Courtesy of Legarreta Eye Care

Prescription eyeglasses help billions of people improve their vision. In fact, when a person’s vision starts to weaken, a new prescription is often the solution. However, eyeglasses cannot correct every issue, including low vision.

Low vision is a vision problem that makes it hard for people to perform everyday activities, such as reading, driving, recognizing people’s faces, distinguishing between colors, or seeing their television or computer screens clearly. While low vision is a serious condition, it does not include complete blindness and can sometimes be improved with visual aids. Understanding low vision and how it can affect a person’s daily life can help patients and their families confront the condition more successfully.

Are all types of low vision the same?

The four most common types of low vision are:

  • Central vision loss, which is an inability to see things in the center of your vision
  • Peripheral vision loss, which compromises a person’s ability to see things out of the corners of the eyes
  • Night blindness, which prevents a person to see in low light
  • Blurry or hazy vision, which causes objects both near and far to appear out of focus and covered with a film or glare.

What causes low vision?

Low vision is not caused by aging alone. However, there is a link between aging and low vision. Many of the diseases that can cause low vision are most common in older adults. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic notes low vision affects one in four adults over age 75 and one in six adults over age 45. The type of low vision a person has will depend on the disease or condition that caused it. The four most common conditions are:

  • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a disease of the eye that can blur the vision people need to read and drive. AMD is slow to develop and as it progresses the blurry area near the center of vision may get bigger and things may also seem less bright than before.
  • Cataracts. Cataracts affect more than half of all Americans ages 80 or older. Many people do not notice they have a cataract initially. But over time, people with a cataract may notice their vision becoming blurry, hazy or less colorful.
  • Diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy affects blood vessels in the retina and can cause low vision in people with diabetes. The NEI urges anyone with diabetes to schedule comprehensive dilated eye exams at least once per year, as finding diabetic retinopathy early, even when no symptoms are present, can help people protect their vision.
  • Glaucoma. Glaucoma is an umbrella term used to describe a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Half of all people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it, which only underscores the importance of scheduling comprehensive dilated eye exams.

Learn more about low vision at www.nei.nih.gov. To schedule a comprehensive exam with a local ophthalmologist, and find additional information on these conditions, visit www.legarretaeye.com.