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What are low-vision aids and can they help me?

An elderly mother who can no longer read her prayer book, a father who struggles with medicine labels, a grandparent who cannot recognise faces across the room: these are everyday problems in many families. When the cause cannot be fully treated, the right aids and a few changes at home can make daily life much easier and safer.

What is low vision?

Low vision is sight that remains poor even with the correct spectacles or contact lenses, and after any treatment that can help, so that it interferes with daily life. It is not the same as total blindness: most people with low vision still have useful sight. Common causes are:

• age-related macular degeneration, which damages central vision needed for reading and faces;
• diabetic eye disease;
• glaucoma, which damages side vision first;
• damage to the optic nerve, or sight loss after a stroke;
• high short sight with changes in the retina, and some inherited retina conditions.

First, find out whether anything can be treated

Before any aid is chosen, the eye doctor examines your eyes to find the cause of the poor sight. Sometimes part of the problem can be treated. A cataract can be removed (see cataract surgery in Vasco), an out-of-date spectacle power can be corrected, and dry eye or eyelid problems can be treated. Diabetic and macular disease need regular check-ups; if a treatment is needed that is not done at ReNew Vision, such as retina injections, the eye doctor refers you and continues your check-ups here. A complete eye check-up is the starting point.

Types of low-vision aids

Strong reading spectacles

Spectacles with extra-high reading power let you hold print close while leaving both hands for the task. They work well for reading and sewing, but the reading distance is short, so they take some practice.

Hand magnifiers

Small and portable, for shopping, medicine labels, prices, bills and bus timetables. Some have a built-in light, which helps a great deal.

Stand magnifiers

These rest flat on the page, so the focus stays steady. They suit people with shaky hands or arthritis, and longer reading at a table. Many are lit.

Aids for distance

Small hand-held telescopes can help some people read signs, bus numbers or the board at a meeting. They take practice and suit only some people.

Phone and electronic aids

Most smartphones can enlarge text, increase contrast, use the camera as a magnifier, and read text and messages aloud. Electronic video magnifiers show print enlarged on a screen. Family members can help set these up.

Filters and tints

Some people with low vision are troubled by glare. Tinted or filter lenses can make bright light more comfortable for them.

Stronger magnification shows less of the page at once and has to be held closer, so the strongest aid is not always the most useful. The right aid depends on your sight, the task and your hands, and is chosen by trying aids on the things you actually want to do. Bring examples of what you want to read or see, such as a newspaper, a medicine label or your phone, so the aids can be tried on them.

Simple changes at home that help

• More light: a bright lamp aimed at the page from over your shoulder, and good light in the kitchen and on stairs.
• More contrast: a dark plate on a light tablecloth, bright tape on the edge of steps, thick black pens, a large-button phone, large-print calendars.
• Less glare: curtains or blinds against direct sun, and a cap with a brim outdoors.
• Organisation: keep things in the same place, and mark medicines clearly, for example with a rubber band or a large label, so that bottles are not mixed up.
• Safety: clear clutter from floors, add handrails where needed, and take care with cooking flames and hot water.

Living with low vision

Sight loss can make people feel frustrated, lonely or anxious, and some stop going out. Family support, keeping up with friends, neighbours and community life, and learning to use aids all help people stay independent. Using your eyes does not wear them out; reading with an aid will not make your sight worse.

Some people with significant sight loss begin to see patterns, faces or objects that are not there. This is called Charles Bonnet syndrome. It is common, it is caused by the sight loss and not by mental illness, and it often becomes less troublesome with time. Tell the eye doctor if it happens.

If your sight has fallen, ask the eye doctor whether it still meets the standard for driving. If you have macular degeneration, see the eye doctor promptly if straight lines start to look wavy or a new blurred patch appears. ReNew Vision provides care for macular degeneration; see our eye specialities.

Helping a parent with low vision

Many families bring parents to Vasco from around Goa, or from Karwar, Belagavi or Sindhudurg. It helps to come with your parent, bring their spectacles, old eye reports and medicine list, and make a list of the tasks they find hard: reading, cooking, medicines, recognising people, watching television. After dilating drops or a long day, someone else should do the driving. Directions and timings are on our visit page.

Low-vision aids at ReNew Vision

The eye OPD of ReNew Vision Eye Hospital in Vaddem, Vasco is open Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, and closed on Sunday. The eye check and the choice of aids happen in the same eye hospital. See the Vision Correction Centre page, or call or WhatsApp 072489 88039 to ask about low-vision aids.

Questions patients ask

Can low vision be corrected with stronger spectacles?

Ordinary spectacles cannot fully correct low vision, because the problem is in the eye or the nerve, not only in the power. Low-vision aids such as strong reading spectacles and magnifiers help you make better use of the sight you have.

Which magnifier is right for me?

It depends on your sight, what you want to do and how steady your hands are. Hand magnifiers suit shopping and labels; stand magnifiers suit longer reading at a table. The right one is found by trying aids on the tasks you need.

Can low-vision aids help with macular degeneration?

Yes. Many people with macular degeneration read with magnifiers, strong reading spectacles and good lighting. The aids do not treat the disease, so regular check-ups with the eye doctor are still needed.

Will reading with poor vision make my eyes worse?

No. Using your eyes does not wear them out or speed up eye disease. Reading with good light and the right aid is safe, although it may be tiring.

My father sees things that are not there since his sight got worse. Is that normal?

It can be. People with significant sight loss sometimes see patterns, faces or objects that are not real. This is called Charles Bonnet syndrome and is caused by the sight loss, not by mental illness. Tell the eye doctor about it.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.