Understanding Low Vision

Posted by admin Filed in Vision on Tuesday, August 18th 2009

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For a sighted person, the loss of vision represents much more than a physical impairment. Macular Degeneration and other low vision conditions have contributed to a growing population of people relearning how to live. It means a loss of their accustomed independence: the end of driving to work, reading the local newspaper, even simple pleasures like playing catch. Macular degeneration products and other low vision magnifiers have gave way to life, but not enough. Through a new center based at Wayne State University, a multidisciplinary team of San Diego-area researchers and clinicians has begun work they hope will return a level of autonomy to the growing number of men and women who are facing the limitations of life without sight.

To put it plainly, “Low vision is not no vision.” The definition of blindness is a visual acuity of 20/200 in the best eye with best correction or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. While this definition sounds precise, it is often subjective. An eye specialist who uses an eye chart that does not measure acuities between 20/100 and 20/200 may give “the benefit of the doubt” and declare the patient “legally blind” in order to give the person access to more services. Thus, a person who reads regular print with no aids risks being placed in the same category with people who have a far lesser degree of visual functioning. Why, in an environment where time is measured in milliseconds and gasoline sales are measured in thousandths of a gallon, do we still consider “counts fingers” a viable visual measurement? Why do we continue to cling to an out-of-date standard? Unfortunately, mistakes and misunderstandings still occur. The definition of “legal blindness” is not even the same in all countries. It is simply a random designation arrived at by people with 20/20 vision to determine eligibility for gov. services.

A fact in the field of visual impairment is that a fully sighted person gets 80 percent of his or her information about the world visually. In the case of a low vision person, he or she is still receiving a vast majority of their sensory input by visual means. The point at which 80% becomes 50% or 5% is not something that is easily determined. Attempts to state a “percentage” of vision loss frequently fail to take into account factors other than visual acuity. In my opinion, if an individual demonstrates good visual functioning, this individual’s vision should be given the “benefit of the doubt” when considering educational and rehabilitation programming. Certainly it does not deserve to be ignored as if it were of no importance.

Low vision products help. The most common video magnifier for reading is called a Desktop Video Magnifier. These low vision aids feature a camera mounted over a tray on which the material to be magnified is placed. Some have a built-in monitor and are known as “stand-alone” magnifiers. Others are designed to connect to a television or personal computer.

How to get more information - Ask your Eye MD for a Low vision Specialist. Low vision specialists are licensed doctors of optometry who are trained in the examination and management of patients with visual impairments. A few of them are ophthalmologists with additional training in low vision care. Their services do not offer a cure for the causes of low vision, but they do help the patient learn how to utilize their remaining vision to its fullest potential. Low vision care does not replace the possible need for other treatments such as laser, medication, and surgery.

Low Vision Specialists - http://www.visiontechnology.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/understanding-low-vision-1127804.html

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 3:34 pm and is filed under Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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