Low vision affects millions of Americans, including many older adults in your community. According to the National Eye Institute, currently 4.2 million Americans ages 40 and older are visually impaired. Of these, 3 million have low vision. By 2030, when the last baby boomers turn 65, the number of Americans who have visual impairments is projected to reach 7.2 million, with 5 million having low vision.
February is Low Vision Awareness Month, and there is no better time to protect one of your most important senses – your eyesight. Learning about the causes and risk factors related to low vision and scheduling a screening for yourself or a loved one is the key to protecting your sight as you age. If you are proactive about your health and wellness, then learning more about low vision is an essential component of good health and wellness.
Low vision is when even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, people have difficulty seeing, which makes everyday tasks difficult to do. Activities that used to be simple like reading the mail, driving, writing, or even recognizing people’s faces, can become challenging.
Most people with low vision are age 65 or older. The leading causes of vision loss in older adults are age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, and glaucoma. Among younger people, vision loss is most often caused by inherited eye conditions, infectious and autoimmune eye diseases, or trauma. For people with low vision, maximizing their remaining sight is key to helping them continue to live safe, productive, and rewarding lives.
Individuals experiencing low vision can struggle with maintaining independence; hobbies, reading, and even socializing may become challenging as vision loss progresses. Because of the impact, low vision can have on your life, it is essential to have your eyes checked by a low vision specialist if you have any concerns.
Since it is unusual to be able to restore vision once it is lost, screenings can help preserve the vision you have and help you access adaptive lenses and devices if you need them. While there is not a cure for low vision, your specialist can help you adapt and if needed, create a vision rehabilitation program designed to meet your specific needs.
The type of low vision that you have depends on the disease or condition that caused your low vision. The most common types of low vision are:
Low vision can be caused by several factors, and while age plays a role, it is not the only risk factor involved. Some common causes of low vision in seniors and adults of all ages include macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, or eye injury. Diabetes can also lead to extreme vision problems and result in low vision. Learning more about the conditions related to low vision can help you take proactive steps to protect your health and eyesight.
Unfortunately, low vision is usually permanent. Eyeglasses, medicine, and surgery can’t usually cure low vision — but sometimes they can improve vision, help you do everyday activities more easily, or keep your vision from getting worse.
Treatment options will depend on the specific eye condition that caused your low vision. Ask your doctor if there are any treatments that could improve your vision or help protect your remaining vision.
Regular eye exams are essential for all adults; the American Optometric Association recommends that adults over the age of 60 have eye exams each year. For older adults, diabetics, and anyone with the risk factors above, a visit with a low vision specialist may be warranted as well. This specialist differs from a conventional optometrist and is trained to detect low vision and offer solutions and adaptations to help you retain or regain independence and the ability to do things you enjoy.
If you have risk factors for low vision, are concerned about your own sight or the sight of a loved one, it is time to see a low vision specialist. A comprehensive exam with this specialist will help determine the cause behind the vision loss and testing to ensure that the patient can do the things they enjoy and that current prescriptions are accurate.
Expect to spend several hours with a low vision specialist; during this time, you’ll have not only an eye exam, but an in-depth look at what low vision aids might help you best. The right glasses and prescription, along with lenses designed to cut glare and brightness, can help improve vision; other adaptive devices are also available if needed. Magnifiers, CCTV, and other aids can be deployed as needed to help patients deal with low vision and retain their independence.
A visit with a low vision specialist can help a visually-impaired person to lead a fully independent life despite visual restrictions. There are also low vision rehabilitation centers that house teams of low vision specialists, rehabilitation teachers, mobility/orientation specialists, occupational therapists, and other professionals in other areas as needed.
While Low Vision Awareness Month is the ideal time to learn about this condition and about the risk factors you could be facing, you should get in touch with a low vision specialist any time you have concerns about your eyesight. Any time you notice a change in vision if you receive a new diagnosis or have one or more of the risk factors detailed above you should schedule an appointment right away.
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