Low Vision

            Unfortunately, patients that have lost a portion of their vision to disease are often told that there is nothing that can be done.  While this may be true regarding the treatment of the disease and the return of lost vision, there are still many ways to help these patients use what vision they have left and lead a productive life.

            Few people are totally without sight. Most individuals today classified as "blind" actually have remaining sight and, thanks to developments in the field of low vision rehabilitation, can be helped to make good use of it, improving their quality of life.

          Anyone with non-correctable reduced vision is visually impaired, and can have a wide range of problems. The World Health Organization uses the following classifications of visual impairment. When the vision in the better eye with best possible glasses correction is:

20/30 to 20/60 is considered mild vision loss, or near-normal vision

20/70 to 20/160 is considered moderate visual impairment, or moderate low vision

20/200 to 20/400 is considered severe visual impairment, or severe low vision

20/500 to 20/1,000 is considered profound visual impairment, or profound low vision

less than 20/1,000 is considered near-total visual impairment, or near total blindness

no light perception is considered total visual impairment, or total blindness

              There are also levels of visual impairment based on visual field loss (loss of peripheral vision).

              In the United States, any person with vision that cannot be corrected to better than 20/200 in the best eye, or who has 20 degrees or less of visual field remaining, is considered legally blind.

              Visual impairments take many forms and exist in varying degrees. It is important to understand that visual acuity alone is not a good predictor of the degree of problems a person may have. Someone with relatively good acuity (e.g., 20/40) can have difficulty functioning, while someone with worse acuity (e.g., 20/200) might not be having any real problems.

             Doctors of optometrywho specialize in low vision rehabilitation are skilled in the examination, treatment and management of patients with visual impairments not fully treatable by medication, surgery or conventional eyewear or contact lenses. Each type of low vision problem requires a different therapeutic approach.

            A thorough examination by an optometrist, which will also include tests to determine the patient's current vision status, will result in the development of a treatment plan. Treatment plans may include prescription of glasses, specialized optical systems, therapeutic filters, non-optical options, and/or video magnification, and the prescription of rehabilitation therapy to effectively maximize visual functioning for activities of daily living. Therapy may also be prescribed to enhance remaining visual skills and may also include referral to other vision rehabilitation professionals, as indicated.

Ask a doctor at Eyecare Associates for recommendations regarding Low Vision Rehabilitation.