A cane may be a good idea but you should talk to a Low Vision Specialist or an Orientation and Mobility Instructor. There is a training program for the legally blind to help you safely navigate and and O&M Instructor will guide you through it. Wishing you the best.

even if you are not ready for training, a cane will tell others that you are visually-impaired too. People have been far more polite to me with a cane in my hand or even under my arm than without.

I think there is no harm getting the cane and the training. Then you can choose when and where to use it. It won't be something you need every waking hour but when you are somewhere new, busy or a day your eyes are tired it's a great thing to have in your bag. Also as someone else has said, the treatment you get with a cane can be amazingly good ;)

Our daughter is trained from when she was 6 or so but we don't use it all the time, someday we'll take it just to keep the practice up somewhere nice and smooth like a shopping centre, or somewhere a bit manic and busy like entering a zoo, amusement Park, airport etc

Do it. You should get the proper training to use one too. Trust me it will help you especially if you trip over things a lot. You might feel embarrassed at first but once you get over that you will see how amazing canes are!

$1

whats your visual acuity? are you classified as legally blind?