people in Cambridge could meet for comradeship, learn a new skill and enjoy themselves. Right from the start, the Society’s aim was not simply to provide sympathy and support, but to enable visually impaired people to become self-reliant. This aim continues today. Read Mrs Stace’s profile, transcribed from a newspaper article published at the time. How were blind people looked after before this time? As early as 1791, a school for blind children had been established in Liverpool but there was no systematic help overall. In the Victorian period, much of the work undertaken with blind people varied depending on social class. Whilst the well-off might have individual tuition in Braille or servants to help them, care of blind paupers focused on providing them with a trade rather than teaching them to read. Improvements in health, particularly in surgery and following the decline of diseases like smallpox, had not eradicated blindness but managed to reduce its incidence. What would become the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) had been created in 1868. The organisation initially focused on encouraging the teaching of Braille, but over time it expanded its services to include care homes and, by the 1920s to providing wireless radio access to those in need, as well as other new technologies. The amount of government aid for the poor was extremely limited. Central funding commenced with the 1893 Education Act which required that all children be educated, including those who were blind and partially sighted. How this was to be achieved was not made clear and was often left to local solutions. In these years, basket weaving and craft-work were the mainstay of the Cambridge Society’s activities. The Society was funded by donations and by the sale of goods made by blind people themselves. In 1915, the Blind Workers’ Shop was established at 5 Emmanuel Street, moving to 28 Regent Street in 1938. It sold baskets, wickerwork, knitted items and other goods made by blind people and took orders for the caning of chairs. In 1919, Mrs. Stace was funded by subscriptions from friends to engage a home teacher to visit blind people. This was an important step in the development of the Society and a period of growth for Cam Sight overall. It began to support people in areas surrounding Cambridge and the number of members increased particularly in the aftermath of the Great War. Photos: 'Blind Club' basket weavers (left) and Phillip Brand, blind client, with a model fire engine he made (right)