Low Vision
What is Low Vision?
Low vision is the permanent loss of visual acuity or perception due to eye diseases or eye injuries. Low vision usually can not be improved by eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine, or vision correction and everyday activities like reading, driving, and watching TV become very difficult.
Different degrees of low vision range from miniscule visual impairment to blurry vision to being almost totally blind. People with low vision sometimes lose the ability to drive, read, move about, and even distinguish different colors. This can cause a lot of stress and lead to depression, job loss, and worse. However there are solutions but people with low vision must get the proper help even if they are not willing to get help for themselves. Friends and family should learn more about low vision and try to get them the help to live a normal life.
Signs of Low Vision
- Difficulty distinguishing colors
- Difficulty reading
- Difficulty distinguishing objects
- Difficulty recognizing faces
- Difficulty seeing objects
- Difficulty seeing signs and posts
Photos of how people with low vision might see.
Normal Vision |
|
 |
|
What someone with Diabetic Retinopathy might see |
What someone with Glaucoma might see |
 |
 |
What someone with AMD might see |
What someone with Cataracts might see |
 |
 |
Solutions of Low Vision
Although there is no cure for low vision, there is vision rehabilitation. Vision rehabilitation teaches a person with low vision how to accomplish everyday tasks, how to use new devices like video magnifiers and talking watches, and confidence in handling this impairment. The first step should be visiting an eye practitioner who specializes in low vision care and who can determine the state of low vision. Your practitioner can also prescribe certain devices and give advice dependent on your lifestyle. These devices can help you read better, allow you to identify objects, and even read to you. You can learn new methods on doing everyday activities like cooking and getting around. For more information and help with low vision visit http://www.lighthouse.org.
If you would like to find low vision tools such as magnifiers and screens you might want to visit OcuSource.com. OcuSource.com is the world-wide resource for low vision products, resources, professionals and more.
[Page updated 1/2011]
