Every September, Healthy Aging Month highlights the importance of staying active, independent, and engaged as we get older. For people living with vision loss from conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, or glaucoma, everyday activities can sometimes become more challenging. Reading the mail, preparing a meal, watching television, or recognizing a familiar face across the room may take more time and effort.
While regular eye care focuses on diagnosing and managing eye conditions, low vision care takes a different approach: helping you make the most of the vision you still have.
At Low Vision BC, our low vision optometrists work with each patient to understand how vision loss is affecting their daily life and recommend practical solutions designed around their individual needs and goals.
What Are Custom Low Vision Glasses?
How are custom low vision glasses different from regular prescription glasses?
Regular eyeglasses are designed to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Custom low vision glasses are different. They are specialized optical devices designed to help improve functional vision when a regular prescription is no longer enough.
Depending on your needs, low vision glasses may provide magnification for close-up activities, improve your ability to see objects at a distance, or reduce the effects of glare and improve contrast.
During a low vision assessment, your optometrist considers the activities that are most important to you and determines which options may help. These can include:
- Microscopic lenses for reading and close-up activities: Specialized magnification can make it easier to read books, newspapers, medication labels, recipes, and other fine print. These lenses can be incorporated into glasses, allowing you to keep both hands free.
- Telescopic and bioptic glasses for distance vision: Telescopic systems can provide additional magnification for activities such as watching television, reading signs, or recognizing faces from farther away.
- Glare-reducing and contrast-enhancing filters: Certain lens filters may reduce uncomfortable glare and improve contrast, making it easier to distinguish objects and boundaries in challenging lighting conditions.
The goal isn’t simply to make everything look bigger. It’s to find the right optical solution for the activities that matter most to you.
How Can You Make Your Home Safer?
What can I do to reduce the risk of falls with vision loss?
Vision changes can make it harder to notice obstacles, changes in floor surfaces, stairs, or other potential hazards around the home. Fortunately, small changes can make a meaningful difference.
Good lighting, clear pathways, and increased contrast can make everyday environments easier to navigate.
Consider these simple strategies:
- Improve task lighting: Place a reading or task lamp close to the area where you are working. Good, even lighting can make print and objects easier to see.
- Use contrast throughout the home: Contrasting colors can help important objects and boundaries stand out. For example, use a dark cutting board for light-colored foods or a light cutting board for darker foods. Contrasting dishes and placemats can also make table settings easier to see.
- Make stairs easier to identify: Contrasting strips or other visual markers can help make the edges of stairs more noticeable.
- Keep pathways clear: Remove clutter, loose rugs, cords, and other objects that could become tripping hazards.
- Reduce glare: Glare can make it difficult to see details and distinguish objects clearly. Specialized filters and appropriate lighting may help make certain environments more comfortable.
A low vision assessment can also provide personalized recommendations for making your home and daily routines easier to manage.
Partnering With a Low Vision Optometrist
How can a low vision assessment help me remain independent?
A low vision assessment is focused on how you use your vision in everyday life. Rather than simply measuring how clearly you can read an eye chart, the assessment looks at the specific visual challenges you experience and the activities you want to continue doing.
Your optometrist may ask about activities such as:
- Reading books, newspapers, or mail
- Managing finances or medications
- Cooking and preparing meals
- Watching television
- Using a computer or smartphone
- Recognizing faces
- Enjoying crafts and hobbies
- Moving safely around your home and community
From there, different optical devices and strategies can be explored to determine what works best for you.
At Low Vision BC, our goal is to help you make the most of your remaining vision so you can continue participating in the activities that are important to you.
Healthy Aging With Low Vision: Key Takeaways
Living with vision loss doesn’t mean you have to give up the activities you enjoy. The right combination of low vision devices, lighting, contrast, and practical strategies can make many daily tasks easier.
Remember to:
- Bring light closer to your task: Use appropriate task lighting when reading, cooking, crafting, or completing other close-up activities.
- Increase contrast: Use contrasting colors to make objects, steps, and surfaces easier to distinguish.
- Manage glare: Ask about specialized filters that may make bright or high-glare environments more comfortable.
- Explore your options: A low vision assessment can help identify optical devices and strategies suited to your specific needs.
- Focus on what matters to you: The best low vision solution is one that helps you accomplish the activities that are important in your daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I expect during a low vision assessment?
A low vision assessment looks at how you use your remaining vision and what you would like to be able to do more easily. Your optometrist will discuss your daily activities and visual goals before evaluating different optical options that may improve your ability to perform those tasks.
Will regular eyeglasses or magnifiers help if I have AMD or glaucoma?
Regular prescription glasses may still be important, but they cannot always provide the additional magnification or visual assistance needed when an eye condition has caused significant vision loss. Handheld magnifiers can also be useful for certain situations, but they aren’t ideal for everyone or every task.
Custom low vision devices are designed around your individual vision and the activities you want to accomplish.
How can specialized filters help with glare?
Glare can reduce visual comfort and make details harder to distinguish, particularly in bright environments. Certain low vision filters may help reduce the effects of glare and improve contrast for some people. Your optometrist can evaluate different options to determine which filter, if any, is appropriate for your vision.
Can low vision devices help me return to hobbies such as reading or crafting?
In many cases, yes. Specialized low vision devices can provide the magnification and working distance needed for activities such as reading, sewing, crafting, playing cards, or working on hobbies.
The right solution depends on your vision and the specific activity. That’s why a personalized assessment is so important.
Take the Next Step
Vision loss may change the way you do certain things, but it doesn’t have to mean giving up the activities that bring meaning and enjoyment to your life.
Low Vision BC can help you explore practical ways to make the most of your remaining vision and maintain your independence.
Call 855-640-8752 to learn more or visit Low Vision BC to explore our low vision services.