Imagine for a moment that all of the tasks that you do everyday suddenly became substantially more difficult to perform. If doing what you normally do suddenly became a serious chore, how would you adapt? For a lot of people this isn’t a hypothetical situation as low vision is part of their daily life. In March, we encourage you to learn more about low vision and how it affects many people’s lives.
What is low vision?
Low vision is not a specific medical condition as it is a blanket term that encompasses many different types of eye-related issues. When a person’s eyesight reaches a certain level, particularly when eyeglasses and surgeries are no longer enough to aid the person effectively, this can be referred to as having low vision. As visual impairment and vision loss grow closer to outright blindness, low vision becomes more of a concern.
So much of a person’s daily life revolves around being able to see. Driving a car, recognizing faces of friends and family, and even being able to read or enjoy watching TV are many of the common activities that so many people get to take for granted. Unfortunately, with low vision these things become quite impossible for a person who has lived a lifetime being able to enjoy all of the activities above and more.
When a person has low vision, they may actually be classified as being legally blind. Legal blindness happens when your tested vision in your better eye is 20/200, as opposed to normal vision in the 20/20 range. While people who have low vision may still have some useful sight, this affliction can make their daily lives far more difficult than they would otherwise be.
How to know if you have low vision
If you have a difficult time recognizing objects at a distance, differentiating between colors, seeing up close, or even any two of these symptoms, you may have low vision. It is important that if you identify these problems, you see your eye doctor as soon as you can. In some cases, these are mild problems that are simply the result of your eyes changing over time.
Your eye doctor has specialized tests that he or she can perform. They will test what is called refraction, which can help determine if glasses will help you and what prescription you would need. They will also test what is called your visual field, which measures how large a range you have as far as peripheral vision. There are also other tests that you eye doctor may perform based on your individual needs. Your eye doctor will also have treatment and adaptive options available to you, such as devices using larger print or sound.
What causes low vision?
Low vision is not a natural part of aging, although it does affect elderly people more than other members of the population. This is not normal presbyopia, and that does not lead to low vision. Often there are eye diseases at fault such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinopathy caused by diabetes.
Sources:
http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/patientcare/conditions/lowvision.html#definition
http://www.lowvision.org/
http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/low-vision.cfm
Sugarland Eye & Laser Center leads in providing premium LASIK technologies to Houston, Sugar Land, and the surrounding region. The Center’s award-winning medical director introduced revolutionary technologies such as iLASIK to the region. This technology is used by NASA astronauts, Navy SEALS and Air Force fighter pilots. At Sugarland Eye & Laser Center, you can now receive the same treatment. For more information, please call (281) 240-0478 or visit us at www.houston-lasik.com.
About the Author
Amjad Khokhar, M.D. is Chief LASIK Surgeon at Sugarland Eye & Laser Center. Add Dr. Khokhar on Google+ here.
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