Low Vision

Low vision means that even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, people find everyday tasks difficult to do. Reading the mail, shopping, cooking, seeing the TV, and writing can seem challenging.

Millions of people lose some of their vision every year. Irreversible vision loss is most common among people over age 65.

No. Some normal changes in our eyes and vision occur as we get older. However, these changes usually don't lead to low vision.

Most people develop low vision because of eye diseases and health conditions like macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, and diabetes. A few people develop vision loss after eye injuries or from birth defects. While vision that's lost usually cannot be restored, many people can make the most of the vision they have.

Your eye care professional can tell the difference between normal changes in the aging eye and those caused by eye diseases.

There are many signs that can signal vision loss. For example, even with your regular glasses, do you have difficulty:

• Recognising faces of friends and relatives?
• Doing things that require you to see well up close, like reading, cooking, sewing, or fixing things around the house?
• Picking out and matching the colour of your clothes?
• Doing things at work or home because lights seem dimmer than they used to?
• Reading street and bus signs or the names of stores?

Vision changes like these could be early warning signs of eye disease. Usually, the earlier your problem is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatment and keeping your remaining vision.

Regular dilated eye exams should be part of your routine health care. However, if you believe your vision has recently changed, you should see your eye care professional as soon as possible.

Many people with low vision are taking charge. They want more information about devices and services that can help them keep their independence.