Low Vision Aids


Certain medical conditions can cause vision problems that are not correctable with contact lenses or glasses. In fact, some of these conditions are not even correctable with the aid of medicines or surgery. These low vision problems can include blurred vision, loss of peripheral vision, distorted central vision, and poor night vision.

Anyone can suffer from low vision, but the most common group affected by it is senior citizens. Medical conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, and cataracts are common causes of low vision. In addition, however, accidents that result in eye injury could cause low vision.

Eye doctors who specialize in low vision are the best people to see regarding the condition. Since these problems cannot be corrected through conventional means, outside aid is needed. Besides determining the exact nature of the condition, low vision specialists can suggest the proper aids to help a patient continue to live as normally as possible.

Low Vision Aids: Optical

One of the most common types of low vision aids is a magnifier. There are many different styles of magnifiers to choose from, including hand-held and mounted. There are also video magnifiers. These magnifiers actually use television or computer screens to magnify the material that they are focused on. So, you could actually read your book on the television!

Another great magnifier is a hand-held video magnifier. These magnifiers can be used for common errands like shopping and can help with reading receipts, labels, and coupons. Many of these magnifiers are also able to invert the colors of the text, so that you have white letters on a black background. Those who suffer from low vision often find that this is a much more comfortable way to read.

Other low vision aids include special glasses. Reading glasses, for example, can have small telescopes attached to them. The glasses would be modified with things like extra nose padding, to help carry the weight of the telescope. Today, these telescopes can even have a battery-operated auto focus. Other types of special glasses for people with low vision include blue blocking glasses and glare reducing glasses.

Low Vision Aids: Non-Optical

Low vision patients can also use non-optical methods to help adapt. Reading from printed material with a large font can help. And, while on the Internet, most browsers have an option to zoom in on websites, allowing those with low vision to enlarge the font. Another method is to listen to audiotapes rather than read books. Books on tape are available for even the most recently published novels.

And, today you can also have Internet on tape. Voice computer systems are able to “read” text from a computer screen and translate the text into sounds. So, if enlarged websites are too difficult to read, a voice computer system can help. Certain voice computer systems are also voice command systems. This means that the user can command the computer to retrieve email or go online. And, once the computer gets to the material requested, it can read it to the user.

By Christy Patrick           


Related Links:

  • Low Vision Gateway
    The Low Vision Gateway offers basic information, discussion forums, and a bookstore.