Wearing clothes that don't match, not being able to hit the glass when you pour milk, and not being able to see a car in the street could all be signs of low vision. More than 2 million Americans have low vision. Many serious eye conditions can be the cause, including macular degeneration or glaucoma. Medical conditions, such as diabetes or a brain tumor, can also cause low vision.
People with low vision can't see what someone with normal vision sees. Often black spots, cloudiness, and blurring affect their vision. There are many treatment aids to help those who suffer from low vision, including:
- Magnifiers and mini-telescopes
- Closed-circuit televisions
- Modifications to their living space to make it easy to use their remaining vision
- Adaptive non-optical devices, such as large-print cookbooks and talking watches
American Optometric Association Classifications
According to the American Optometric Association, there are two general categories of low vision. These are:
- Being partially sighted (vision is with conventional prescription lenses is still between 20/70 and 20/200)
- Being legally blind (vision that cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 with conventional lenses, and/or the patient has a restricted field of vision less than 20 degrees wide)
If you or someone you love exhibits any of the following, it may point to low vision:
- Changes in the way a person reads, watches TV, drives, or walks – or if the person stops doing any of these activities
- Difficulty identifying faces or objects, or locating personal objects in a familiar setting
- Difficulty reading or performing other tasks in ordinary lighting
- Holding reading materials close to the face or at an angle
- Difficulty getting food onto a fork or pouring liquids into a cup without spilling
- Wearing clothing in unusual color combinations, or difficulty recognizing colors
- Difficulty writing on the line or writing clearly
- More pronounced hearing loss as visual cues are lost
If you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms, make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam immediately. |
