By Daniel Morgan-Williams, Founding Director, Visualise Training and Consultancy Ltd.
When someone loses a significant amount of sight, the time away from work is rarely just about treatment. They may be adjusting to a diagnosis, learning new ways of reading and getting around, and wondering whether their job is still possible. Meanwhile their employer is waiting for a date, often without knowing what to prepare.
A return planned in that gap usually goes well. A return that simply happens on a date in the diary, with the same desk, the same screen and the same expectations, often does not. This article is for HR, occupational health, case managers and line managers, and for employees themselves. It sets out what to put in place before the first day back, where a return to work assessment fits, and how to shape a phased return around sight loss.
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Why the weeks before the return matter most
Sight loss affects how a person does almost everything at work: reading documents and screens, recognising colleagues, moving around the building, travelling in, and coping with lighting and glare. Most of these barriers can be reduced, but many of the solutions take time. Software has to be installed and learned. Equipment has to be ordered. Travel needs planning. Funding applications take months.
If nothing is arranged until the person is back at their desk, they spend their first weeks struggling with tasks that were never set up for them. That is tiring and discouraging, and it can be misread as a performance problem. The aim is to have the main barriers understood, and the first adjustments in place or at least ordered, before the return date.
What to sort out before the first day back
Keep in touch, and ask. A short, regular conversation during absence helps more than silence. Ask what the person finds hardest now, what already helps, and what they are worried about. Do not assume what they can or cannot see; two people with the same diagnosis can see very differently.
Read the fit note properly. Where a healthcare professional says someone may be fit for work, the fit note can recommend a phased return, altered hours, amended duties or workplace adaptations. GOV.UK guidance asks employers to discuss these options with the employee rather than treat the note as a simple yes or no.
Allow time for rehabilitation. Vision rehabilitation, often delivered by rehabilitation officers working with local councils, covers skills such as getting around safely and managing daily tasks. Learning screen reading or magnification software also takes practice. The Equality and Human Rights Commission gives allowing time off for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment as an example of a reasonable adjustment.
Start Access to Work early. In England, Scotland and Wales, Access to Work can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, support workers, and the cost of travelling to work for someone who cannot use public transport. Northern Ireland has its own scheme. The National Audit Office reported in February 2026 that average processing had reached 109 working days, so an application made on the return date will not help with the first weeks.
Check the job’s driving and travel. If the role involves driving, the employee may need to tell the DVLA about their eye condition, and the role may need to change. Commuting can also change: a person who drove to work may now need a different route, a travel buddy for a period, or Access to Work support with taxi fares.
Prepare the workspace and the team. Lighting, glare, screen position and a consistent layout all matter. So does a short, agreed message to colleagues, shared only with the employee’s consent, about practical things such as saying who you are when you approach and not moving items on their desk.
Where a return to work assessment fits
A return to work assessment for sight loss is a practical, non-clinical look at the person, the job and the workplace together. It does not test vision or decide fitness for work. It identifies the tasks that will be hardest after sight loss and recommends specific adjustments, from software and equipment to changes in how work is organised and communicated.
The timing matters. Carried out before the return date, the assessment gives the employer a list of what to order, install and arrange, and gives the employee confidence that the job has been looked at properly. It also gives a clear basis for an Access to Work application, although the scheme makes its own decisions. Carried out after a return has started badly, it often has to undo assumptions as well as solve problems.
A good report should name each barrier, the adjustment that addresses it, why it helps, and what needs to happen first. That gives HR and line managers something they can act on straight away.
Planning a phased return around sight loss
A phased return usually means fewer hours or days at first, building up over several weeks. Acas advises that the employer and worker agree the plan together and review regularly how it is going. With sight loss, it helps to phase tasks as well as hours. Early days might focus on getting used to new software and routes, with the most screen-heavy or time-critical work brought back once the person is confident with their new tools.
Visual fatigue is real. Reading with magnification or working by listening to a screen reader can be slower and more tiring, especially at first. Build in breaks, avoid stacking long screen tasks back to back, and expect productivity to rise as skills and equipment settle in. Agree review points, and write down what has been agreed so everyone works from the same plan.
Common barriers and adjustments after sight loss
| Barrier | Possible adjustments |
|---|---|
| Reading screens and documents | Built-in accessibility settings, screen magnification or screen reading software, larger monitors, documents in accessible formats |
| Glare and lighting | Repositioning the desk, task lighting, blinds, screen filters, a consistent workstation |
| Getting to and around work | Changed start times to avoid rush hour, route training, Access to Work travel support, a clear and consistent layout |
| Meetings and paperwork | Papers sent in advance in an accessible format, people introducing themselves, verbal descriptions of anything shown on screen |
| Learning new tools | Protected training time, a phased build-up of tasks, follow-up support once the software is in daily use |
| Fatigue | Regular breaks, phased hours, mixing screen tasks with other work |
The right adjustments depend on the person and the role, which is why an individual assessment is more useful than a standard list.
What this means for occupational health, HR and case managers
Three habits make the biggest difference. First, commission the assessment while the person is still off, not after they return. Second, apply for Access to Work in parallel, so that funding decisions catch up with the plan rather than holding it up. Third, treat the return as a process with review points, not an event. A clear report that links each barrier to an adjustment makes it easier to agree a realistic phased return and to explain decisions to the employee, their manager and any insurer involved.
Tips for the employee
- Tell your employer what you find hardest now. Practical detail helps them plan.
- Ask about a return to work assessment before your return date.
- Use the time off to practise with any software or equipment you already have.
- Ask whether your role involves driving, and check the DVLA rules for your condition.
- Keep a note of what was agreed and when it will be reviewed.
Legal rights and support
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers in England, Scotland and Wales must make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. Anyone certified as blind, severely sight impaired, sight impaired or partially sighted by a consultant ophthalmologist is automatically treated as disabled under the Act, and many people with significant sight loss who are not certified will also meet the definition. Certification is voluntary and is completed by an eye specialist through a Certificate of Vision Impairment. Northern Ireland is covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This article is general information, not legal advice; what applies depends on the circumstances.
Summary
A good return after sight loss is planned in the weeks before it happens. Keep in touch, read the fit note, allow time for rehabilitation and training, start Access to Work early and check driving and travel. A return to work assessment carried out before the return date turns that preparation into a specific plan, and a phased return gives the person time to settle in with the right tools.
If you or someone in your team is visually impaired and would like expert, tailored support to stay productive and comfortable at work, visit https://visualisetrainingandconsultancy.com/workplace-assessments/visual-impairment-workplace-assessments/ to arrange a visual impairment workplace assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ideally before the return date, once the person's sight has settled enough to plan around. That gives time to order equipment, install and learn software, and apply for Access to Work.
No. It is a practical, non-clinical assessment of the person, the job and the workplace. It does not test vision or decide whether someone is fit for work.
It can. In England, Scotland and Wales it can help pay for specialist equipment and software, support workers and travel to work if the person cannot use public transport. Decisions can take months, so apply early.
No. Certification as sight impaired or severely sight impaired means a person is automatically treated as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, but many people who are not certified will also meet the definition.
There is no fixed length. It depends on the person, the role and how quickly new tools and routines settle. Agree a plan, review it regularly and adjust as you go.
Sources
GOV.UK, Getting the most out of the fit note: guidance for employers and line managers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fit-note-guidance-for-employers-and-line-managers/getting-the-most-out-of-the-fit-note-guidance-for-employers-and-line-managers
GOV.UK, Access to Work: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
National Audit Office, The Access to Work scheme: summary (February 2026): https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/the-access-to-work-scheme-summary.pdf
Equality and Human Rights Commission, Examples of reasonable adjustments in practice: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/business/employing-people-workplace-adjustments/examples-reasonable-adjustments-practice
The Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010, regulation 7: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2128
Acas, Phased returns: https://www.acas.org.uk/returning-to-work-after-absence/phased-return-to-work
RNIB, Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI): https://www.rnib.org.uk/your-eyes/navigating-sight-loss/registering-as-sight-impaired/certificate-of-vision-impairment/
RNIB, Social care and rehabilitation: https://www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/independent-living/social-care-and-rehabilitation/
GOV.UK, Eye conditions and driving: https://www.gov.uk/eye-conditions-and-driving